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UNIT 1:

MENTAL/EMOTIONAL HEALTH

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LESSON #1: MAKING SENSE OF MENTAL/EMOTIONAL HEALTH ISSUES

DIRECTIONS for TREE OF MENTAL HEALTH: On the following page is the list of

Mental/Emotional Health Topics we will discuss during this unit. On the two pages that follow are two “empty” trees… a “healthy” or “preventative” tree and a “sickly” or “harmful” tree. Your job is to add the topics so that they create the described tree. You

may find that not all of the items “fit” into your tree’s theme.

To create the “healthy” tree or tree of prevention, begin by first deciding which items belong at the “root” of the tree – that is, the things that would serve to make you strong mentally & emotionally, therefore making your tree one that is resistant to other topics

on the list. Next, select things that relate to the roots that help your tree to grow strong enough to produce leaves and place those things on the trunk and lower branches.

Finally, produce the topics that would be produced on your “leaves”. To create the “sickly” tree or tree of harm, do the reverse of what you did for the

“healthy” tree. What would be the root causes of a mentally/emotionally unhealthy person? How would it grow from the roots so that the leaves are replaced by the

unhealthy topics on the list?

MENTAL ILLNESS WORD CLOUD: Create a word cloud that depicts the more prominent issues that trigger the consequential issues in this cloud. Remember that in a word cloud, the prominent issues should appear larger. The farther away you go from the initial

causes, the smaller the words will become.

TEACHER OPTION 1: MENTAL HEALTH WORD CLOUD HOMEWORK: If given to you as homework, you are to create your cloud at home on your own device, print a hard copy and bring it in to your classroom teacher.

TEACHER OPTION 2: MENTAL HEALTH WORD CLOUD CLASSWORK: Your classroom

teacher may opt to do this assignment using the CHS iPad Cart. The library will download the FREE APP Wordsalad onto the iPads. Click on that app on the iPad. After it loads, begin making your word cloud. When you have the finished product, Press the home

button and the top button simultaneously to take a picture of your final product and turn it in electronically as explained by your classroom teacher.

NEED HELP finding a website to use to make your Word Cloud? Check out this link for options! Note, there are plenty of free sites, so subscribing to a paid one isn’t necessary!

http://www.edudemic.com/9-word-cloud-generators-that-arent-wordle/

Example:

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ISSUES IN MENTAL/EMOTIONAL HEALTH

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Version 1: Tree of Mental/Emotional Health – Healthy Tree

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Version 1: Tree of Mental/Emotional Health – Unhealthy Tree

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CLASSROOM DISCUSSION & REFLECTION

Mental/Emotional Health Tree

Classroom Discussion

1 Identify all of the issues on the topic list you believe are unhealthy.

2 What did you feel were the 3 root issues of each of the trees and why?

Healthy:

Unhealthy:

3 What issues do you feel are the farthest reaching from the root issues? That is,

which topics have the least to do with a person becoming mentally healthy or

unhealthy?

4 What was difficult about this assignment?

5 Are there any Mental/Emotional Health issues that are not on the list that you feel

should be on the list? If so, identify as many as you are able.

Reflection:

1 The primary roots of my personal tree are:

2 What would be the three issues that branch from your roots that you struggle the

most with?

3 How could you add positive leaves or prevent more negative leaves from being

added to your tree?

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Lesson 2: Who Am I and Who Will I Be? Name

Period

Stop… think… Who Are You? What hats do you wear? What do you believe? What are your

strengths? What are your weaknesses? What are your passions? What do you dislike? What are your

pet peeves? What do you believe in so much that no one could ever change your mind about it?

If you CAN answer those questions and others, then you have a good idea of who you are. If you

cannot, it’s time to work on YOU. Teens spend a lot of time taking care of their responsibilities to

school, family and friends. When they are alone and have free time, they tend to flock to electronic

devices, social media, or fill every spare minute with other activities leaving very little time to spend by

themselves thinking about the answers to the above questions.

