Mental Health in Schools
How to Put Mental Health First This School Year (And Get Others to Join You)
Pencils? Check. Notebooks? Check. The planner you were obsessed with that you’ll use diligently for one week and then forget about? Also, check. As you prepare to head back to school this fall, it’s just as important to check in with your mental health (and the well-being of your friends and peers!) as it is…
Taking Up Space: A Mental Health Accommodations Guide for Students
Being a student is no joke. Between classes, activities, work, and social life, things get overwhelming fast. And if you also live with a mental health condition like anxiety, depression, or ADHD, it can feel impossible to keep up. But you’ve got this! Resources exist to support you — accommodations for students managing their mental…
How to Support the Mental Health of First-Generation Students
Isolation. No one ever told me how hard it would be to navigate my mental health as one of the many first-generation students entering college each year. I sat in my single dorm room for 48 hours after my guardian moved me in to avoid interacting with the people living on my floor. I sat…
How to Manage Loneliness During College from a Gen Z Graduate
Change is difficult and isolating. The transition from high school to college was no different. Leaving home and moving to a different state while experiencing a complete social reset certainly impacted how I understood mental health. When I started college, I did not prioritize mental health due to my simplistic understanding of it — I…
Strategies for Creating Equitable Mental Health Cultures in Higher Education
“You can’t afford to not pay attention to what’s going on with student mental health.” That sentiment has inspired Active Minds’ work for nearly two decades, including the recent release of our report “Lessons from Black Colleges on Mental Health and Wellbeing.” Created by Active Minds and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), this report…
Bringing Mental Health to Middle Schools (And to the Fairway)
When Active Minds received a three-year $3 million grant last year from United Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Optum, our team could not have imagined the impact that this partnership would have on the growth of our community. We are proud to announce that thanks to their support, we are bringing our proven peer-to-peer…
How to Get Involved in Mental Health Advocacy As a High School Student
Are you a high school student looking to become more involved in mental health advocacy in your community? Chances are, if you’re reading this, you fit this description or know someone who does. Well, allow me to tell you some amazing news: the Active Minds Mental Health Advocacy Academy is gearing up to take on…
Biden Administration Reaffirms Commitment to Mental Health – What This Means for Young Adults
This year, the Biden administration reaffirmed its commitment to the Unity Agenda, announced during the 2022 State of the Union, which includes a heavy emphasis on tackling the mental health crisis. The Unity Agenda includes three objectives related to supporting mental health: creating healthy environments, strengthening system capacity, and connecting more Americans to care. While…
School Counselors’ Crucial Role in Student Mental Health
It’s no surprise that school counselors play an important role in supporting student mental health, well-being, and academic success in K-12 schools. They are the people most engaged in programs and activities that help students develop healthy goals, mindsets, and behaviors. They are making a difference in the daily lives of our K-12 students and…
The Impact of Bullying on Mental Health, From a K-8 Expert
“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” A common phrase often used to imply that the words people say to us don’t, or shouldn’t, have an impact on us. But let’s be honest: especially when it comes to the impact of bullying on mental health, we know that this…
Active Minds is the nation's premier nonprofit organization promoting mental health for young adults.