Mental Health Support

Synthesizing their learning, students create a 'Break the Glass' emergency plan for days when they feel low or anxious. They select their most effective pleasure and mastery activities and write specific implementation intentions (If I feel X, then I will do Y).

Students apply their learned strategies to help Pippin join the class, reflecting on their journey from feeling stuck to feeling active.

Students discover the mood-boosting power of kindness by practicing simple prosocial actions within the classroom community.

Students select pictures representing activities identified in previous lessons to create a personal visual 'Happy Heart' collage.

Students identify and select three specific, safe actions they can take to build their own mental 'Coping Kit' for difficult days.

Students lead Pippin through 'Action Experiments' like stretching and singing to see how small movements can create big shifts in mood.

Focusing on calm happiness, students explore textures, smells, and sounds to identify sensory inputs that help them feel safe and content.

Students meet Pippin the Penguin, a puppet who feels 'stuck' and grumpy, to explore the connection between feelings and physical stillness.

Students move outdoors or to an open space to test how physical movement affects their mood, identifying activities that generate positive energy.

Children actively sort through classroom items to decide which ones bring them the most joy, focusing on making choices based on internal preference.

Students explore the physical sensations of happiness through mirror play and storytelling, learning to identify how their bodies and faces look when they feel joyful.

Students synthesize their learning by creating a personal 'Activation Plan' to use when they feel stuck or unmotivated.

Students learn and practice 'Opposite Action,' doing the reverse of what a negative emotion suggests to shift their mood.

Students identify emotional barriers ('The Wall') and practice breaking large tasks into 'Ladders' or small, manageable steps.

Students conduct a personal experiment to gather evidence on how a short burst of activity affects their energy and mood levels.

Students learn the basic concept that thoughts, feelings, and actions are connected, using a loop diagram to understand how actions can change emotional states.

Students review the results of their personal experiments or case study data to identify patterns in how specific activities impact mood. They discuss the variability of results (what works for one person may not work for another) and begin curating their personal 'top hits' for mood improvement.

A final reflection and celebration session where students share their progress, discuss the impact of their new habits, and receive recognition for their efforts.

Students become 'Time Detectives' to identify opportunities in their daily lives to fit in short, high-impact positive activities.

Students gamify their positive habits by creating and participating in a class-wide bingo challenge focused on daily small wins.

Students investigate the physical manifestations of low self-esteem and depression. They learn to identify the 'Bio-Feedback Loop' where body language and physical sensations reinforce negative self-perception.

Students conduct movement experiments to see how physical activity impacts their mindset. They observe the difficulty of maintaining a low mood while engaging in high-energy positive actions.

Using complex character scenarios, students apply behavioral activation principles to analyze social-emotional challenges. They diagnose negative feedback loops and prescribe evidence-based action interventions.

Students practice role-playing the transition from recognizing a negative feeling to choosing a positive action. They use 'Joy Menus' to simulate real-world application of emotional regulation strategies.

In this culminating lesson, students create a personal 'Bounce-Back Plan' emergency card. They identify three specific actions they can take when feeling low to build resilience and autonomy.

An independent learning module designed for 8th-grade students to build emotional intelligence, identify personal triggers, and develop healthy coping mechanisms for managing depression and behavioral challenges.

A 3-hour intensive session for adults with depression, focusing on task initiation, value-based motivation, and professional boundaries through scenario-based learning.

Students will identify 'deflection' strategies in communication, analyze the social pressure to appear 'fine,' and practice sharing authentic feelings through a 'Masks Off' creative activity.

A comprehensive high school lesson focused on dismantling mental health stigma through myth-busting, the 'broken leg' analogy, and practical allyship role-play. Students learn to recognize stigmatizing language and practice supportive communication strategies.

A lesson for 7th-8th grade students to understand the difference between mental and physical health stigmas and learn practical strategies for supporting peers using person-first language and active listening.

