Wellness Center is here to help

Everyone has bad days is a common saying at the CVHS Wellness Center (WC). Located between 400 and 500 hall, a safe space for students’ emotions, questions, and concerns awaits all who want to be heard and seen, or even for those just looking for a quiet place.

“I like to normalize the fact that the Wellness Center is for everyone,” said Samuel Frank, the lead social worker at the WC. 

The WC offers a variety of services for students here at CVHS; breaks and drop-in appointments with a counselor or supportive adult are the most popular services amongst students. All things considered, the WC staff tends to be swarmed with students who put their helping hands to good use. The best way to ensure a meeting with one of the interns or counselors is by appointment. 

Appointments with counselors can be extended to a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly check-ins depending on the student’s wants and needs. This year there will also be two therapists who will be taking small caseloads, usually through a referral from the counseling team.

Students are welcome to take a break at the WC once a day, a five-minute break with their phones or 15 minutes if they turn their phones in to the front desk. While taking a break, students are encouraged to play with any fidget toys or board games offered in the group room. For the more artistic students, plenty of art materials are available to relax the mind. 

While the WC is open to all students on campus, targeted outreach helps the staff get to  freshmen who need a little extra help adjusting to high school. With the help of the Wellness Warriors, a select group of student leaders whose goal is to bring more awareness to mental health around campus, the WC hopes to host year round events to make CVHS a more welcoming and safe space for all students. 

Groups include Freshman Orientation, Managing Anxiety and Stress, Black Wellness, Real Talk, Healing and Empowering through Art, Grief, and many more. 

After their Restorative Justice training last year, these now certified students will help restore community in situations here at CVHS and the middle schools in Castro Valley where harm amongst students might have been done. After training, students get paid $100. If they decide to stay a part of the Wellness Warriors until they graduate, they will have the opportunity to get paid $100 for every year they work alongside the WC to repair harm. 

If you want to know more about the application process to become a Wellness Warrior, have any questions about the WC, or would like to set up an appointment for a check-in or group meeting, be sure to stop by the WC. Jill Tavis located at the very front of the building will see to you and your needs. 

“Everyone has bad days, so let’s be patient and empathetic with ourselves,” said Frank.