Anxiety, chronic stress and clinical depression. We’ve all heard about these mental illnesses but tend to sweep them under the rug. There are a lot of stigmas attached to these terms and often, people battling with them feel like they have nobody to talk to. Which unfortunately, makes the situation even worse.
But a high school Special Education (English/health) teacher from San Francisco has found a way to help students come out in the open about their mental wellbeing. Erin Castillo has a background in psychology which makes better suited to understand young minds.
Inspired by a fellow teacher, Erin came up with this mental health check-in chart. Essentially, students have to write their name at the back of a post-it note and stick it in the row that matches how they are feeling.
The 6 sections on the chart are: I’m great, I’m okay, I’m meh, I’m struggling, I’m having a hard time and wouldn’t mind a check-in and I’m in a really dark place. Erin explains that,
“Society has a way of encouraging people to push their feelings down and continue on with life. This is not only unhealthy but can be very dangerous… If there’s anything I’ve learned over my 6 years of teaching, it’s that most kids WANT to talk, they just aren’t sure who to talk to or how to do it.”
Her chart has helped many kids in her class seek help and at the same time showed them that they are not alone. People are lauding Erin for her efforts and adopting the idea themselves.
Internet strangers are making me cry 😭.
Posted by Erin Castillo on Tuesday, March 26, 2019
If you like this idea and would like to implement it in your classroom/home/workplace then download the printable version here. Let’s change the way we see mental illnesses and fight them together.