A school’s responsibility is to raise healthy students, not just educate them. That’s what psychologist and mental health advocate Dr. Adam Cox believes is essential to fostering healthy schools.
Health and wellness has become more of a priority for schools today given the significant increase in stress, anxiety and depression among North American youth, coupled with numerous high-profile cases of suicides and bullying. While many factors such as genetics and biology contribute to mental health issues, environmental influences, including an increased pressure to succeed and fit in, are weighing on many young people.
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When it comes to stamping out bullying and nurturing a supportive community, private schools have stepped up to the plate with extensive health and wellness programs, counseling services, and mental health resources to help students get support, cope and thrive. With a focus on prevention, private schools are able to boost self-confidence, self-awareness, and engagement in learning and wellness.
“We recognize and accept that children and adolescents struggle with similar emotional, social and mental health issues as adults do, and these can significantly impact their academic experience if not supported appropriately,” says Jana-Lynn Caines, a psychologist and school counselor at Rundle Academy in Calgary.
Many private schools are also giving students the opportunity to discover their own purpose and meaning in life—the key, according to Dr. Cox, to a happy, well-adjusted child. It’s no longer just about treating stress, anxiety and other mental health issues, but also about helping students move beyond the pressures they’re experiencing to a place of personal empowerment.
According to Dr. Cox, who works with private and public schools across North America, the new focus is to help students find their vocation by having them participate in self-guided projects and service-learning opportunities of their choice, from volunteering at a hospital cancer unit to working alongside marine biologists. “It helps to develop the child’s self- awareness, and reinforces that happiness and a sense of purpose is less a matter of luck than design,” he says.
In the end, empowering youth to take responsibility for their learning has proven beneficial to their overall mental health. In many private schools where teachers provide individualized attention, students are being given hands-on opportunities to learn and grow at their own pace, helping to boost their self-confidence.