A high-impact lesson for student leaders to analyze mental health stigma and develop a concrete, school-wide action plan based on seven research-backed strategies. Students will evaluate their school's current climate and vote on feasible initiatives to implement immediately.

A workshop designed for parents and community members to learn the "Red Flags" of teenage depression and understand the criteria for professional intervention.

A 7th-grade SEL lesson focused on identifying symptoms of depression, understanding treatment options, and brainstorming healthy lifestyle choices that support mental health.

A lesson for 11th-12th grade peer leaders to design advocacy campaigns that encourage early mental health intervention and reduce the 11-year delay between symptoms and treatment.

A 60-minute interactive workshop for parents and community members focused on recognizing youth mental health distress, practicing empathetic listening, and accessing professional resources.

A middle school lesson designed to help students distinguish between perceived laziness and the actual symptoms of depression, fostering empathy through video analysis, discussion of the 'invisible backpack' metaphor, and script-reframing activities.

This workshop guides parents through reflecting on their own body image history, analyzing a key interaction between Danny and DJ Tanner, and creating a family commitment for healthy body language. Parents will leave with practical conversation starters and a deeper understanding of how their self-talk shapes their children's self-perception.

A social-emotional learning lesson for 5th-6th graders focusing on body image, internal vs. external traits, and the qualities of true friendship using a classic 'Full House' scene as a catalyst for discussion.

This lesson guides staff through a critical audit of school policies and language, using the lens of mental health stigma to transition from punitive responses to supportive frameworks.

A high school advisory lesson focused on understanding mental health stigma, its isolating effects, and how to foster a supportive school community through empathy and anonymous encouragement.

Students take turns facilitating a 15-minute segment of a support group based on a provided theme (e.g., academic stress, grief). Peers and the instructor provide structured feedback on their facilitation style and group management.

Students learn how to de-escalate conflict between group members and identify red flags for immediate crisis intervention (e.g., suicide risk). They become familiar with referral pathways and university/community resources.

Students practice micro-skills such as paraphrasing, summarizing, and validating emotions. The lesson utilizes 'fishbowl' exercises where students observe and critique peer interactions to refine their empathetic communication style.

This lesson covers the logistics of starting a support group, including creating community agreements and fostering psychological safety. Students learn how to structure a session to ensure equity of voice and predictability.

Students define the scope of peer support, learn about confidentiality, and explore the ethical boundaries between peer support and clinical therapy.

Synthesizes learning to create safety plans that incorporate community, spiritual, and family supports. Challenges the standard medical model by validating alternative support systems.

Focusing on the unique pressures faced by international graduate students, this lesson differentiates between adjustment fatigue and clinical crisis. Includes role-plays on visa anxiety and family pressure.

Examines the systemic reasons why specific populations resist professional mental health services, focusing on institutional trust and fears of involuntary hospitalization. Includes intersectional case studies.

Participants engage in identifying how stereotypes regarding race, gender, and ability affect the perception of danger or vulnerability in crisis scenarios. Includes a bias self-audit checklist and review of diagnostic disparity data.

Students explore how different cultures manifest and describe psychological pain, contrasting Western biomedical models with somatic or spiritual expressions. Includes a matching activity on cultural metaphors for depression.

A gentle and inclusive lesson for Grade 3 students to explore diverse family structures and understand how families can change over time, including through divorce. Students will engage with a story and guided discussion to build empathy and resilience.

A foundational lesson designed to help students define grief, identify its various causes, and recognize the diverse emotional, physical, and cognitive reactions it can trigger. This lesson builds empathy and emotional literacy through reading and guided discussion.

This lesson introduces 9th grade students to the concept of grief and loss, focusing on understanding the stages of grief and how individuals cope differently. Through discussions and activities, students will learn to identify and express their emotions in a healthy manner.