If you don’t know who you are, how will you know what you believe? What you like? What you love? If

you don’t know those things, how will you choose a career? A partner? A hobby? The bottom line is…

it takes times to learn these things about yourself.

You have four years… let’s take some time to start to get to know YOU. Answer the questions that

follow as OPENLY and HONESTLY as you are able. Don’t panic or stress if you don’t know the

answer… just write and let your mind follow your instincts to put the words on the page. You’ve spent

more than fourteen years with yourself… the answer is there… just think about it.

Finding ourselves is where we begin to find Mental & Emotional Health for a lifetime. It’s the first stop

in Total Health… let’s get started…

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Reflection: Who Am I and Who Do I Want to Become?

1. Who is the single most influential person in your life? What is it that they contribute to your

beliefs and behaviors?

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2. Think of the person in #1… which of their traits/qualities would you hope to develop in

yourself. Why?

3. If you could spend TWO HOURS with any person in the world who is NOT a relative – living

or dead – who would it be and why would you want to spend that hour with them?

4. What are your passions? What do you absolutely LOVE to do? What do you care most

about at this time in your life? Why?

5. Fear can be our greatest enemy (of course, it can also keep us from doing things could be

harmful to us!) Fears that prevent us from achieving in life can be debilitating. What is the

fear(s) that have prevented you from doing things you truly wanted/hoped to do or

accomplish? Explain.

6. What could you be happy doing day in, day out until you were 65 years old? We’ll tell you a

secret… a happy job is the job that allows you to follow your passion all day long. Why?

Well, first… you get PAID to do something you love… what’s not to be happy about! And

remember, you spend 8-14 hours a day at your job, so you’ve gotta love what you’re doing

to be able to do it daily for that long, right? … So, if you could get paid to follow your

passion, what would you do? If you combine all of the information from all of your answers

above, it should give you an idea of what your career path should be! For example, if you

LOVE building things and you LOVE studying the human body and you LOVE helping

others… you don’t have to be a doctor… you could be a biomedical engineer! So… what is

your passion and how could you it your career?

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7. What is your perception of Aging and Retirement? What kind of aged person will

you be? Who will you be when you retire? Will you be an asset to society or a

burden? Will you be grumpy or kind? Will you be active or sedentary? Will you join

Senior Citizen Groups or hang out with friends and family? How will you have made

yourself the best YOU, to be the best FUTURE YOU that you can be? Ponder…

then, write!

8. ANALYZE the diagram below. When you consider the information from the previous

lessons, what does the graphic below say about the thoughts and behaviors of teens in

relation to the risk for mental/emotional health issues?

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Extra Space for Who Am I, Who Will I Be Reflection NAME

Note: Please put the number of the question you are continuing on this page before you

begin. Thank you for helping us navigate your reflection!

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LESSON 3: MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR ADOLESCENT YOUTH AT CONESTOGA

IDENTIFYNG RISK FACTORS: Throughout Middle School, you learned a great deal about various

risk factors that help us to identify mental/emotional health concerns in adolescence. If you had a

friend who you felt was showing signs of such risk factors, what would you do? Where would you seek

help? Here are places on our campus where you can go. You do not have to suffer in silence. Pick

one of the groups below, then get up and seek someone from the group out so you can get on your

way to feeling better about your days.

Peer Mediators – the peer mediators have specialized training to mentor all new incoming students.

There are five branches to the team: Mediation, Links, FROGS, STAR, and PALs. Their mission is to

provide activities that support school unity and positive school climate while providing education and

support to students in conflict whether personal or interpersonal. They are not counselors, but they are

trained to recognize when a student may need additional support. They are part of our school’s crisis

intervention team in that they are a primary resource for referring students in need. Nervous about

seeing one of the other groups listed? A mediator will help you transition to them. They want you to get

the help you need when your life is not going as well as you would like.

Which branches of the team are primarily responsible for serving Freshmen students with

transition to high school life as well as providing support for personal & interpersonal

conflicts?

