Mental Health among high school students is an important topic to address as adolescents are at a higher risk of experiencing anxiety and depression disorder (Wellness Road Psychology, n.d.). Poor mental health among adolescents can lead to an increase in suicide or them engaging in risky behaviors that can lead to sexually transmitted disease or drug use (CDC, 2022; CDC, 2021). In the US, around 6 million are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and 2.7 million children are diagnosed with depression (CDC, 2022). That is why this initiative is focused on improving mental health among high school students in Alachua County. The initiative is going to have three parts, the first is integrating a new curriculum to teach students resilience-building skills as it will help reduce anxiety and improve the student's mental health and self-confidence, and self-efficacy (Pinto et al., 2021). The second part is that individual counseling for students is available in schools, helping increase access to mental health services. The third part is going to be peer support groups for students that are experiencing anxiety and depression.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2022, March 4). Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health. https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021, May 12). Mental Health.
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyou...tal-health/index.htm
Pinto TM, Laurence PG, Macedo CR and Macedo EC (2021) Resilience Programs for Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front. Psychol. 12:754115. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.754115
Wellness Road Psychology. (n.d.). Benefits of Therapy for Adolescents. https://www.wellnessroadpsychology.com/blog/benefits-of-therapy-for-adolescents#:~:text=Attending%20counseling%20sessions%20can%20help,assertiveness%2C%20and%20self%2Dawareness.
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