Mental health is important for all of us. There are three components to mental health – our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Mental health impacts how a person thinks, feels, and acts. It also determines how we handle stress, relate to other people, and make choices. The mental health of our children and young people also plays an important role in their academic success. Mental health challenges can hinder the ability to think clearly, concentrate and focus at school, prioritize tasks and complete work, and the ability to grasp and process new information. Good mental health lays the foundation for our children and young people to thrive – both in school and out of school. Let’s take a moment to talk about what it means to thrive as individuals, families, and as a school district. To thrive means to grow, develop, and/or be successful. Of course this is what we want for our children and young people at every age and every stage of their lives. As we work together to achieve this for our students, it’s important that we operate as a team – school, family, and community. More than ever, young people growing up and learning to navigate today’s world need all of us to help them gain the tools they need to be successful academically and personally. In order to thrive, resilience is essential. A simple definition of resilience is the ability of a person to bounce back after adversity. It is the quality that allows people to be knocked down by the challenges of life that we all experience and come back just as strong or even stronger than before. The best thing about resilience is that it can be learned! Our school district is committed to giving our students the tools they need to become resilient, thriving young people. This will be accomplished through instruction in your student’s classroom, the support of our school counselors, and our district mental health counselors. Your student’s well-being and their academic and personal success is the reason we come to work every day. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to someone if you have concerns about your child’s mental health, or if you have any other worries about your student. |
Deborah Godbold
Mental Health Coordinator
District Threat Management Coordinator
deborah.godbold@suwannee.k12.fl.us
386-647-4619
Crisis Resources
This is not a comprehensive list of crisis resources.
National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline – 988 or Text HOME to 741741
The Trevor Hotline – 1-866-488-7386
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline – 1-800-662-4357
The Florida Abuse Hotline – 1-800-96-ABUSE (1-800-962-2873)
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline – 1-800-422-4453
National Human Trafficking Hotline – 1-888-373-7888
Meridian Mobile Response Team – 1-800-330-5615
Mental Health Resources
This is not a comprehensive list of local mental health providers.
Soul Counseling
Lourdes Berlanga, LMFT
Live Oak, Florida
386-674-1363
Oasis of Hope Therapy
Josey Corbett, LCSW
Live Oak, Florida
Lake City, Florida
386-697-8842
Chrysalis Health Clinical Services & CAT Team
Lake City, Florida
386-749-8533
Dr. Jennifer Lacasse, LCSW
Lake City, Florida
Live Oak, Florida
352-374-5600
North Florida Family Counseling
Janet Kuykendall, LMHC
Lake City, Florida
386-365-0885
Counselor.janet@aol.com
CDS Florida
SNAP Program
Family Action Program
cdsfl.org
386-487-0190
Community Hospice of Northeast Florida
Live Oak, Florida
Lake City, Florida
1-866-253-6681
Meridian Behavioral Healthcare
Live Oak, Florida
386-362-4218
Grow Therapy
https://growtherapy.com/filters
betterhelp
AMH Counseling
Live Oak, Florida
(386) 362-6483
Vocational Rehabilitation
(386) 362-5461
Partnership Strong Families
(386) 364-7774
Suwannee Valley 4 C's Headstart
(386) 364-2915
Social Services Resources
This is not a comprehensive list of social services resources.
Suwannee River Economic Council
Live Oak, Florida
386-362-6079 or 386-362-1164
United Way of Northeast Florida
Dial 211 or Call 10904-632-0600
Resiliency Characteristic of the Month
Perseverance – continuing to try even when things are hard
Grit – working consistently toward my long term goals
It is so important for young people to understand that life isn’t always easy. Everyone faces challenges. Some things will be harder to learn than others, friendships take work and effort, sometimes life is just difficult. When kids are taught perseverance and grit, they learn preparation for life as an adult. They learn how to set goals and put in the work, patience, and time to accomplish them. They also learn that in order to reach a goal and find success, they may have to experience failure first. This month’s resiliency characteristics are the foundation for a lifetime of knowing that they can do hard things, that work is a good thing, and that failure is a friend. Success is built upon practicing perseverance and grit every single day.