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Teens Unite for Mental Health Support

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14 views5 pages

Teens Unite for Mental Health Support

Uploaded by

brittanybonsall9
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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How teens are coming together to fight the mental crisis

Brittany F. Bonsall

Tidewater Community college

College students and teens today in this world are having a hard time coping in the world

we live in, especially since Covid has happened. Surveyed by the US Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, researchers are saying teens are having a hard time expressing their

feelings and emotions to other friends and family members and making them depressed and put

in a bad state of mind. One student named “Davis Cooke” stated that “we are not alone, there are

larger communities who support us.” Over a third of high school students in the United States are

experiencing poor mental health and have only gotten worse with covid. Two out of five students
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have felt persistent sadness and hopelessness that stopped them from doing activities that they

enjoyed. One in five considered suicide and one in ten actually attempted suicide.
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The teens realized it’s a national emergency, its about life and death. Pastor Michelle

Thomas-Bush a paster for the youth said “if they can give them some resources” for the stress

they deal with it may be a lifelong gift for them, and save some lives. The church came together

in 2021 and started a program to help teenagers. 40 teenagers participated in the program and 12

became certified advocates to help out. The advocates undergo training by the church leadership

skills such as problem solving, breathing techniques , self compassion, mindfulness, and

meditation. It’s easy to overlook the problems kids are having and the mental health that high

schoolers are dealing with. One kid said at the meeting “Check on those that you think are doing

ok, because they might not be.” The mental health check-ins that were created are for teens in

crisis who need support. We are all going to have a bad day , so they just wanted to make sure

they have the life tools and resources they needed so that they can face it head on.

Important parts of their evening was to make time for the teens to check in on one

another. In one group meeting they slouched on sofas,chairs, and beanbags. One by one they

would describe their emotions and feelings with a card. It was a way to share their feelings for

that day. The second meeting they came together around bowls of chipotle to help them open up

and eat together laugh and giggle and gripe and groan about their family and friends. This is

when they were joyful. While talking they came together talking about what is the most stressful

thing that college students stress about, and it was usually colleges to which they apply at they

don't get accepted in. Decatastrophizing is one of the tools group members have practiced to take

back into everyday life. One teen was asked, “What you are worrying about now, will it matter in

three minutes,three hours, three days, or three years?” It’s good to keep perspective but

remember that pain deserves to be felt. As humans we all have emotions and need to let them
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out, crying and showing our emotions is not weak. Peoplpe don’t want to be seen crying now

days, but it’s something we all have done or will do in the future . The parents of the kids should

learn how to use the psychological tools also, so they can help their kids. Kids now have

resources to use if they are feeling depressed or suicidal, and I hope they are able to use the

resources that are made for them.

[Link]

Common questions

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Teen advocacy initiatives have evolved by becoming more structured and resource-oriented. Participants undergo training in various life skills, such as problem-solving and emotional awareness, to equip them to support themselves and their peers. This structured approach aims to address the mental health crisis by preparing teens to act as liaisons and mentors within their communities .

The church's program for teen advocates includes training components such as problem-solving, self-compassion, mindfulness, and meditation. These components align with improving mental health outcomes by equipping teens with practical skills for stress management, promoting emotional resilience, and fostering an understanding of self-care .

Emotional expression sessions help by providing a safe space for teens to articulate their feelings, thus fostering emotional release and validation of their experiences. These sessions are designed to facilitate openness, sharing, and mutual support among participants, thereby enhancing emotional wellbeing and resilience .

Mindfulness and meditation practices contribute positively by providing adolescents with tools to manage stress and anxiety, fostering self-awareness, and enhancing emotional regulation. These practices are integral parts of the community programs described, which aim to provide teenagers with lifelong tools to cope with mental health challenges .

Post-Covid, teenagers have struggled significantly with mental health, as highlighted by surveys indicating that over a third of high school students experience poor mental health. Community efforts, such as the program initiated by a church in 2021, have been structured to offer support through training in leadership skills, problem-solving, and mindfulness. This program included check-ins and activities designed to help teens articulate their emotions and create a supportive community .

Involvement in mental health advocacy and support groups can have long-term impacts such as enhancing participants' self-efficacy, creating lifelong coping skills, and promoting mental health literacy. Additionally, it can lead to broader community benefits, including decreased stigma and improved access to mental health resources, paving the way for a healthier youth population .

Decatastrophizing serves as an adaptive strategy by helping teens reassess the magnitude of their concerns, thereby reducing emotional overwhelm and encouraging rational thinking. By prompting teens to evaluate the realistic impact of their fears over time, it aids in fostering resilience and adaptive emotional coping strategies .

Community programs address stigma by normalizing emotional expression through facilitated group sessions where teens openly share feelings. These programs encourage teens to view emotional vulnerability as strength rather than weakness, thus challenging societal stigma around showing emotions, particularly related to crying .

Parents play a crucial support role by learning and applying the same psychological tools as their children, enabling them to offer informed assistance and understanding. Their involvement is vital because it fosters a supportive home environment where teens can feel secure and validated in their emotions .

Decatastrophizing is highlighted as a beneficial psychological tool for teens dealing with college rejection stress. It functions by encouraging teens to evaluate the long-term importance of their worries, asking them to consider if their concern will matter in the short or long term, thus helping them maintain perspective and reduce anxiety .

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