This lesson introduces the concept of loss, encompassing not just death but also other life changes, and how these experiences shape us. It is vital for fostering understanding and compassion within the classroom environment. This lesson is designed for a 5th-grade class and will take approximately 40 minutes.

In this culminating workshop, students create a personal emotional dictionary or reference guide. They define complex emotions relevant to their own lives that standard dictionaries might miss.

Students apply their expanded vocabulary to hypothetical scenarios, selecting the most precise label for a character's experience based on context clues rather than surface behaviors.

This lesson introduces the concept of secondary emotions—feelings that arise in response to other feelings (e.g., feeling shame about being jealous). Students map these layered emotional experiences.

In the final lesson, students apply their knowledge of complex emotion labeling to conflict resolution. They practice simulations where they must accurately label their own mixed emotions and validate the emotions of others to resolve high-stakes social and workplace scenarios.

Learners explore how emotions exist on a spectrum of intensity (e.g., annoyance vs. rage). They practice placing synonyms on a scale from mild to severe to understand emotional magnitude.

Students focus on temporal emotions like nostalgia and anticipatory grief, specifically relevant to 11th graders approaching their final year. They learn to distinguish between healthy reflection on the past and avoidance of the future, labeling the complex mix of feelings related to transition.

A celebratory closing session that looks toward the future, reinforcing the skills learned and creating a personal 'Resilience Plan' for continued growth.

Focuses on internal resilience by building positive self-talk patterns and developing step-by-step problem-solving skills for difficult days.

Students identify the 'lighthouses' in their lives—trusted adults, peers, and community resources—and practice how to ask for help when needed.

This session introduces concrete, healthy coping mechanisms and mindfulness techniques to help students manage the 'waves' of intense emotion.

Students explore the non-linear stages of grief and create a 'landscape' of their own emotional journey, learning to identify and name complex feelings.

An introductory session focused on building group safety, defining grief in accessible terms, and normalizing the wide range of emotions that follow loss.

Focuses on resilience, finding meaning, and planning for the future while acknowledging that healing is an ongoing process.

Addresses the changes in roles and self-perception that follow a significant loss, helping the teen re-establish their identity in a new context.

Identifies triggers and 'grief bursts' while equipping the teen with practical grounding and self-regulation tools for difficult moments.

Shifts focus from 'moving on' to 'continuing bonds,' helping the teen identify which parts of their relationship with the deceased they want to keep and how to honor them.

Explores the wide range of emotions associated with grief, normalizing 'uncommon' feelings like anger and relief while providing tools for emotional tracking.

Focuses on establishing safety, building rapport, and introducing the 'Backpack of Grief' metaphor to help the teen identify the specific losses they are carrying.

A compassionate and age-appropriate lesson for 5th graders to understand the landscape of grief, identify emotional responses, and develop healthy coping strategies.

A gentle, visual tool designed for young students to identify and express complex emotions like sadness, anger, and confusion during the grieving process.

A gentle individual counseling session for a 4th-grade student experiencing the loss of an infant brother, focusing on emotional identification, creative expression, and coping strategies.

A culminating scavenger hunt through 100 years of Black history, challenging students to apply everything they've learned about the five core values.

Exploring 'The Other Wes Moore' and a 100-year soundtrack of emotions, students participate in a mediation circle and write letters of hope to younger students.

Students design a 'Level Up Remote' based on Black icons and create paper masks to discuss stereotypes and the internal vs. external experiences of Black men.

Using a sports-style draft, students identify generational leaders and trailblazers to form their own 'Advisory Draft' team, emphasizing the value of Sankofa.

Students create mood boards and 'historical social media posts' for iconic Black celebrities and TV stars, identifying how excellence has been portrayed and how today's generation would react to past triumphs.

A comprehensive collection of evidence-based coping strategy handouts for middle schoolers, focusing on the biological and psychological 'why' behind each technique. Designed for 7th-grade boys with a tactical, engineering-inspired 'Survival Guide' aesthetic.

