Clarke County School District Executive Director of Family and Student Support Tessa Barbazon moderates the panel discussion at the CCSD Mental Health Town Hall on April 28 in the Clarke Middle School cafeteria. The event was open to the public, and audience members were given the chance to ask the five panelists, each of whom are professionals in the mental health field, questions. “It’s good to have questions where the panelists are sharing a takeaway, or something that helps (improve mental health),” Barbazon said. “I think the biggest (impact) is really trying to change the narrative. Even if a student is not seeking help for themselves, or an adolescent not seeking help for themselves, the (panel can help them) understand the landscape of mental health.” Photo by Iliana Tejada
The CCSD held a Mental Health Town Hall at Clarke Middle School on April 28 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the CMS cafeteria as a way to highlight community access to resources.
On April 28, the Clarke County School District hosted its first Mental Health Town Hall in the Clarke Middle School cafeteria from 5:30-7:30 p.m., an event open to all community members, including CCSD staff and families.
The event included a panel discussion with five mental health professionals from both the CCSD and Athens. Panelists talked about topics ranging from unsupervised screen time to the intervention of counselors in schools.
Clarke County School District Mental Wellness Specialist Fran Thompson speaks at the CCSD Mental Health Town Hall on April 28 in the Clarke Middle School cafeteria. Thompson organized the event alongside Allyn Carey, another CCSD Mental Wellness Specialist, as a means of making the community aware of the resources the district offers in addition to providing referrals for outside resources. “Our mental health counselors are brought in to offer brief solution-focused therapeutic support. So, we don’t do actual therapy, but we do therapeutic support where we do a lot of skill building about how to regulate emotions,” Thompson said during the event. Photo by Iliana Tejada
“I thought it was really amazing that there are therapists in the schools and (the panelists) actually really advocated for mental health awareness in the communities, because it was a big issue within my (high school) that wasn’t really advertised as much,” University of Georgia sophomore Clarice Henry said.
The discussion was moderated by CCSD Executive Director of Student and Family Support Tessa Barbazon, who began the discussion by asking panelists about the impacts of social media and signs that students might be struggling with their mental health.
“The biggest thing to look for is change,” Georgia Apex Program Manager Anna Story said. “Change in sleeping patterns, changing eating patterns, change in grades, changing social behaviors, (students) not enjoying things that they (used to), wanting to stay in, those are pretty telltale signs that something’s going on.”
Audience members were able to ask questions during the event, leading to discussion on topics such as differences in types of care for different ages and trends mental health professionals have seen.
“My favorite part of the event was all of the questions from the audience,” Barbazon said. “I think that’s the most important aspect of doing a town hall type event, is making sure that you’re answering questions of attendees and that they feel like they have a forum where they can confidentially ask questions.”
A graphic shows questions and answers from the panel discussion at the Clarke Country School District’s Mental Health Town Hall on April 28. The five panelists, moderated by CCSD Executive Director of Family and Student Support Tessa Barbazon, discussed the importance of mental health and access to resources during the event, which was open to all CCSD students, families and staff. “I feel like we have a lot of students (at the Town Hall), and that’s really exciting to me, because this is really a lot of the support that we provide is geared towards our students and (we’re) really making sure that we have a variety of supports in place to help students at all levels,” CCSD Mental Wellness Specialist Fran Thompson said during the event. Graphics by Lea D’Angelo, photos by Iliana Tejada
In both the moderated and audience-based discussions, emphasis was placed on resources available to families, something CCSD School Psychologist Denise Oglesby appreciated.
“When I’m dealing with parents and kids, I might (now) mention to them, ‘Wow, there’s a lot of resources (in the district) to destigmatize mental health and destigmatize getting healthcare,” Oglesby said.
“I hope, if anything, it gave people resources and encouraged people to continue to do more when it comes to seeking support (for) mental health.”
— Tessa Barbazon,
CCSD Executive Director of Family and Student Support
For Barbazon, the event was an attempt at normalizing asking for help and spreading awareness of what support is available.
“I hope, if anything, it gave people resources and encouraged people to continue to do more when it comes to seeking support (for) mental health, even if it means that someone goes to school tomorrow and brings up something that’s just stuck in their brain,” Barbazon said.
