The Family Wellness Forum this year was held in the LMC after years of being virtual due to Covid. The forum’s stated goals are for school counselors and on-site therapists through Children’s Wisconsin to destigmatize mental health through conversation and education.

“The purpose was really to educate families about anxiety, and talk about the different ways in which stress and anxiety might manifest itself at school, and then really look at what families and caregivers can do to support kids in different ways,” said Scott Brown, school counselor. “What can they do to support kids who are really anxious or stressed? What can schools do to support them, and how can those two collaborate together?”

Alongside anxiety and tactics for supporting students who may be going through it, school-related stress was another topic of conversation.

“So first, kind of defining those [stress and anxiety] terms — how are they different?” Brown said. “What do they mean and what should parents and caregivers look out for? So that was kind of the first step, then looking at how anxiety might manifest at school [and] what might be some behaviors that students exhibit.”

The last part of the forum focused on the ways caregivers can support their students and what strategies that parents can use when their child is experiencing anxiety.

According to Jennifer Radcliffe, school counselor, SHS as a whole is focusing on student wellness as a priority.

“Significant levels of stress, for a variety of different reasons … can sometimes elevate into a form of anxiety, anxiety symptoms, or even a disorder,” Radcliffe said.

Radcliffe emphasizes the role parents play in supporting students through practical methods and resources. 

“Our goal is to help families and help them bridge those gaps as far as accessing resources, because that can be so challenging … for so many different reasons,” Radcliffe said.

According to Radcliffe, students can take away that stress is a normal part of life, but also recognize the greater impacts it can have on one’s health.

“If it is something that has manifested in a stronger way, such as an anxious symptom or a persistent anxious symptom, what can you turn to to help yourself better manage those?” Radcliffe said.