Wellness Recovery Action Plans

It is not uncommon to hear stories about a teenager experiencing mood swings and rebelling against those in authority. Nor is it uncommon to experience general sadness or anxiety in high school and college. However, it is often difficult to tell the difference between normal teenage angst and clinical depression. It is not commonly known that there has recently been a staggering rise of depression in adolescents. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in twelve adolescents in the United States suffer from depression, which is 8.3 % of the teenage population. In order to combat the problem of adolescent depression, it is essential that parents take an active role in their adolescent’s life by both acknowledging and

"Furthermore, Selekman believed there are assumptions that benefit those who deal with resistant adolescents and their families. The assumptions are extremely practical and provide therapists a new lens for viewing the tough adolescent case. Each of the guiding assumptions provides a wellness perspective on adolescent problems, families, and brief therapy. Matching our treatment to the state of change will foster a cooperative relationship. Therapists must specify the level of the change. That is the key to adolescent resistance. Next positive relabeling can describe a withdrawn adolescent as a thoughtful teenager" (2005, p. 32).

I'm going to try a weekly planner for writing down what is due and when then checking off the completed assignments.

“Nearly 5 million children in the U.S. have some type of mental illness” (Goldberg). It is agreeable that there are many young children that deal with mental illness every day. Schools should be concerned for every student’s well being. Moreover, mental health is a part of a person’s overall “well being.” Therefore, schools need to make the mental health of students a stronger focus and implement plans to keep students mentally well and educated. To help create a positive, mental health aware environment where students feel open to seek help, high school students should be educated on how to be mentally healthy, be given a safe place to seek help, and be encouraged to monitor and maintain their mental health. Mental illness and mental health care need to be a more eminent priority in our society, starting with high schools.

Children’s mental illness affects approximately one fifth of youth worldwide, and although it is the children who experience symptoms directly, implications associated with mental illness can impact entire families (Richardson, Cobham, McDermott & Murray, 2013). As such, healthcare systems are being redesigned to include a focus on family-centeredness. In the case of children’s mental health specifically, family-centered coordinated care represents an understanding of treatment, not only derived from the child’s experience, but also from the parents’ and caregivers’ perspectives (Olin, Hemmelgarn, Madenwald, & Hoagwood, 2015). Unlike other interventions in children’s mental health, this treatment approach acknowledges the vital role that families play in promoting the health and wellbeing of children, and it serves to empower family members by including them in treatment practices and decision-making processes (McGinty, Worthington, & Dennison, 2008; Olin et al., 2015). Through this collaborative approach to children’s mental health, partnerships can be established among health care providers, patients, and families, who each contribute to continued stabilization (Johnson, 2000; McGinty et al., 2008). Moreover, family-centered coordinated care serves to link children and adolescents with appropriate treatment interventions, while correspondingly introducing families to resources that foster parental

Imagine living with a mental illness that affects your everyday life but has no physical aspects to it. Waging a war within your own head and not being able to control your own thoughts or feelings. Millions of adolescence throughout the United States are currently sick, living with a mental illness with no idea how to treat it, or even the idea they are sick. Mental Health services on campus may be the answer to treating the diseases many children are suffering from.

Youth face several challenges with regard to mental health treatment. While eligibility for Medicaid is certainly a huge issue with young adults, there was one surprising issue that the youth reported as influencing their treatment decisions. The teens stated they felt forced into mental health treatment while in care, even when they did not feel they needed therapy. The adolescents also reported a loss of previously established supports and being inadequately prepared to go out into the adult world as they were never taught necessary life skills (Sakai, et al., 2014). This was consistent with the findings in other

There has been a decade-long spike in the awareness of mental illness and suicide ideation among teenagers and young adults. Accordingly, researchers have determined, based on the results of numerous studies and trials, that there exists the possibility of dramatically reducing mental illness, suicides and suicidal behavior, thereby raising the potential of promoting overall wellness among young people. Many political leaders and mental health professionals, encouraged by the results of the studies, have asked school administrators and community leaders to enact awareness and prevention programs in their jurisdictions, while requesting that program leaders take responsibility for program results (e.g., No Child Left Behind, 2002).

According to my strategy statement made in week 3 Application, I have a great belief that mental support plays an important role in supporting high school students in dealing with and fighting against depression. As a special education classroom assistant (SECA) who directly work with students with learning disability and mental illness, I understand that it is my duty to support and encourage my students to take part in mental health support and wellness education program available in school. They are such a great program that our school is fortunate to have as a preventive method to help our students fighting teenage depression. In order to bring the program to school’s every day activity, I would seek options to establish and implement a

With the prevention of mental and physical health difficulties and the advancement of well-being and health, there is emphasis on reducing the breach between mental health needs that are not met among youngsters and teenagers and operational evidence-based services to meet them (Rones and Hoagwood 2000; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 1999; U.S. Public Health Service 2000 as cited in Flaspohler, Meehan, Maras, & Keller, 2012). Despite evidence that school viciousness and other main problems among youth may have declined or leveled off, a significant need for effective prevention programming is still necessary. Current data suggests that of “11.3 % of young people in this country, about 7.4 million youth altogether, have at least one diagnosable emotional, behavioral, or developmental condition; 40 % of these youth are diagnosed with two or more of these conditions” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2010).

Mental illnesses are very common in the United States, with one in five of adolescents having a diagnosed mental illness and in the last year less than half of these adolescents have received proper treatment. The most common mental disorders, anxiety and depression, can disrupt daily life and result in suicide, which is the third most frequent cause of death in teenagers (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). Ten percent of adolescents did not have health insurance in 2013 and those who did, had a very limited amount of mental health care services provided to them (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). It has been proved that it is even less likely that adolescents who are poor, homeless, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender will receive the care that is necessary for their health and even life (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). Mental disorders are not only an

I took this opportunity to understand my unhealthy habits and transform my behavior. In my Wellness Recovery Action Plan, the information brought light to the obstacles and how to overcome issues. After filling out the Schedule of Recent Experience (Wieitan et al., 2009) and Tactics for Coping with Stress (Weitian et al., 2009), it was a shock how much I put my body through. A finalized copy of my results can be observed in Appendix A, and the results of the Schedule of Recent Experience (Weitian et al., 2009) can be viewed in Appendix B. In the outcome, I conducted coping mechanisms such as therapy, exercise, and nutrition. Nutrition has been a challenge as a waitress and full-time student. I am always around food at work that led to overeating.

Direct Observation during access to food. Settings varied but study was conducted over 28 days.

Before the age of eighteen nearly a fourth of all young persons will deal with mental illness (Shirk and Jungbluth 217). Only around a third of these children will receive professional treatment (United States Public Health Service qtd. in Shirk and Jungbluth 222). Because of the risk of suicide in mentally ill young people, it is crucial that mental health services are readily available to our youth in school settings. Therefore, schools should administer mandatory mental health screenings because mental illness often affects academic performance, and the majority of young persons that commit suicide have a treatable illness.

Pre-adolescence is a crucial stage in a child’s life because it is during this stage that kids can learn the coping mechanism that can prevent complications later on in life (Britton et al., 2014). Some children and adolescents may not have the opportunity to seek proper mental health care during their childhood. This may be due to parents overworking or simply not being able to afford quality mental health care services (Bucci et al., 2016). However, schools can serve children and adolescents as a