Making Emotion Management Skills the Norm Rather than the Exception

At what age did you learn how to regulate your nervous system when feeling stressed? When did you learn how to help a friend who is showing signs of depression? When did you first learn skills to manage conflict with your college roommate? These are all questions we believe our students will be able to answer with “when I was at Dana Hall” by the time they graduate.

It was clear to me within my first weeks of working at Dana Hall School that mental health matters here. Knowing the school culture more fully, this is not surprising as we are a place where every student is known, seen, and valued as a whole person. This culture also allows mental health to be a topic that is addressed directly in a variety of ways by our counseling department and Forum program, rather than being stigmatized. 

Adolescent mental health has been a rising concern over the past decade, and Dana Hall has had robust mental health support in place throughout this time. We have also been thoughtful about increasing mental health education throughout our Forum curriculum in an effort to support our entire community. Eighth graders now finish Middle School understanding how to recognize symptoms of depression in themselves and others, as well as how to take actionable steps toward suicide prevention. In 9th grade, students get introduced to mindfulness as a way to increase awareness of their emotions and to exist more fully in the present moment rather than worry about the past or future. Ninth graders also learn a great deal about how to communicate effectively with adults and peers in their life in ways that help them maintain relationships, keep their self-respect, and get their needs met. Hearing that a student has used one of these skills at school is always a highlight of our day!

In 10th grade, students spend much of the fall trimester learning more about how their emotions operate, steps they can take to regulate these emotions day to day, and skills to manage very strong and potentially problematic emotions when they arise. As we know life continues for our students after they complete their time at Dana Hall, 12th grade students spend several weeks in the second half of senior year learning about how to prepare for and navigate mental health issues in college and beyond. 

As one student recently shared with me, “Dr. Z, instead of avoiding, I totally used ‘opposite action’ when working on my English essay — and it worked!” It has been gratifying to hear students reflect on what they learned about mental health in earlier grades and how it has helped them in tough moments. And, as is always the case in secondary education, we often do not get to see the impact of our work in real time. Instead, we have to trust that our curriculum and connection with students will benefit them for years to come. Knowing that their education includes a robust understanding of how to maintain their own mental health is a wonderful reward in the meantime.