A lesson introducing 4th graders to emotional regulation and practical coping strategies for managing big feelings like anger, frustration, and anxiety.

A lesson focused on fostering a culture of kindness within the school community, targeting interactions between students and teachers through discussion and active practice.

Students investigate the physical manifestations of low self-esteem and depression. They learn to identify the 'Bio-Feedback Loop' where body language and physical sensations reinforce negative self-perception.

Students conduct movement experiments to see how physical activity impacts their mindset. They observe the difficulty of maintaining a low mood while engaging in high-energy positive actions.

Using complex character scenarios, students apply behavioral activation principles to analyze social-emotional challenges. They diagnose negative feedback loops and prescribe evidence-based action interventions.

Students practice role-playing the transition from recognizing a negative feeling to choosing a positive action. They use 'Joy Menus' to simulate real-world application of emotional regulation strategies.

In this culminating lesson, students create a personal 'Bounce-Back Plan' emergency card. They identify three specific actions they can take when feeling low to build resilience and autonomy.

Consolidates coping strategies into a tangible 'Calm Down Kit.' The student creates portable strength cards and learns anchoring techniques for use during the school day.

Connects physical sensations, particularly nausea and stomach tightness, to emotional states through a guided body scan and a body mapping art activity.

Focuses on identifying and externalizing complex emotions through mindful observation and abstract art. The student explores the 'Storm' metaphor to understand their current feelings and physical sensations.

A fun, interactive lesson introducing elementary students to the 'superpowers' of their brain, focusing on how different parts help them think, feel, and learn. Students will explore simple neuroscience through the lens of a superhero command center to build self-awareness and a growth mindset.

Focuses on DBT-based Distress Tolerance skills (TIPP and STOP) designed to provide immediate 'body hacks' for high-intensity emotional moments where grounding alone isn't enough.

Establishes a formal safety plan (The Calm Protocol) that identifies safe spaces, trusted adults, and step-by-step actions for high-stress moments, ensuring the student feels secure even when home life is unpredictable.

Focuses on identifying the physical and emotional signs of dysregulation and building a personalized 'toolkit' of grounding strategies that work across different classroom environments.

A lesson on interoception and coping skills for 4th graders, focusing on 'listening' to internal body signals and using a comfort scale to manage emotions.

A 30-minute introductory lesson on emotional regulation, teaching students how to identify 'internal weather' and use specific tools to stay in control during high-emotion moments.

A lesson for middle schoolers to identify stressors and build a proactive toolkit of healthy coping mechanisms. Students learn to differentiate between proactive and reactive responses and practice various emotional regulation techniques.

An interactive, writing-free lesson for fourth graders focused on identifying emotions and selecting appropriate coping strategies through a 'Feelings Flight' navigation theme.

A 30-minute social-emotional learning lesson focused on managing unexpected triggers and surprises using sports-themed coping strategies and 'playbook' resets.

A comprehensive collection of evidence-based coping strategy handouts for middle schoolers, focusing on the biological and psychological 'why' behind each technique. Designed for 7th-grade boys with a tactical, engineering-inspired 'Survival Guide' aesthetic.

A lesson for kindergarteners to establish foundational classroom expectations, focusing on active listening, following directions, and cooperating as a "Classroom Crew."

A lesson introducing 4th graders to emotional regulation and practical coping strategies for managing big feelings like anger, frustration, and anxiety.

A lesson focused on fostering a culture of kindness within the school community, targeting interactions between students and teachers through discussion and active practice.

Students investigate the physical manifestations of low self-esteem and depression. They learn to identify the 'Bio-Feedback Loop' where body language and physical sensations reinforce negative self-perception.

Students conduct movement experiments to see how physical activity impacts their mindset. They observe the difficulty of maintaining a low mood while engaging in high-energy positive actions.

Using complex character scenarios, students apply behavioral activation principles to analyze social-emotional challenges. They diagnose negative feedback loops and prescribe evidence-based action interventions.

