A company in southern Utah has found an innovative way to get mental health resources to teenagers and the solution is SchoolPulse.
Listen to your favorite music now on Audacy
Iuri Melo, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist, expressed that roughly four years ago, there was a suicide outbreak amongst local high schools in the St. George area. A principal, who is also a friend of Melo, reached out to manage the “tremendous pressure” he faced in dealing with these tragedies. The principal told Melo, "And I want to do more. I have to be more proactive, I have to be more preventative."
Since the pandemic began, children have been dealing with more struggles, especially in terms of managing their emotions and interacting with others. While they have been connected virtually, there's still a wide disconnect. Desert Hills High School became the first to use SchoolPulse— "a program that students can opt into to receive resources geared to them, weekly mental health check-ins, and even individualized text interactions."
Desert Hills High Principal, Justin Keate, believes the program "is a way to connect with them and also encourage them to build those relationships." Melo expressed he can "count on one hand" how many teenagers willfully came to his office for a visit and feels this program is a key way to "reach them in the way that they wanted to be reached." Students join SchoolPulse via a QR code placed on posters found around the school. The students will then receive three texts a week that are intended to be "interactive, educational, and increase their emotional awareness."
SchoolPulse has been around for a few years now and 25 schools across seven states all participate, seven of which are in Utah. According to the program's tech manager, Trent Staheli, the program has over 25,000 active students, with middle schoolers having a higher participation rate than high schoolers. Also, for schools, it costs them $12/year per student to enroll, but parents can also enroll their child independently for $25/year per student.
In 2019, a study was conducted by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, in which they found "14.9% of boys ages 15-17 and 28.5% of girls 'seriously considered attempting suicide' between 2015 and 2017. But almost 40% of youth ages 12-17 with depression received neither treatment nor counseling." Melo also expressed, "Schools are required by law to implement suicide prevention programs and social and emotional learning programs. SchoolPulse’s approach seeks to meet all those needs, as well as intervene directly with students who are struggling." Check out the full scoop on SchoolPulse and how it may help your pre-teen/teen.
WATCH MORE: 5 Ways to Ease Everyday Anxiety
Audacy’s I’m Listening initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-273-8255.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram