Sidwell Friends Administration Prioritizes Mental Health Through Workshops

Sidwell Friends School strives to ensure that every student’s health is prioritized throughout the entire academic year. In addition to on-site nurses and counselors, the Sidwell administration organizes mental health workshops designed to provide information and guidance on everyday struggles that can arise in an academically intensive environment. Through these counseling initiatives, the Sidwell administration successfully prioritizes student mental health.

Periodically, the Sidwell administration holds mental health days, during which students have the opportunity to attend workshops led by Sidwell faculty or external experts on various mental health topics. Students may select workshops that interest them the most from a wide range of offerings. Workshops focus on a variety of techniques, ranging from deep breathing exercises to methods for calming down in high-stress situations.

While the Sidwell administration demonstrates its commitment to student mental health by organizing mental health workshop days, many students would appreciate the day off from classes more than the workshops themselves. “Sidwell’s counselors do a good job of creating a safe space for students where they can feel comfortable talking about anything they need to, not only on the mental health days.” sophomore Leo Zanello says. “However, I think the mental health days are useful solely because they provide a break from rigorous classes.”

The mental health workshops are not the only way the Sidwell administration aims to relieve stress and prioritize mental health; the day also begins an hour later than usual and ends before lunch. Although the administration attempts to provide students with some flexibility, this initiative does not benefit all students, especially those who have stricter scheduling constraints. 

Furthermore, while the workshops provide a break from academics, they do not exempt students from Sidwell-related after-school activities. The majority of students who attend practices and rehearsals do not experience the intended benefits of a half-day schedule. “Having a sports practice on a mental health day defeats the purpose of giving [students] a break,” sophomore Kate Horton said. “It takes away the extra time the mental health day provides.” Having after-school activities on a mental health day undermines the intended benefits of the half-day schedule, leaving many students unable to fully focus on their well-being.