How We Support Mental Health in High School Students
Wondering if and how high school might impact your daughter’s mental health? Learn how St. Agnes Academy supports mental health in high school students through various services.
For many parents sending their students to high school, the question of mental health can be challenging and worrying. As your daughter enters a new environment and a rigorous academic setting, it is natural to be concerned about how your child will deal with these new factors.
Fortunately, St. Agnes Academy offers various resources to support our students throughout their time on campus. Discover the various ways St. Agnes supports mental health in high school students and promotes positive mental health within the student body.
Mental Health in High School Students: What Our Resources Look Like
The primary vehicle for mental health support at St. Agnes is through our strong and extensive Student Support Services.
Student Support Services is comprised of both the Wellness Center and the Student Success Center. We are committed to providing comprehensive and inclusive support services, promoting student success, and keeping equity at the center of our work. Here’s how our mental health professionals actively work with the student body:
- Advocate for students as they navigate personal and educational challenges.
- Engage parents and community members as partners in the educational process.
- Build sustainable relationships that positively impact student success.
- Provide engaging experiences that support the student learning process.
We want our students to have access to the resources, best practices, and opportunities for mental health and well-being they need to foster student growth, resilience building, and a positive academic experience. Let’s take a deeper dive into how the Wellness Center supports students!
What Does the Wellness Center Do?
The mission of the Wellness Center is to create a safe, nonjudgmental, and confidential environment for our students as they manage their academic and personal lives at St. Agnes Academy.
The school staff organizes preventative programming, small group meetings, and individual sessions throughout the year for our students. Programming promotes the importance of self-care and balance to ensure students and parents are supported, informed, and empowered.
The Wellness Center team also collaborates with teachers, administrators, and parents to best target the student body’s needs and provide essential help and programming. Their work is specifically geared toward our freshmen and sophomore students, whereas the College Counselors primarily support to juniors and seniors. This division allows the Wellness Center to provide more specialized help for our students based on grade level.
Importance of Freshman Seminar
One of the key programs that supports students’ mental health is the Freshman Seminar. This program is a one-semester, stand-alone course that helps freshmen students transition from middle school to high school.
The mission of the course is to help incoming freshmen develop the necessary skills and mindset to enable them to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally during their time at St. Agnes. Objectives in Freshman Seminar target academic readiness, social and emotional well-being, high school orientation, and personal development.
Other Examples of Wellness Programming
Beyond freshman year, we also provide these wonderful opportunities for mental health support.
1. Wellness Parent Lunch and Learns
Throughout the year, the Wellness department organizes informal lunches for St. Agnes parents to attend and listen to presentations from various speakers. Speakers are selected to present on topics such as mental health and adolescent development.
These Lunch and Learns are hosted over Zoom and are an accessible, convenient opportunity for parents to gain valuable insights on how to support their children’s mental health and development.
2. Grade Level Programming
Faculty and administration collaborate with the Wellness Department to offer grade-level programming throughout the year. Programming aims to meet the needs of the students as presented to best support the student body.
In the past, programming has targeted study skills, healthy relationships and boundaries, and helpful tips for course registration.
3. Care Dogs
A fan-favorite of Wellness Programming is Care Dogs! On various Tuesdays during the year, the Wellness Department will collaborate with the organization Faithful Paws to host care dogs at school.
Students have the opportunity to engage and play with the dogs, providing a time of stress relief and relaxation. This programming is especially helpful come midterms in the Winter and final exams in the Spring.
4. Wellness Workshops
Wellness Workshops are small group workshops hosted periodically by the Wellness department. They are based on common themes and allow students to explore topics on a deeper level, coming out of the workshop with a new, helpful skill. Past Wellness Workshops have included:
- Friendship
- Anxiety coping skills
- Body image
5. Self-Care Fair
Self-Care Fair is a Spring Semester event for students. The fair features various booths offering self-care activities, mindfulness techniques, and calming strategies, often accompanied by arts and crafts, breathing exercises, and prizes.
The fair is a fun opportunity for students to relax in the midst of a stressful school day and spend time caring for themselves!
6. Wellness Week
As an extension of our Wellness Month programming, Wellness Week is a week-long event held for students the week before their final exams in May.
Each day during Wellness Week, the Wellness Department – in collaboration with Student Council – hosts a new activity for students to pop in and participate in as they wrap up material for finals and begin studying for finals. Some activities include:
- Bingo
- Bracelet making
- Care dogs
- Bubbles
- Slime
- Coloring
- Popsicles
What Does the Student Success Center Do?
The mission of the Student Success Center is to provide a place where students with various learning differences can attain skills in study techniques, time management, organizational strategies, and goal planning. We also want students to access reasonable accommodations to ensure their full participation in academic programs.
The Student Success Center also provides all students with the resources to develop effective learning and academic strategies in addition to supporting them with accommodations. Our specialists support students in various areas, including:
- Organization
- Time management
- Study skills
- Test-taking strategies
- Self-advocacy
- Executive functioning skills
Specialists both provide students with these tools in one-on-one consultations and pop-up events throughout the year. For example, the Student Success Center often hosts an “Oreo Ready for Semester Exams?” pop-up event before final exams to assist students in planning for their exams. Specialists meet with students to create personalized study plans and offer tips and strategies to make their final studying most effective.
Find Mental Health Support from Our Mental Health Services
Focusing on mental health is a top priority at St. Agnes to build a thriving school community. The transition to high school can be a tumultuous time, and it is our mission to ensure that our students thrive socially, emotionally, and academically during their time at the Academy.
St. Agnes works to effectively support all our students throughout their high school years and provide them with all the tools necessary to maintain good mental health.
If you have further questions about how we support mental health in high school students, please contact our Student Support Services team. Our Wellness Counselors and Student Success Center Team will be more than happy to provide answers on how we support your daughter’s mental health!
