Carmel Clay Schools will host the inaugural Mental Health and Community Resource Fair from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 13 at Carmel High School’s Media Center and Auditorium Commons Area. The event was a direct response to parents’ concerns over the mental health of their children.
“Last Spring our Culture of Care Committee gathered feedback from parents, students and staff on areas they wanted more information on and where their concerns fell for mental health and our students,” stated Rachel Cole, CHS director of counseling, in an email. “One consistent message was wanting to know resources that are available and the need for all parents to have an opportunity to learn about these organizations in our community.”
The event will offer breakout sessions aimed at teaching parents ways to help children with stress and anxiety.
“We will also have four breakout sessions going on,” Cole said. “You can choose to attend two sessions total or just one. It is really an open invitation for those to choose what they want to attend.”
Participants can visit different booths sponsored by various community organizations that will provide resources for parents and students.
“We will have tables for people in attendance to walk around at their leisure and a program designating where they can find a specific organization,” Cole said. “People can come and visit all the organizations we have invited or simply go to certain tables they have an interest in visiting.”
CHS plans to host the event each year.
“You never know what resource you might need until you are in the thick of it,” Cole. “Learning what community resources are out there is beneficial to individual families and our community. I also think it helps send a message that mental health is something that we all should be talking about and getting behind.”
