Teen Group Therapy

LIFT was able to add free Teen Group Therapy with a licensed counselor to students during the ‘22-’23 school year. Over the course of the year we had five students participate. As stated by the group’s counselor the year met a need in the lives of our students. “We had a small but great group of students who participated in group therapy at LIFT this year. All of them were consistently open to sharing about their lives despite it being challenging and vulnerable at times. Each week we explored topics that were relevant to students including grief, boundaries, building healthy relationships, family dynamics, self-harm, and self-esteem. We realized the group functioned best when we incorporated some kind of activity, and these games and activities served to help reinforce emotion regulation, communication, and teamwork skills in the students. When topics arose that required a higher level of treatment, group members and parents readily accepted referrals for individual therapy or another form of mental healthcare. All in all, it was a really great year, and I’m grateful for the chance to get to know some of these kids!”

Mentoring

During LIFT’s second year open, afterschool students were given the opportunity to have a mentor. We had 2 students who met consistently with their mentor throughout the 2022-2023 school year. The ability to offer mentoring is important as it can result in an increase in better grades and school attendance while decreasing anxiety, likelihood of drug use, and negative behaviors in students.