Center for Catholic Education at UD

By Lindsey Bronder

Did you know that depression is the most common mental health disorder in the U.S. among teens and adults? Between 10-15% of teenagers have some symptoms of depression at any one time.

Although it’s the most common mental health disorder, less than 40% of teens with depression get help according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Since so many teens suffer from depression and are in need of help, there is an increasing need for junior high and high school teachers to be aware of ways they may be able to reach out and help their students that are suffering from depression or having symptoms of depression.

At St. Anthony’s Catholic School in Dayton, teacher Jennifer Petroski and ECHO Counselor Jennifer Baker have designed their own program to accomplish this. They received from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati the Innovative Teaching Grant for the 2017-2018 school year for their program called Express Yourself, a prevention-based therapy group. The goal of Express Yourself is to give the 6th, 7th and 8th grade students at St. Anthony’s an opportunity to express their feeling through different art forms each week. With each student having the opportunity to take home something with them, they can gain a sense of accomplishment as well as have a visible reminder of their feelings and learn that there are healthy ways to express themselves.

Jennifer Baker shared with us more about her involvement and experiences with Express Yourself:

When is the program?

The program began in January and was supposed to be 12 weeks, it ended up lasting the whole rest of the school year! Group members expressed a strong desire to continue the group so we decided that we would stretch it as long as the students found it useful.

How many students are involved in the program?

We started the group with 8 members and ended with 7 with one group member leaving at the beginning for personal reasons. Next year we hope to expand to run two groups per year with 8 students each. I think it was the perfect number for kids to feel safe to share their feelings.

In what ways have the students already had the opportunity to express themselves in the program?

The students used journaling, dance, art (clay, drawing, painting), acting, singing, music and play! The group members received many “take home” items to continue to assist them in feelings expression, such as art supplies and journals. Towards the end of the group, the group members decided they wanted to make a music video to help other students realize that they are not alone and to promote a positive message of how expressing your feelings and coming together can make a positive impact on the world. The kids wrote the script, starred in it, directed, edited, everything! We are very proud of the finished product.

Do you have a favorite memory that you would like to share?

There are too many favorite memories to share, but my overall favorite part of the group was how everyone supported each other through sharing their own personal truths. Group members shared trauma, insecurities, feelings, every part of themselves and found such support and strength in each other. Though I will say the dance session was fun; many of the kids felt very awkward at first with expressing their feelings through dance but their nerves faded fast and soon they were all up and moving!

What has been your biggest takeaway from the program?

When the group did their evaluations at what was supposed to be the end, many of the students wrote such messages as it was the first time they felt accepted and like they belonged, they never felt safe to be themselves, etc. I really realized how many teenagers and youth are hurting and how simply expressing their feelings to one another can help with their feelings of isolation and despair. It certainly gave Mrs. Petroski and I motivation to keep going!

Why do you think students now more than ever need the opportunity to express themselves?

Students now are under more pressure than ever. I think a huge part of that is due to social media and how much it has taken over these students’ lives. Students live in a world where now every part of their lives is posted for everyone to see and critique and it’s so easy for them to compare their lives with the lives they “think” they see online. Students need a safe space to share their true, authentic selves--their fears, insecurities, trauma histories--and I think helping students to express their feelings is vitally important to good mental health.