As wellbeing directors, you spend a significant amount of time observing students—learning about their behaviors, their likes and dislikes, and noticing when they are thriving or struggling. But have you ever wondered about the inner workings of their minds? Understanding mental health goes beyond observing behaviors; it involves understanding how the brain processes experiences and emotions, and how these processes shape the way students engage with the world.
What Is Mental Health?
Mental health is more than just the absence of illness. It’s about living in balance, feeling a sense of well-being, and being able to navigate life’s challenges. Think of it as “sailing in the center of a river.” When we are mentally healthy, we feel like our boat is floating in calm waters, and we feel harmony with our surroundings. However, if the waters become rough, we might drift toward one of two shores: chaos, where we feel out of control, or rigidity, where we try to control everything around us.
At school, we can see this imbalance when a student has trouble socializing (rigidity) or acts out by crying or shouting (chaos). Both behaviors indicate difficulty adapting to their environment. The key to helping these students lies in achieving integration—helping them understand and adapt to their experiences in a way that fosters harmony.
How Does the Brain Work?
The brain is "plastic," meaning it is constantly shaped by our experiences. It has several parts that serve different functions. Some help us think logically, while others allow us to process emotions or react instinctively.
The left brain helps us think logically and organize thoughts into words.
The right brain helps us process emotions and understand non-verbal communication.
The reptilian brain controls our instincts, helping us make quick decisions to survive.
The mammalian brain enables us to form relationships and connect with others.
Other parts help us recall memories or make moral and ethical decisions.
For students to thrive, all these parts need to work together in what’s called brain integration. When the brain is well-integrated, students are better equipped to develop emotional, intellectual, and social skills.
The Importance of Integration
For students to maintain mental health, they need both horizontal integration (where the left and right sides of the brain work together) and vertical integration (where higher-level thinking collaborates with instinctual responses). Helping students achieve this balance is key to their emotional well-being.
How to Help Students Integrate Their Brains
A powerful way to help students integrate their brains is through storytelling. In The Whole-Brain Child (Siegel and Bryson, 2012), there is a story about a young child who was in a car accident with his babysitter. The child, who was unhurt, repeatedly said, “Eea woo woo”—his way of saying “Sophia” (the babysitter’s name) and “ambulance.” By repeating the story to his mother, he was trying to make sense of the traumatic event.
Here, we have two options:
Distract the child: Assure him everything will be fine and redirect his attention to something else.
Encourage the child to tell the story: Let him retell the event as many times as he needs to process what happened.
The second approach is more beneficial. By allowing the child to repeatedly tell the story, we help him understand the event, process his emotions, and make sense of his experience. Over time, the child will talk about the event less and less until it becomes just another memory.
Why Storytelling Matters
Through storytelling, students activate both the left and right sides of their brain, allowing them to process information logically (left brain) and emotionally (right brain). When they can put their fears and anxieties into words, they gain control over their emotions and are less likely to be dominated by them. This process is especially crucial for students who have experienced trauma or who struggle with fear, anxiety, or frustration.
If we don’t allow students to process their emotions, those feelings can stay hidden and resurface later in life, potentially causing them to fear certain situations (like getting into a car, hearing loud sounds, or separating from their parents). By encouraging them to retell their stories, we give them the tools they need to navigate their emotions and find peace.
Applying This in Schools
As wellbeing directors, you can apply these concepts by:
Encouraging open dialogue: When students are upset, give them space to talk through their feelings and experiences, helping them make sense of what has happened.
Using storytelling in counseling: Use storytelling as a technique in your interactions with students, allowing them to retell challenging experiences until they can process and overcome them.
Fostering integration: Help students integrate their thoughts and emotions by guiding them through exercises that encourage both logical and emotional processing.
Conclusion
Understanding how the brain works and the role of memory in shaping behavior gives us powerful tools to support students in their journey toward mental health. By fostering brain integration through storytelling and open communication, we can help students process their experiences, manage their emotions, and thrive both in and out of the classroom.
The next time you see a student struggling due to a past experience, remember to take the time to listen. Help them retell their story, integrate their feelings, and gain control over their emotions and behavior. This simple, yet powerful, approach can make a significant difference in their mental health and overall well-being.
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