Helping students adopt and maintain healthy behaviors is at the core of our school counseling program at WRHS. Education and awareness is a critical piece of our students feeling well and making healthy choices.

During the month of May, the Mental Health Awareness Club and the School Counseling department have been spreading awareness about the importance of mental health and wellness through daily announcements and weekly newsletters to students. We hope this newsletter will be helpful for you as you navigate the mental health needs of your student.

School counselors are highly educated, professionally certified individuals who help students succeed in school and prepare for their post-secondary plans. An integral part of our school community, school counselors support the creation and implementation of personal and academic goals, a growth mindset, and positive behaviors that support mental wellness. With the aid of a school counselor, students learn to develop effective collaboration and cooperation skills, to practice perseverance, to develop time management and study skills, and to learn self-motivation and self-direction habits. School counselors support students academically, socially, and emotionally, as well as provide in the moment crisis intervention and counseling for students in need of assistance. If you feel that your student needs further support at school, please reach out to his/her school counselor for assistance. We are here to support you and your family!

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

Each year, millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. During May, NAMI joins the national movement to raise awareness about mental health. Each year, NAMI fights stigma, provides support, and educates the public and advocates for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.

What NAMI does:

Educate. Offered in thousands of communities across the United States through NAMI State Organizations and NAMI Affiliates, their education programs ensure hundreds of thousands of families, individuals and educators get the support and information they need.

Advocate. NAMI shapes national public policy for people with mental illness and their families and provides volunteer leaders with the tools, resources and skills necessary to save mental health in all states.

Listen. Their toll-free NAMI HelpLine allows them to respond personally to hundreds of thousands of requests each year, providing free information and support—a much-needed lifeline for many.

Lead. Public awareness events and activities, including Mental Illness Awareness Week and NAMIWalks, successfully fight stigma and encourage understanding. NAMI works with reporters on a daily basis to make sure our country understands how important mental health is. NAMI relies on gifts and contributions to support our important work.

Life can be tough, especially for our kids. You might be noticing your child is struggling in new ways, or that old problems are getting worse. But what can you do right now to help your child with their mental health? Handhold.com has curated a collection of resources that you can try at home today and organizations that we know can help. Please click the button BELOW to access these resources!

• Counseling with a student’s assigned School Counselor for social-emotional, academic, and college/career support
• Counseling with the School Adjustment Counselor for additional mental health support (referral required)
• School-based counseling with a licensed therapist, which is contracted through Pediatric Behavioral Health or Enlightened Interventions (referral required)
• BRYT Program: a short-term clinical and academic support program designed to help students and families reintegrate into the school community after an extended absence due to a medical or mental health condition (referral required)

The WRHS School Counseling Department's role is to assist students and families in navigating mental health and social-emotional concerns, as well as connecting families with appropriate resources. Please see the list of mental health resources that can be accessed throughout the summer while school is not in session, along with clickable links with additional information.

Please Click the DOWNLOAD button below to access the Summer Mental Health Resource List