Florida teen leaders focus on mental health

SO CHECK ON THAT. THE US SURGEON GENERAL SAYS THE ISSUE OF KIDS MENTAL HEALTH IS A URGENT PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. YEAH, THE CDC SAYS THE RATE OF SUICIDE, SELF-HARM AND IN SOCIETY ARE ALL UP AMONG ADOLESCENTS AND MAKING THINGS WORSE. THE AVERAGE WAIT TIME TO GET AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH THERAPIST IS 48 DAYS FOR KIDS. IT’S OFTEN LONGER. BUT AS SANDRA SHAW REPORTS, A LOCAL NONPROFIT IS TRYING TO BRIDGE THAT GAP WITH SOME NEW STRATEGIES. FIRST SERVE USA PAYS HIGH SCHOOLERS TO MENTOR YOUNGER KIDS WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES. ON THIS DAY, MENTORS FROM FOREST HILL, HOPE SOUTH AND BELLE GLADE HIGH SCHOOLS ARE TACKLING LESSONS ON MENTAL HEALTH. I’M A TYPE THREE ON THE ENNEAGRAM AND I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT TYPE YOU ARE BECAUSE YOU SEE HOW YOU VIEW THE WORLD AND HOW YOU COPE WITH DIFFERENT SITUATIONS THAT YOU ARE IN. THE ENNEAGRAM IS A PERSONAL CLASSIFICATION THAT HELPS WITH SELF-AWARENESS. THE PERSONALITY NUMBERS CONNECT TO EACH OTHER AND FORM A GEOMETRIC PATTERN. THE KIDS RECREATED IT FOR THEM AND HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO JUST EXPRESS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY MAY BE FEELING FROM A FRUSTRATION STANDPOINT. THE ENNEAGRAM SHOWS US WAYS THAT WE’RE SUCCESSFUL WHEN WE’RE HEALTHY, BUT THEN THE WAYS THAT WE MOVE INTO AN UNHEALTHY STATE. MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS SAY THE PANDEMIC EXACERBATED UNDERLYING MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES. I FEEL LIKE COMMUNICATION IS A GOOD THING BECAUSE A LOT OF US TEND TO FORGET ABOUT THAT AND IT JUST SHIFTED OVER A LOT OF KIDS MENTAL ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER. FOR EXAMPLE, IF THERE’S LIKE A REALLY BIG ISSUE BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS OR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY, YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHETHER TO DETERMINED TO BE ANGRY ABOUT IT, SAD ABOUT IT, UPSET LIKE DID YOU HAVE TO LEARN WHICH WAY TO GO ABOUT IT? NOT EVERYONE WAS THE SAME. WHEN WE ALL CAME BACK, EVERYONE PICKED UP DIFFERENT HOBBIES. EVERYONE WAS JUST DIFFERENT. SO WE WERE ALL JUST VERY DISTANT. SO I THINK IT WAS A LOT OF GETTING BACK TO YOUR NORMAL ROUTINE AND REALIZING WHO’S YOUR FRIEND, WHO ISN’T. SARAH CLAIRE SMITH IS A LICENSED MENTAL HEALTH THERAPIST. SHE’S TRYING TO BREAK THE STIGMA SURROUNDING MENTAL HEALTH, ESPECIALLY WITH THE YOUNGER GENERATION. I’M NOT CRAZY IF I GO TO THERAPY. RIGHT. SO I THINK IF THIS GENERATION STARTS TO REALLY MENTOR THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS, THE STIGMA WILL SOFTEN. BUT I THINK WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO, HONESTLY. AND THE RESOURCES TO ACTUALLY GET KIDS, GET TEENS INTO THERAPY. IT’S IT’S NOT EASY. STILL, THE LEADERS AT FIRST SERVE ARE FACING THE CHALLENGE HEAD ON WITH CREATIVITY. THEN THERE’S SUPPORT AND RESOURCES AND SKILLS. BUT IF WE’RE NOT TEACHING KIDS HOW TO NAVIGATE THOSE THINGS, THEN THEY MIGHT JUST FEEL REALLY LOST AND CONFUSED AND CRAZY. BUT THEY’RE NOT CRAZY. THEY’RE JUST HUMANS GOING THROUGH HARD STUFF, YOU KNOW? SO IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY WITH WHAT WE’RE COMING OUT OF. SANDRA SHAW WPBF 25 NEWS AND SEPTEMBER IS SUICIDE PREVENTION AWARENESS MONTH. A TIME TO RAISE AWARENESS AND TO SHIFT PUBLIC PERCEPTION AND HOPEFULLY SPREAD SOME HOPE TO SAVE SOME LIVES. THIS YEAR THERE IS A NEW SUICIDE LIFELINE. IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO IS DEALING WITH SUICIDAL

Teen leaders focus on mental health

Local nonprofit First Serve USA pays high schoolers to mentor younger kids within their communities. A recent collaboration with Palm Beach Atlantic University and licensed mental health counselors tackled the rising issue of mental health in kids. The CDC says the rate of suicide, self harm and anxiety are up among adolescents. Never miss anything: Sign up for personalized newsletters and alerts from WPBF 25 News First Serve trained the kids in the Enneagram, which is a personality classification that helps with self awareness. Courtney Lovely, the Athletic Director for Palm Beach Atlantic, says it’s a good thing. “For them to have the opportunity to just express some of the things that they may be feeling from a frustration standpoint, the Enneagram shows us ways that we’re successful when we’re healthy, but then also ways we move into an unhealthy state.”The latest: Sports coverage from WPBF 25 News Sarah Claire Smith, a licensed mental health therapist, also presented and spoke with the kids. She’s trying to break the stigma surrounding mental health, especially with the younger generation. Smith says, “There’s support and resources and skills. But if we’re not teaching kids how to navigate those things, then they might just feel really lost and confused and crazy. But they’re not crazy. They’re just humans going through hard stuff, you know? So it’s really important, especially with what we’re coming out of.”Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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First Serve trained the kids in the Enneagram, which is a personality classification that helps with self awareness. Courtney Lovely, the Athletic Director for Palm Beach Atlantic, says it’s a good thing.

“For them to have the opportunity to just express some of the things that they may be feeling from a frustration standpoint, the Enneagram shows us ways that we’re successful when we’re healthy, but then also ways we move into an unhealthy state.”

The latest: Sports coverage from WPBF 25 News

Sarah Claire Smith, a licensed mental health therapist, also presented and spoke with the kids. She’s trying to break the stigma surrounding mental health, especially with the younger generation.

Smith says, “There’s support and resources and skills. But if we’re not teaching kids how to navigate those things, then they might just feel really lost and confused and crazy. But they’re not crazy. They’re just humans going through hard stuff, you know? So it’s really important, especially with what we’re coming out of.”

Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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