OSV News photo/Pixabay

ATLANTA—In an effort to address the growing mental health crisis among students, Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Atlanta have reinforced supportive resources in their classrooms to emphasize the importance of counseling and connection. 

In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 40% of high school students in the United States felt persistently sad, and 20% considered attempting suicide. 

More often than not these feelings of hopelessness continue in college. In 2024, a U.S. News survey found that among 3,649 undergraduate students in the U.S., 72% struggled with mental health since starting college.  

Healthy habits are formed during adolescence and persist into adulthood. It is important to support children and teenagers early.  

Catholic schools in the archdiocese push for mental health awareness by initiating closer relationships between students and counselors. Through a series of sessions, counselors help students struggling with academic and social anxiety, stress, burnout and other mental blocks they might be facing.  

Brandon Harwell, director of guidance at Blessed Trinity School in Roswell, said forming those good coping behaviors during the school years is a vital part of a smooth transition into adulthood.  

“Once our students graduate and they’re not in school, they’ll be in situations where they need help,” he said. “So, we want to teach to them now that it’s okay to turn to someone else, and that they don’t have to carry their burdens on their own.” 

Blessed Trinity High School has more than 800 ninth through 12th-grade students enrolled. With four counselors all certified and equipped to provide personal, academic and pre-college counseling, the school assigns each student one counselor, and that student stays with them through all four years.  

“One of the biggest struggles we see is anxiety,” Harwell said. “Some students experience a level of angst, whether it is school related or interpersonal. We always see students struggle with stress management and aspects of depression.”  

The counseling process varies depending on the needs of the student, Harwell said. Some students find it better to vent with their counselor, and others like to be given advice, he said.  

“We’ve implemented check-ins with some students, where we ask them to check in with us about how they are,” he said. “And we make it known that they can come to us whenever they need to.”  

Blessed Trinity has 40 organizations, from the Science Club to the Dance Team. At ninth-grade orientation, the school helps the upcoming class choose a peer club they feel they can connect with. 

Kindness Club, a group designed on raising mental health awareness and putting smiles on faces, focuses on spreading joy around campus, in which they inspire other students with simple acts of kindness.  

“All of our clubs are designed to assist all of our students with mental health,” Harwell said. “One of the things I find important for a school is to have a variety of things for students to pick and choose what feels best for them, and what gives them the best avenue to get the support they need.” 

Another initiative implemented by Blessed Trinity to foster connection is through their house system. Every student is assigned to one of eight houses, and each house has five families. The students will stay with their family for all four years, and the houses meet twice a month and participate in outside school activities together.  

It is helpful for students to realize that they are not alone, and that the school and church care for them, Harwell noted. The initiatives provided by the school are there to help the students know that they can trust other students and teachers.  

“Our principal once said, ‘Life’s better when we do it together,’” he said. “We just want our students to know that they are not alone.”  

Like Blessed Trinity, St. Pius X High School is a college-prep school that assigns students with one counselor to assist them throughout their four years. With five counselors either trained or licensed in mental health, they provide services addressing emotional, academic and college concerns.  

Jennifer Kapp, St. Pius X counseling department chair, said they try to form a relationship with their assigned student on day one. This bond strengthens over the years, and they work with students on all aspects of their high school experience.  

“When it comes to their mental health, our students know they have a place to go to figure things out, and that they have a trusted adult that will be there on their mental health journey,” Kapp said.  

The counselors meet with every student a minimum of one time a year. In addition to their one-time counseling session, each grade takes part in a classroom lesson about counseling services and mental health.  

Freshmen participate in the classroom guidance session once, and sophomores twice. The counselors meet with each junior once a month in a small group setting to help them prepare for life after high school. Seniors participate in regular sessions to ensure they are prepared for college, in which the counselors will finalize lists of universities and gather letters of recommendation for each student.  

Stress is a common concern at school, said Kapp, in which students struggle with self-expectations and pressure to fit in and do their best. With nearly 1,000 students, it can be hard for them to feel like they must act a certain way to make friends, she said.  

If a student struggling visits their counselor with this concern, school staff helps figure out the source of their stress, and then connects them with a club or organization.  

“We’ll talk about if they’re shy, why it’s hard for them to connect, are they getting used to the school or are they still trying to figure out what they enjoy doing,” Kapp said. “Depending on what’s going on, we find ways to assist them in that growth.” 

Students who are part of clubs can have an outlet outside of academics, Kapp said, and that helps them feel like they belong somewhere.  

The persistent outreach to students reinforces the fact that the counselors are there to provide a non-judgmental space for students to express their own concerns, Kapp noted.  

High schoolers may be more willing to address their negative thoughts with a counselor than elementary and middle schoolers. When it comes to counseling students at St. Mary’s Academy, counselor Aliyah Franklin finds that it can be hard these younger students to talk about issues. 

St. Mary’s Academy, a pre-k through 12th grade school, is a rigorous institution and when it comes to mental health, issues often arise from the pressures of performance, Franklin said. Students at St. Mary’s Academy learn and develop analytical and investigative skills at a young age, and they know they must keep up with their peers, she said.  

Teachers can assess a student’s mental status through their academic work, and if they fear something is off, they will let a counselor know. Students are also free to visit their counselor at any time.  

Through either small group or individual counseling, the student is provided with methods and skills they can work on to better their mental health.  

“The students get caught up in their success, because they feel the pressure of their parents telling them that they need to perform well, and that they need to be a certain type of student,” Franklin said. “When they’re not making A’s or at least a B, they feel like they’re failing completely.”  

To ease this academic stress, Franklin helps the students create a list of small goals that they can complete slowly. She will check-in with them regularly and make it clear that her sessions are honest and safe.  

Middle school students struggle with making strong friendships, Franklin said, and it can be hard for them to decide right from wrong. In addition, they start to feel the competition around this age, and the pressure of being the “smartest and most popular really hurts their mental health,” Franklin said.  

“In the beginning of the school year, I visited the middle school classrooms and talked to them about being kind, respectful and inspiring,” Franklin said. “It’s good to let them know young that they want to be someone who spreads love.” 

Mental health awareness in schools starts with providing counseling services that reassure students of their importance to the school community. Though it can be a hard conversation, a student who feels trusted by an adult and connected with their school is a student who is successful, Kapp said.  

Forming authentic relationships early in life helps students feel seen and loved, Harwell said. Good mental health forms a good school experience, he said.  

“We want all our students to be OK, because if they’re not, then they won’t be OK for anyone else,” Franklin said.