OUR MENTAL HEALTH

Have you experienced mental health issues in your life? If comfortable, please share some ways that you’ve overcome difficult mental and emotional problems?

What are some ways that you take care of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally?

Have you experienced racial bias within the mental health system? If you are a person of color how many Counselors or Therapists of color have you had? How have you been impacted?

What do you do if you are concerned about your emotional wellness? How do you maintain your emotional wellness? What ways do you practice emotional wellness?

Have you experienced grief, loss of a loved one, friends, or of an intimate relationship? If yes, please share how you have been impacted by your loss, to your comfort level.

What makes you feel anxious, nervous, or overwhelmed? (For example: In school, at work, at home, with your family, closed in spaces, your relationship with a significant other, etc.) How do you manage these feelings?

How have you been offered peer / emotional support? How can friends support your emotional wellness? (For example: friends, coworkers, classmates, etc.)

Have you or someone you have known experienced discrimination on the basis of disabilities; physical, mental, autism etc.? If yes, how has this impacted you or them? Please share to your comfort level.

What ways can you / do you support yourself when you have feelings of sadness, anger, and depression? How do you handle stress?

Have you ever had a feeling of wanting to fall asleep and never wake up? Have you ever felt something like wanting your existence to stop? If yes, how did or do you manage these feelings? Please share to your comfort level.

Do you remember when you first heard the word suicide? How was it explained or described to you? What did you think of it? Most people at some time in their life have thoughts of suicide? What do you think of it now?

Do you ever feel depressed, or have self-hatred? If yes, what do you think triggers this? Do you self-harm, or cut your body on purpose? Please only share to your comfort level on this.

How do you define bullying? Have you been bullied? Have you bullied others? What adults or someone else, if any, do you trust to go to if you are being bullied? Do you trust any adults in this type of situation? Please choose one or two to speak on.

How is your relationship with food? Have you ever struggled with your relationship with food? Please share about your experience to your comfort level.

Have you self-medicated with drugs or alcohol to handle anxiety or other difficult feelings? What do you do to support and maintain calmness when dealing with anxiety?