When students returned to their two public high schools in Palo Alto, California in August, they found something new on campus: wellness centers.
In this Silicon Valley town that has experienced too many teen suicides, the schools are trying to make mental health services as normal as eating breakfast or taking medicine for a physical ailment. At the wellness centers, students can visit a nurse, see a counselor, or just relax with a granola bar or cup of tea.
“I actually come in here quite often, whether it’s to meet with Julia or to catch up with friends or counselors. The snacks are a big part of it, and it’s just a really nice place during brunch or lunch to unwind,” says Palo Alto High junior Maddie Lee.
She’s referring to Julia Chang, the new coordinator, who is multilingual in two dialects of Chinese and greets every student at the door.
Lee is the vice president of the school’s Queer Straight Alliance; queer students are one of the demographics the school wants to better serve because they are at increased risk of bullying or harassment.
[For more of this story, written by Grace Hwang Lynch, go to http://www.pri.org/stories/201...h-care-normal-eating]
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