Photo courtesy of Anna Carlisle
Anna Carlisle is the counselor at Mountain Brook Elementary.
With anxiety and depression increasing by 25% since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the World Health Organization, Mountain Brook Schools are aware that the mental health of students is a priority.
As mental health issues have increased, so has the conversation around them.
“People are more willing to talk about mental health,” said Anna Carlisle, the counselor at Mountain Brook Elementary School. “I think our students are more aware of mental health concerns and that there is help for a whole host of things.”
Mountain Brook’s director of student services, Amanda Hood, also said that in her professional experience, the conversation around these topics is more open than it was 10 years ago.
Even with knowledge of mental health seemingly increasing among students and educational staff, suicide is the third leading cause of death for people aged 10-24 in the state of Alabama. To help combat the issue, Mountain Brook has counselors in each of their schools, and they partner with ALL IN Mountain Brook, a local organization that works to highlight challenges youth in the community face, to offer a resource guide on suicide prevention.
“One of the greatest things that we can do to prevent anyone harming themselves is to make them feel connected, and for them to be connected and to feel known,” Hood said. “That is one of the things I think across our school district is a priority for us, not just for counselors, because counselors can’t do it all. But for our administrators, our teachers, our custodians, our aides, our child nutrition team, is to make an effort to connect with every person that walks in our building.”
In early elementary school, counselors address the topic of mental health by focusing on things like managing feelings, expressing emotions and having coping strategies.
“As kids get into upper elementary, we start talking specifically about suicide, what suicide is and suicide prevention, warning signs in peers,” Carlisle said. “With ALL IN Mountain Brook, every kid sixth grade and up receives a card that has crisis resources on it, with a mental health line, with the crisis line.”
School counselors also speak to students about the language they use when talking about mental health or suicide, noting that it is never OK to joke about the subject and encouraging students to take such remarks seriously, even if it was meant as a joke.
The Mountain Brook Crisis Line, created in partnership between the school system, the city and ALL IN Mountain Brook, is a helpline that can be accessed 24/7 to help support residents.
Trained crisis counselors work to support, de-escalate and provide local resources to the caller. In the event of imminent danger, the counselor is connected to local dispatch services and can help first responders conduct wellness checks that may prove to be life-saving.
The Mountain Brook Crisis Line is active and available for all Mountain Brook residents. The line can be reached by calling 205-92SAVES or texting 205-927-2837.
For more information on Mountain Brook Schools counseling services, visit mtnbrook.k12.al.us/Page/511.
This story is part of our September series for suicide prevention month. Read our stories on Suicide Prevention Month and suicide rates among senior citizens for more information.
