Mental Health Awareness: An Important Topic To Discuss In High School
Guidance counselor Mr. Cunningham provides his perspective on the understanding of mental health
There are a variety of helpline resources to those who may be struggling.
November 24, 2021
As we come toward Thanksgiving to celebrate being together, we are reminded of what we have lost as well. For one family, they almost lost something there isn’t even a name for.
In mid March, a student at Wentzville Middle School saved another student from ending his own life. The student made a post about planning to harm himself. Because of events like this, we have made days, and even months to bring awareness to different types of mental health.
Just this past month on Oct. 10 was mental health awareness day.
“I have worked in companies that not only gave that day off but have given me a ‘mental health’ day per quarter. So four times a year, I could take a day off just to relax and recharge,” LHS guidance counselor Mr. Cunningham said.
Teachers here at Liberty try to help students as best as they know possible. Many teachers have signs displayed in the classroom of ways to contact your local school counselor and who that person might be.
“I am proud of Liberty students who stand up for their friends and report to an adult in this building that someone is hurting,” Cunningham said.
Mental health can mean something different to everyone than what mental health means to you. Mental health awareness is the recognition that our mental well-being is an important part of our own health, productivity and happiness.
The awareness at Liberty is nothing we haven’t seen before. The same repetitive assembly in middle school about suicide and how we should talk to someone. We all know no one listened during those things. But here at Liberty, we the students with a little help from our teachers and counselors can help change that.
“I would love to start a conversation with students about how we can raise awareness about mental health here at Liberty,” Cunningham said.
Resources to contact:
CHADS (Communities Healing Adolescent Depression and Suicide) Coalition for Mental Health 314-952-8274 (www.chadscoalition.org)
TREVOR Project (saving young LGBTQ lives) 1-866-488-7386
BHR Youth Connection Helpline (Call 1-844-985-8282) (Chat www.bhrstl.com) (Text BHEARD to 31658)
