Hannah Meinert, a physical education and health teacher at Au Sable Middle School in Plainfield, praised the free interactive mental health presentation brought to the school by a local nonprofit.
The Will Grundy Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is currently offering NAMI’s Ending the Silence program to local schools and has received a positive response.
According to NAMI’s website, “Ending the Silence” is a “50-minute, evidence-based session designed for middle school and high school students.”
“We hope more schools will embrace this and introduce it to their children.”
— Danielle McDermott, counselor at Brooks Middle School in Bolingbrook
“This is just a way to give young people the opportunity to learn about the warning signs of mental health conditions and what to do if you need to step up for yourself or a friend who is struggling.” , said Cheryl Habeeb, assistant director at NAMI Will-. Grundy. “As the title says, we want to end silence and reduce stigma so people feel like they can ask for help.”
During the interactive presentation, students will receive facts and statistics, watch short videos, learn warning signs and how to seek help, and hear personal testimonies about their journeys to recovery, Habib said.
That personal testimony is important to students.
“They believe that this person is fine, that this person is okay and has a happy life despite their mental health condition, that treatment is effective, that their mental health condition is not their fault. You can understand that what you want is not impossible to achieve in your life,” Habeeb said.
Habib said Ending the Silence is usually held during health and physical education classes.
“We want to normalize that it’s just as important to take care of your mental health as your physical health,” Habib said.
Meinert said “Ending the Silence” fits into the sixth-grade health curriculum, which focuses on mental and emotional health. She said speakers asked students questions and handed out wristbands when students answered. The students learned about the signs of suicide and received cards telling them where to seek help. She said they heard stories of people who had received counseling or group counseling.
“The next day we concluded by identifying the emotions and discussing how all the emotions are okay. It’s how you actually treat them,” Meinert said.
Meinert praised Nami Will Grundy’s representatives for their integrity and passion for spreading mental health awareness.
“They have humanity’s best interests at heart,” Meinert said.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/R5OGM26QQRCHTLZ3BDQ34CBJQA.jpg)
Mr Habib said one in six young people were struggling with mental health conditions “at any given time” and some were unable to access treatment. There are 9,660 youth in Will County who are struggling with mental health, she said.
That’s why young people should know what resources are available and how to connect with them, she says.
“Early intervention is really important,” Habeeb says. “We don’t want people to suffer in silence and think, ‘This is how my life was meant to be and I have to deal with it.’ If someone seeks help sooner The sooner you get treatment, the sooner you can get treatment.” I’m starting to feel better. ”
Students need mental health awareness
Danielle McDermott, a counselor at Brooks Middle School in Bolingbrook, said Wednesday that eighth-grade students participated in an “Ending the Silence” presentation during physical education class in September, adding that the presentation is held regularly at the school. He said he was thinking of doing so.
McDermott said in a written statement that the program was an “eye-opener” for them.
“We have shattered stereotypes and shown that mental health issues are nothing to be ashamed of,” McDermott said in a written statement. “Our 8th grade student left class with a deeper understanding and a determination to become a more supportive classmate and friend.”
Nami’s “Ending the Silence” presentation reinforces previous teachings and normalizes nonjudgmental discussion of mental health, which is “something so near and dear to our schools and districts.” , McDermott said.
“Over the past year, the district has done an incredible job of supporting our students and community regarding mental health concerns and issues,” McDermott said Wednesday. “And this is just another way to do that. He has four different counseling offices within our building alone to support students.”
When students were surveyed after the presentation, more than half felt comfortable discussing mental health in an appropriate way, an important skill for middle school students.
“I hope more schools embrace this and implement it with their children,” she said.
Immediate help for teens and young adults
Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) today to speak to a NAMI HelpLine specialist.
Text a friend to 62640 to speak to a helpline specialist immediately.
Visit nami.org/talktous.
