Happy schools: Examining a psychoeducational curriculum and small group intervention for high school students

Poor mental health is a growing problem among youth in schools. More than one in three high school students report experiencing persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness and one in six youth report making a suicide plan in the past year (Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2019). The COVID19 pandemic has only exacerbated mental health challenges in youth; with emergency rooms reporting a 30% increase in pediatric suicide attempts beginning in 2020 (CDC, 2021). Now more than ever, mental health support and preventative efforts are needed to bolster positive mental health and prevent mental health crises. Positive Psychology, the study of what makes life living (Peterson, 2008) offers a helpful framework to understand and improve mental health and well-being during times of turbulence and stress. Positive Psychology’s emphasis on highlighting one’s strengths instead of weaknesses and building the good life naturally align with the role of a strength-based school counselor. The focus of the presentation is to highlight the work graduate students in The Department of Counseling have been doing with the Montana Happiness Project. Roughly 40% of happiness is within the control of individuals based on their actions and behaviors (Lyubomirsky, 2005). With this as a guide, we have created a psychoeducational curriculum which teaches students about the art and science behind happiness as well as how to utilize different strategies/activities to improve their overall well-being. 45–60-minute lessons were run with all ninth and tenth grade students at a local high school through student’s Health and PE courses. Preliminary data was collected on how likely students felt they would be to continue utilizing happiness strategies. This curriculum can be adapted for all grade levels and used by professionals in multiples roles within schools (teachers, counselors, school psychologists, after-school programs, etc). Additionally, we identified students who would benefit from small groups focusing on utilizing ...