Community Mental Health Care Resources for Teens

Why is it so hard to get to local mental health support for our teenagers?

I ask from experience. Two and a half years ago (if you wanted to know the exact date, I could tell you), my child not only began to experience an adolescent identity crisis, but also coinciding family and personal mental health crises.

Seclusion, rebellion, self-hatred. You name it. It was happening. Grades sinking. Friends disappearing, changing. Watching this happen was sad and frightening, but trying to find help was even more terrifying.

We started with going to our pediatrician. The reply from this reputable doctor was that she was sorry to hear it. Were her periods normal? Then on the walk out we were handed a piece of paper with a list of therapist and psychologist groups. There were so many names, all strangers. I asked “is there someone in particular on this list whom you would recommend?”. The answer was that I would need to call around for availability. That was it. I did just that. Call after call. Therapists all in different towns, but none with a connection to my child or her community. So she would have none of it.

Meanwhile, things got worse. Teachers, administrators and guidance counselors over time saw her as not just troubled, but trouble. As a last resort, we were told of the FOCUS program. What? What on earth is that? Why did it take so long to find out about it? From there we were told about Holliston Youth and Family Services. Did I know what that was? Heck no. I thought this would be for low income families, families dealing with domestic issues, kids with legal trouble.

How did I not know about any of these resources?

How did I miss all of this?

What kind of parent am I?

There should be probably 100 more questions included above.

The Office of Adolescent Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published in 2017 that one in fiveadolescents has had a serious mental health disorder already. 50% of the US population’s mental health problems start by the age of 14! At Holliston High School, the 2016 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey found that 39% of kids reported their lives to be “very stressful” in the 30 days prior to the survey. 18% reported depressive symptoms in the year prior to the survey. No, my teen is not alone in her struggles. This town has 809 students enrolled at Holliston High School. That’s easy math. Over 150 kids there could be in the same situation she was in.

Town policies seem passive. On a community level, Holliston Youth and Family Services can be found on the townofholliston.us website. You need to dig deep to find this office. It is eventually found under “Departments” with contact information for Jackie Winer, who is the most fantastic, caring individual.

One of the dozen students I spoke with said that any discussions or assemblies that dealt with mental health usually occurred after “something happened”. Locating mental health resources on the high school site is difficult. Eventually you find FOCUS Program, designated for students “returning to school after an extended absence” due to a physical or emotional situation that kept them from school. OR for kids who “just might need some extra support”. There you will find Annie Tomasz. Wonderful with teens, always going above and beyond to build esteem and keep them on track. You will also find a link to Youth & Family Services. In the Student-Parent Handbook, 116 clickable links can be found on page 2. One deals with “Bullying and Prevention”. There is even information on possible “Dog Sniff Searches”. Health Services has no mention of mental health. If you were to search the phrase “mental health” in the entire 78-page handbook, you will not find it. Disturbing considering that one in five of those 809 kids might need it.

There is a seemingly massive hole for awareness of the availability of some of the most wonderful resources we should be considered fortunate to have in our very own town. Policies directed towards giving teens the best shot at the future are buried in bureaucracy, zero-tolerance policies and scary warnings. This is a completely digital generation. A simple “Health” category could be on these websites with simple, clickable access to clear information. Health refers equally to physical, mental and emotional health. They could find resources for support on a familiar, local level. Guidance and trusted teachers could easily direct people to these sites as well. A policy of proactive support would not only make for more successful students, but for a more hopeful group of adults who can say they got a great start in their own hometown.

Our family is not shy to talk about this anymore because we understand the importance of striking a wholistic, healthy balance in life. Did I wait too long and was I scared to death by what was happening? Absolutely. Was I hearing things I did not want to hear? Yes. Only from experience do I dare say this. Do not be shy or afraid to hear what you might not want to hear. Help develop readily available resources or better utilize what is already in place so our youth today live healthier lives. Please let’s come together as a community and help find how to implement a simpler, more open approach for all of these kids to find the help that they may need.