After teaching middle school for ten years, it has become INCREASINGLY evident how many of our students struggle with mental health. Whether it’s a struggle THEY face or someone close to them, the age of exposure is becoming younger and younger. Adding mental health awareness to the classroom can literally be a matter of life and death for some students.

This week’s blog is a simple compilation of five websites that can be resources for the discussion of mental health in your classroom. These sites are full of information and tools that will help students better understand mental health, remove some of its stigma, and raise their awareness of where they can access help and guidance in the future.

The most important piece of every single one of these websites is that they all have pages, resources, and links to get help immediately.

1 – National Institute of Mental Health

It should be no surprise that a national institute is overflowing with resources, but when I came across their “Digital Shareables” section I got excited!

This page has graphics, social media messages, videos and more that can be used in NUMEROUS ways to raise awareness and provide support for mental health.

They even have a couple of coloring books and activities that combine learning about mental health and art to make it a more engaging learning experience. How cool is that?! NOTE: the coloring books are listed for ages 8-12 BUT in my experience even older students have enjoyed spending time doing these types of activities too (it helps to reduce stress and create moments where the pressure isn’t so intense).

I will definitely be using some of these resources in my classroom for this month’s Mental Health Awareness.

2 – NAMI

I was blown away by the breadth of information and resources on the National Alliance on Mental Illness webpage. One great feature I noticed immediately was the Get Help tab. This tab takes you to a page that provides information for texting, calling, and chatting. Whether you’re in immediate need of assistance or you’re looking for more long-term applications, this page has it covered.

Aside from the general mental health information, their “Your Journey” Section includes specific information by age group. The TEENS and YOUNG ADULT sections are written specifically TO THAT AGE GROUP. This makes the information not only accessible, but extremely relatable.

I found my favorite feature in the Identify and Culture Dimensions section of YOUR JOURNEY. This section provides mental health insight that focuses on equity and inclusion.

3 – Psych Central

This website is FULL of information about various mental health conditions. Its information is categorized by these health conditions – which makes it easy to learn more about a specific condition.

Their top search bar is separated into: conditions, discover, quizzes, and resources. These tabs make it SUPER easy to find exactly what you’re looking for. They also help you explore what you might not have known you even needed!

My favorite feature of the site are the QUIZZES. The site showcases quizzes that you can use to learn more about yourself or others in your life. While not a diagnosis, even going through the questions helps one get a better understanding of the conditions themselves.

Additionally, the website’s resources page contains numerous blog posts. You can find posts about finding a therapist, accessing therapy on a budget, what to expect in therapy sessions and even this specific blog that provides links to a depression hotline.

4 – Be Strong

My favorite characteristic about the Be Strong organization is that it centers youth. This organization’s vision reads, “We envision a world where our youth are mentally strong, resilient, free of bullying and hopeful. Their mission states, ” Be Strong’s mission is to save and improve the lives of our youth using a peer-to-peer approach to strengthen mental, emotional, and relational health, build resilience and prevent bullying.

You’ll want to navigate to the Engage with Be Strong page under the Resources tab. Organized by what role you play (student, parent, teacher, etc), each tab takes you to a resources page with printables and blogs. These tools provide insight on mental health and how it presents itself in our youth.

Another great feature of this organization is the app they offer. It has an “Immediate Help” section amongst various other ways to stay connected with the organization.

As teachers and parents, we know how often students are on their phones. What better way to reach them than with an app that is accessible and resourceful?!

5 – TeenLife

This is a blog featured on TeenLife.com’s website that discusses mental health. More importantly, it features TWENTY online mental health resources for teens. This detailed list features resources for various mental health conditions and struggles that teens currently face.

One can simply scroll through the list to find the resource that best suites the battle they’re up against. Each link provides a short description of what they’re focus and mission is.

So how could these websites be used?

I have several ideas as to how these resources could be incorporated into the classroom, but my first suggestion would be to start with the STANDARD. What standards are you looking to meet in your class? Is it a writing standard? Is it a technology standard? A reading standard? A communication standard?

Once you’ve pinpointed what skill you want them to DEMONSTRATE TO YOU, then go from there. Here are some ideas for you.

1. Writing: This activity has three main parts. For the first part, have students journal for 3-5 minutes about mental health. Provide them with a prompt that has them reflecting on their own mental health, their knowledge (or lack of knowledge) regarding mental health, or the mental health of people in their family/communities. Take the next minute to have kids circle parts of their journal that they could learn more about or seek out more information. For the second part, students could spend 10-15 minutes navigating through any of these websites to learn more about the pieces from their own journal that they circled. Finally, end this activity by having students complete another 3-5 minute journaling session to reflect on what they learned or found during their website search.
2. Reading: Every one of these websites is full of blogs about mental health. You could pick a specific blog you want to focus on OR you could provide student choice by letting students choose a blog that speaks specifically to something their interested in learning about. Have them complete a simple comprehension activity afterward to demonstrate their understanding of what they read.
3. Communication: Build off of the writing OR reading activities above by having student SHARE what they learned from the activity. Sharing could happen in pairs, small groups, as a whole class, with sticky notes, on a bulletin board, or on an online discussion board (most school learning management systems have them). They could even create their own MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS posters featuring the information they gained from doing the activities.
4. Technology: To practice technological skills, students could do a web-quest to locate specific information on the websites, or use the websites to create their own slideshows about mental health awareness. You could even start them off by showing one of the numerous video resources from the websites and have them create a piece of original work based off of those.
5. Community Building: Use the websites for students to complete a starter activity or bell ringer. Showcase one website each day and have the students respond to a prompt, locate specific information, or complete a post-it note with a highlight or question after viewing the sites. You can do a simple share out after the activity is complete to build a more connected classroom community.

Want to try one of my resources? I have a Journal WEBQUEST Template AND a FREEBIE that would be perfect for numbers 1, 4, or 5. You have two options. Snag the FREE version of this activity and if you’re really digging it, swing on over to my TPT storefront to claim the FULL VERSION. Click on EACH IMAGE BELOW to claim your favorite – – or click on BOTH!

Looking for more?

Another way you can support Mental Health Awareness month is with my most recent resource. This daily journal set has over 20 prompts that can get them thinking about their own mental health (a great resource to work with #1 from the list above). It’s all set up to be used digitally but if paper is more your style, a PDF is available too! Click on the image or use this handy button to grab your copy of the resource!

In my opinion, mental health can’t be talked about enough. Learning more about mental health, discussing it in our classrooms, and facilitating student reflection about it are all HUGE steps towards removing the stigma and encouraging individuals to SPEAK UP and REACH OUT when they are in pain and struggling.

Mental illness, whether it’s a new experience or one that has been long battled, can be a cold, dark and lonely place. Let’s make sure that the hand we’re reaching out with is obvious and easy to access!

If you are struggling and are looking for someone to talk to, click on this link to access immediate support.

In solidarity and love,

Talk soon, friends.