Students practice role-playing the transition from recognizing a negative feeling to choosing a positive action. They use 'Joy Menus' to simulate real-world application of emotional regulation strategies.

In this culminating lesson, students create a personal 'Bounce-Back Plan' emergency card. They identify three specific actions they can take when feeling low to build resilience and autonomy.

Focuses on DBT-based Distress Tolerance skills (TIPP and STOP) designed to provide immediate 'body hacks' for high-intensity emotional moments where grounding alone isn't enough.

Establishes a formal safety plan (The Calm Protocol) that identifies safe spaces, trusted adults, and step-by-step actions for high-stress moments, ensuring the student feels secure even when home life is unpredictable.

Focuses on identifying the physical and emotional signs of dysregulation and building a personalized 'toolkit' of grounding strategies that work across different classroom environments.

A lesson on interoception and coping skills for 4th graders, focusing on 'listening' to internal body signals and using a comfort scale to manage emotions.

A quick and engaging lesson designed to help middle school students understand the importance of self-care and develop their own personalized routines for mental and physical well-being.

A 20-30 minute DBT-focused session for 5th-6th graders focusing on emotional regulation and body awareness through movement and a Jenga-style game.

A test-prep focused lesson designed to help high school students manage physiological anxiety through Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) and the creation of personalized pre-test rituals.

A professional development session focused on staff self-regulation, burnout prevention, and modeling calmness for students. Includes a guided meditation and discussion on the neurobiology of co-regulation.

A comprehensive lesson designed to help students identify and apply coping skills for managing frustration during academic challenges like procrastination, abstract concepts, and group work.

A lesson focused on developing autonomy through emotional recognition and self-regulation, using a flight navigation theme.

A gentle, supportive lesson designed to teach grounding techniques and coping strategies to students who struggle with anger, featuring a soft and encouraging pink aesthetic.

Behavioral strategies to enhance patient adherence to medical regimens and chronic illness management.

Exploring the bidirectional link between chronic pain and emotion regulation using a DBT lens.

Clinical approaches to treating sleep-related trauma and emotional avoidance through nightmare exposure and rescripting.

Integration of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) protocols within a DBT framework to improve sleep efficiency.

Students master the tools for comprehensive sleep assessment and learn to differentiate between behavioral insomnia and medical sleep disorders.

The sequence concludes with students designing a 'Community Care Agreement' to establish norms for mutual support and collective rest in their own communities.

This lesson teaches specific bystander intervention strategies to bridge the gap between noticing distress and connecting a peer to resources.

Students learn to identify subtle behavioral and non-verbal signs of distress in their peers and practice gentle intervention strategies.

A workshop focusing on the listening skills required to support peers, emphasizing validation over immediate problem-solving.

Students define psychological safety and analyze its impact on team performance, using Google's 'Project Aristotle' as a primary case study.

Empowering students to identify and communicate their personal triggers using a 'remote control' metaphor.

Connecting the five senses to memories and emotional responses.

A puppet-led exploration of how past memories can influence present feelings about safe objects.

Introducing the concept of 'triggers' through startle responses and sudden surprises.

Students explore simple cause-and-effect scenarios to understand that feelings have specific origins.

Students take turns facilitating a 15-minute segment of a support group based on a provided theme (e.g., academic stress, grief). Peers and the instructor provide structured feedback on their facilitation style and group management.

Students learn how to de-escalate conflict between group members and identify red flags for immediate crisis intervention (e.g., suicide risk). They become familiar with referral pathways and university/community resources.

Students practice micro-skills such as paraphrasing, summarizing, and validating emotions. The lesson utilizes 'fishbowl' exercises where students observe and critique peer interactions to refine their empathetic communication style.

This lesson covers the logistics of starting a support group, including creating community agreements and fostering psychological safety. Students learn how to structure a session to ensure equity of voice and predictability.