Youth POV: What Kunling Wants Adults to Know about Teen Mental Health
Before high school, Kunling loved bird-watching. She would go outside with a journal and draw what she saw. She began nature journaling in middle school. ...
Expert POV: How Everyday Connection Can Help
The first conversation about mental health doesn’t have to be the hard one. It can be about how classes went. It can be about a friend. Or something that made them laugh that day.
Jennifer Reed, senior director of School & District Programs and a licensed counselor, says those everyday conversations make the hard ones easier. “So when the moments do arise to go deeper with your child, it isn’t as difficult or as jarring,” she says.
Brynn Cooper, former director of counseling at Weymouth High School in Massachusetts, has seen that happen in an unlikely place. A member of the security staff there started bringing conversation cards throughout the school day. Instead of just making sure young people weren’t loitering too long in the halls or bathrooms, the staff member would ask them questions like:
- What does it mean to be a good friend?
- If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
Soon, students were waiting for the questions. And if the security staff member showed up without the cards, they wanted to know why. Over time, students became more comfortable talking with her. Some began coming to her when they were concerned about a friend or another student. “I think any opportunity to connect with youth in a way that’s authentic is just so important,” Brynn says.
That can be easy to overlook when we talk about youth suicide prevention. The subject can feel difficult or scary. It can leave parents, teachers, friends, and other adults wondering whether they know enough to help.
Renée Weiss, executive director of counseling services at Texas A&M University–Kingsville, hears that concern in her work with college students. Suicide prevention is “everybody’s responsibility,” she says. But “does that mean you have to be a mental health clinician? Absolutely not.” You’re not being asked to provide treatment. You’re being asked to stay connected. And when a young person needs more support, you can help connect them to a professional who’s more equipped to provide it.
For Renée, that raises another question: Will they know where to go?
Colleges can tell students about counseling services during orientation. They can hand out information and explain where to go. But Renée knows how much an 18-year-old is absorbing on a day when they’re being told a million other things. “It’s something that you have to keep in front of people all the time,” she says. “It’s never a one-and-done.”
A conversation today makes another conversation easier tomorrow. A familiar adult becomes someone a young person knows they can talk to. A resource they’ve seen before is easier to find when they need it.
Setting young people up to thrive is about all of us offering that regular drumbeat of support. We all have a role to play.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, text, call, or chat 988, or text HOME (or HOLA) to 741-741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.
This story was shared as part of JED’s Suicide Prevention Awareness Month campaign. You can read more stories and access resources here.