In an effort to curb the growing problem of youth mental illness, Brevard Public Schools has implemented mental health instruction with videos students must watch most Wednesdays. However, sophomore Allison Gunnell has expressed concern regarding the effects of these sessions.

“It’s a waste of time because my homeroom doesn’t usually do it and we could just do the mental health lessons on Friday during actual homeroom,” Gunnell said. “They seem like they’re made by people who have never struggled with mental health issues.”

Students may become disengaged from the material because of the lack of relatability. Although Gunnell may find these lessons unpleasant, she said they do have some benefit.

“It opens the conversation of mental health in our school and makes our campus a safer environment for that discussion,” Gunnell said. 

Melbourne clinical social worker Catherine Galda said breaking the stigma around mental health discussion is crucial.

“Mental health instruction makes public the support that administration has for the mental well-being of our youth,” Galda said. “Mental Health Wednesdays is a great idea, but in order to do it well, there needs to be a connection with mental health professionals to those learning units instead of leaving it to our overburdened teaching staff to moderate.”

Even if Gunnell disagrees with the practices in place, Galda believes that an improved system could benefit students. 

“Making student groups available in schools is a plus to get conversations started and teaching students how to help a friend,” Galda said. “There are other social and emotional learning curricula that should be vetted for inclusion into our schools that focus on communication, peaceful conflict resolution and dealing with powerful emotions.”

By Hana Saleh