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Peer Counselors dedicate class time to discuss mental health Photo by mariajose vera

Every year, Mental Health Awareness Month takes place in May and is recognized by thousands of people nationwide. As this month rolls around, it is celebrated by peer counseling teacher Laura Rountree and her peer counselors through a variety of activities. However, this year, as many students are currently learning from the comfort of their homes, this topic was handled a bit differently.

Instead, these peer counselors used their class period to learn about the different mental disorders and illnesses and discuss the topic thoroughly. The students were instructed to create a visual teaching aid on a certain mental health issue that many teenagers suffer with and present it to the class. Some of these issues included depression, obsessive compulsion disorder, generalized anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I learned the importance of prioritizing my mental health through the lessons taught in peer counseling," senior Bri Thirkell said.

The peer counselors were also informed on tips they can utilize to calm them down when they are feeling overwhelmed and the importance of knowing how to manage stress. Although many of the students were already familiar with the practice of Mind Body Medicine, as the peer counseling program has a close partnership with the organization, they were reminded of the tools the organization provides and were encouraged to share these techniques with their peers.

"In peer counseling, we have been learning about mind body medicine and how to use it to manage stress," junior Amber Hayden said. "It is really helpful for your mood, sleep and focus. We focused on mental health especially during this month."

Although the month of May is when many people join together to start conversations about mental health, especially in teenagers, Rountree addresses this topic all year round with her students.

"We focus on positive mental health all year long! During May however, we had women in distress come back to talk about healthy relationships and did our healthy relationships posts assignments," Rountree said. "We discussed a lot of teen issues during our presentations that related to mental health like anxiety, depression suicide prevention mind body medicine, etc."

Research paper topics related to mental health and mention other topics that the peer counselors discussed in class can be found within the Peer Counseling modules. Guidance has also joined in the conversation, requiring seniors to complete post-high school modules before graduation, including suicide prevention.