Guidance Counselors – Guidance Counselors possess a Bachelor’s and/or Master’s Degree in

Educational School Counseling. Some of our counselors were teachers before they became

counselors. They provide mental/emotional support for students in need, serve as the intermediary

between mediators and their links if there is something they feel the mediator can help their link with,

serve as a communication link between staff and student in the case of special situations that arise

with their students, and serve to refer students for additional counseling services by more highly

trained and specialized personnel if they think it is needed.

What is your Guidance Counselor’s Name?

CARE Team – The Conestoga Assistance and Referral Effort is a team of teachers, counselors,

nurses, outside service counselors and an administrator who determine if intervention is needed with

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regard to a student’s social, mental/emotional, physical or academic health. They are a group who will

visit each area of student performance and if they determine support should be offered, they refer the

student to our school Mental Health Specialist (mental/emotional/social concerns), our School

Psychologist (academic testing, physical health concerns), the IIT Team (Instructional Intervention

Team – a team of teachers who provide tutoring services to students), or COAD (Chester County

Council on Addictive Diseases) – our outside counselor who comes to CHS to provide services for

students who are referred for substance abuse, grief, peer group counseling, educational program due

to violation of school policy, re-entry to CHS after completing a rehabilitation program and others.

There are many trained CARE Team members in the building. We rotate onto the team on a yearly

basis.

Can you name one teacher or counselor who is currently serving on the CARE Team?

Mental Health Specialists – Our Mental Health Specialists provide counseling services to students

through their Individual Educational Placement services and/or as recommended by the CARE Team

and Guidance Counselors. When you are referred to them for support, they will meet with you for an

initial interview to determine appropriate services. They will then call your parent or guardian to

discuss the recommendations. When you think about the different facets of your life, you will likely

think of home, school, community, team, organization and clubs. The Mental Health Specialists will

have a conversation with anyone they deem instrumental in helping to provide the support a student’s

needs whether short or long term.

Can you name the two Mental Health Specialists on staff at CHS?

School Psychologists – Our two School Psychologists are full time licensed psychologists with a

doctoral degree in School Psychology. Their primary responsibility at CHS is performing psychological

testing with referred students to determine appropriate support for students to reach their full potential

academically, mentally, emotionally, socially and physically. They receive referred students from

CARE Team, Administrators, Counselors and the Mental Health Specialists. They are employed by

the TESD through COAD.

Can you name our two School Psychologists?

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Recognizing At-Risk Behaviors Name

Period

Directions: Read “Kyle’s Story” silently on the pages that follow. (Note – your teacher may

choose to “popcorn” this around the room as a method of reading this story aloud.) As you

read, highlight the character’s lines of speech or actions that you think may be a sign of a

negative affect or choice that is impacting the mental health of any characters in the story.

When the story ends, answer the questions that follow and be prepared for a classroom

discussion.

1. List the comments or behaviors that concern you about Kyle.

2. List the narrator’s comments or behaviors that you believe provide support to Kyle.

3. Was it just by chance or by conscious awareness that the author provided

necessary support to Kyle?

4. Did bullying play a factor in Kyle’s life? Explain your answer whether yes or no.

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Kyle’s Story (based on a true story)

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned with my friends (parties tonight and a football game tomorrow), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye.

As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives. He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!” He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that had really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I did and all the girls loved him. To tell the truth, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began… "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends... I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."

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I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying all of his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its’ depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life - for better or for worse. We all impact one another in some way. Look for good in others – there’s more there than you think and life is so much bigger than our petty little judgments of each other. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

always remember…

we all go through stages in our lives…

there are many high points

and there are some low points…

when you think there is no hope,

reach out and hold on…

sometimes things are not what they appear…

suicide is never the answer…

suicide is a permanent solution to just one

of the temporary problems in life…

always choose life…

surround yourself with a few good people,

then learn to reach out when you must.

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Doodle Page…

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