From the Office of School Counselor, Mrs. Trem

Mental Health Awareness Month (Part 1)!!!

Hi everyone, and happy May! 🙂 This month I get to shed some light on a topic that is very important to me – mental health awareness. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and on May 7th we celebrate National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day! While it is true that nationally we are seeing a rise in mental health conditions in our youth, and this has been referred to by the United States surgeon general as a mental health crisis - particularly among children*, we must not lose sight of the power that we all have in supporting the young people in our lives. You are making a difference every day simply by being a positive adult in your students’ lives! And the greatest hope of all lies in what has been given to us through Jesus, who reminds us in Matthew 11:28 to “come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” I am grateful today for a Savior who is with me in my trials and offers true peace and comfort!

As a school counselor, I like to think about mental health awareness through a proactive lens. In each of my classroom lessons, group sessions, and individual conversations with students, I strive to communicate to students through my words and actions that they are valuable and are not alone in whatever they are feeling or going through. Additionally, we talk about how with practice, we can learn to rule over our emotions rather than letting them rule over us. We also spend a lot of time identifying the strengths, or protective factors, in their lives, which science tells us actually act as a buffer for the difficult things that children and young adults go through - even lowering symptoms of depression!* While we cannot make ourselves immune to trials in this life, having protective factors present in our lives can improve our resiliency and give us the support we need to work through these difficult times. You can see a list of protective factors below. As you read through and note how many are already present in your student’s life, be encouraged that these are all proactive mental health strengths you are equipping your student with!

Examples of protective factors include:

• Presence of a loving and supportive adult

• Positive self-perception

• Self-regulation skills

• Connection to faith and culture

• Positive school environment & feeling connected to one’s school

• Involvement in extracurricular activities

• Physical activities

• Adequate sleep & proper nutrition

If any of these are true to your student’s life, applaud yourself for providing them with preventative mental health support! It seems simple, but it is in these small day-to-day connections that we make that give young people the strength to work through the difficulties of growing up in this day and age. Be encouraged in what you are doing to impact your family – you are a difference-maker, and you are needed in this work! If you feel that your family could benefit from additional mental health resources and support, please reach out to me. Tune back next week for Part 2 of this mental health spotlight, focusing on this year's Mental Health Awareness Month theme. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Trem 

htremitiedi@grovecitychristian.org 

614-875-3000 #2211

1. https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/about-us/collaboratory/mental-and-behavioral-health/us-surgeon-general-crucial-stats 

2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11559830/#sec12