As academic pressures continue to mount during college application and acceptance season, local high schools are fighting the stress by creating safe spaces for students.
Loara High School in Anaheim opens its doors daily to what it calls a “well-space,” designed by students for students.
“It’s a place where you can calm down, relax, regenerate your thoughts, feedback in your present mindset, have a better mindset, and mental health,” said 11th-grade student Hannah Tran.
Featuring coffee shop décor, the room is intended to help students unwind during the school day.
“They don’t allow any phone so I think it’s for the best because you’re really able to connect or kind of disassociate from the stress that you’re having at the moment,” added 10th grader Camila Perez. “So it’s like school, especially during high school years, and I just like to keep going up a grade. It gets even more stressful. So I think having this space is just a great thing to have especially for upperclassmen.”
The space is just one of 60 across Orange County funded by the state with more on the way. Health experts say their presence is becoming increasingly necessary.
“I think it helps remove the stigma that’s so often associated with dealing with mental health or with stress,” said Carmen Katsarov, Executive Director of Behavioral Health Integration at CalOptima. “And I think this goes a long way for a community to have a space like this. It sends a really big message to students that wellness and mental health, it’s okay. It’s okay to come to a space like this and utilize it.”
According to the CDC, nearly 40% of high students feel “hopeless” or “persistently sad,” and nearly 30% report poor mental health.
Students can ask their teachers for breaks during class to visit the well space. If their needs are beyond what the space can provide, they can ask for that, too.
“There’s always an adult there. the adult can double check and make sure that everybody’s going okay,” said principal Gary Brown. “That little check-in sign that they have they actually will talk about am I just needing a few minute break or am I having some more serious issues and there’s always a counselor around to help with those.”
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