Evan Kafka, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL (USA)
Emily Balentine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL (USA)

This poster explains how a support group helped encourage students to successfully transition into the high school environment after a recent mental health hospitalization. The poster describes the structure of the group, introduction of the evidence-based research, and the benefits of the group.

 View PDF of Poster.

The goal of the presentation is to showcase that there is micro, mezzo, and macro level benefit in establishing a support group for high school students returning to school after a mental health hospitalization. The first and most important benefit being that a support group confronts the social isolation many students experiencing mental illness struggle with. The poster will not include physical health-related hospitalizations due to time constraints and the understanding that there is a difference in needs. Foundational group concepts will be incorporated throughout the presentation, including Irving Yalom’s therapeutic factors (e.g., universality, altruism).

In addition, the poster will highlight the increasing prevalence of mental illness in the U.S., specifically among the target population. For example, the CDC reports 1 in 3 high school students report experiencing depressive symptoms in 2019. The presenters will also be prepared to address the impact of Covid-19.The poster will define its target population (e.g., freshman to senior), identify various methods of recruitment, breakdown group logistics, and even suggest a number of sample activities and resources required for implementation. Many of the activities shared are built upon research materials by Brene Brown and the popular RULER curricula.

RULER is an evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning that has been adopted by around 2,000 pre-K through high schools across the United States and globally. This was founded by Marc Brackett, PhD, who is additionally the Director of Yale’s Center for Emotional Intelligence. Topics that may be discussed among the support group include values exploration, learning how to be your “best self”, mindfulness, and empathy. The poster’s group concept will ultimately show off the benefits to reinforcing coping strategies students might learn while hospitalized. The poster will offer a full scope of information and ideas for attendees interested in implementing a post-hospitalization support group at their respective agencies. The expectation is that attendees will have the most interest in if this support group has been executed and what challenges have been faced. The presenting IASWG members are available to provide insight to their own experience running this exact group in the 2021-2022 academic year. In short, the project is a show-and-tell of a support group concept aimed at supporting high school students.