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Overcoming Mental Health Stigma in School
As the youth mental health crisis continues, schools have a responsibility to continue to respond to it. But limited time and resources make it difficult to feel like we are keeping up — muchless getting ahead. If we can’t budget new health professional hires or add more social-emotional programs, what can we do?
School therapist Carlos Mares posits that there is actually a lot we can do, no matter the school size, location, or demographics. We can implement strategies that break the stigma around mental health — which can have profound, rippling effects on our entire communities.
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In this white paper, you’ll learn 10 strategies, including:
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How to assess the supportiveness of your school culture
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Why a physical wellness space is vital
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What language to use when talking about mental health with students
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How to recruit both teachers and students as wellness advocates
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What kind of education parents might need around mental health
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Meet the Author
Carlos Mares, M.A./PPS/LPCC
Wellness Therapist
Because of who I am and what I represent, people closed many doors on me. I dreamed of becoming a therapist who could empower students to open doors for themselves, as I’ve learned to do. I use social-emotional healing arts to help provide equitable access to mental health support and to encourage students’ personal agency. I believe that is a way to knit fearlessness, acceptance, and connection into the fabric of school culture — and a way to break the stigma around youth mental health.
