APEX Students Develop Mental Health Resource “Tool Kit”

Take care of yourself. We’ve all heard that, especially throughout the last year in the midst of a global pandemic. But what might that look like? What does it mean?

It can look differently for each of us, but a large part of self care centers around mental health. Specifically, what are we doing to acknowledge our emotions, recognize our stresses, and care for our minds?

Prompted by this same question and the importance of mental health, three students from Waukee APEX’s Health Sciences & Medicine class were selected to partner with Dallas County Public Health for a project related to mental health resources.

Sophia Heuser, Jaelyn Nielson, and Alexa Wurth began their work by meeting with DCPH Administrator, Abigail Chihak. She outlined her goals for the project, and the team got to work on their research. They gathered information from universities and health organizations and discovered a variety of breathing exercises and activities that have proven to be useful in coping with mental health struggles. 

The team has now compiled their findings into an easily accessible tool kit that includes resources, exercises, and coping mechanisms related to mental health. Dallas County Public Health will be releasing the student’s tool kit as part of their January Community Newsletter, and the student’s work has also been shared with WCSD School Counselors as an additional mental health resource for students and staff.

“Mental health and wellbeing are really important to all of us. As teens, we felt a connection to this topic that is so relevant to our generation,” Sophia shared as she discussed the team’s passion for this topic and interest in the project. 

Their overall goal? To help people. And not just some, but all people.

“Our goal, especially during a year as uncertain and difficult as this one, is to offer a good resource to help people care for their mental health. Self care and coping mechanisms are not one-size-fits-all, so we wanted to offer something that has ideas and resources for all different types of people.”

You can view or print their Mental Health Resource Tool Kit by clicking here. 

What a valuable resource for our community!