Wellness Screener
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s) of the Class of 2028,
A mental health challenge is when a person experiences a major change in thoughts, feelings, or actions, it interferes with daily life activities such as school or work, and lasts longer than typically expected. Many young people do not have the skills or language to tell us they are experiencing a mental health challenge.
Early intervention, which is recognizing signs and symptoms early on and acting on it, is critical for positive outcomes. With early intervention, the risk of secondary effects can be lowered. Mental health challenges left untreated may lead to secondary effects such as school dropout, relationship breakups, law enforcement involvement/arrests, and/or alcohol or drug use.
This fall, Osceola High School in collaboration with Peace Tree Counseling will be offering FREE emotional health screenings for all freshmen students. The screening will occur at OHS where students will answer 45 screening questions individually in a private setting using a confidential online form. Each student will then meet 1:1 with a mental health professional upon completing the screening questions. This is a great opportunity for students to connect with professional help or community resources. If your child has an elevated score on the screener, a follow up phone call from the mental health professional to the parent/guardian will be made within 24 hours of the screening to connect students and families with resources and services.
Participation in the screening is voluntary; however, our goal is to have as many students participate as possible. Each freshman student must return a consent form accepting or denying this opportunity. This year, the consent form will be included in Skyward online registration prior to the school year.
1:5 youth in the U.S. will experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime. Half of all mental health disorders begin by the age of 14 and three quarters by the age 24. Yet only 7.4% of all US youth have had a mental health visit or screening in a year. Without screening, youth experiencing mental health challenges are not likely to get the help they need. When left untreated, mental health is likely to worsen.
For more information and if you have additional questions or concerns, please contact your student’s School Counselor.