‘Not alone’: Hendricks County students to get mental health kits this week

PITTSBORO, Ind. — A mental health and substance use service in Hendricks County is helping students hold onto hope in and out of classrooms. 

On Tuesday, the Willow Center Community Director Chase Cotten put the final touches on nearly 2,000 mental health kits. Stressballs, journals and anxiety tools were tossed into blue and white boxes. 

They’ll soon be in the hands of staff and students with the Brownsburg Community School Corporation. 

“They’re a physical reminder that students are not alone,” Cotten said. 

The kits have been in the works since January, when The Willow Center learned they’d be getting funding through Brownsburg’s local opioid settlement grant. The goal is to give students a new sense of calm once they receive the packages. 

“In the post-COVID era, our young people, our high school, middle school and elementary school students are experiencing more anxiety and depression than they ever have before,” Cotten said. 

Guidance counselors got the first round of boxes on Tuesday. Soon, they’ll be off to students and teachers to continue fostering conversations around mental health.

“Despite what might feel isolating in the moment, one in five individuals in Indiana are experiencing mental health struggles of some kind,” Cotten said. “One in 12 are experiencing substance use struggles of some kind. Even if you’re not experiencing it, you know someone who is.”

The goal is to validate students’ feelings and point them in the direction of how to get help if they need it.

“This is something they can hold, something tangible, that shows them you’re not the only one that’s having a bad time sometimes and it’s ok to have a bad time sometimes,” Cotten said. 

Brownsburg Community School Corporation provided the following statement of their gratitude.

“We’re thankful to The Willow Center and the Town of Brownsburg for utilizing their funds to support mental health needs in our community with the creation of Mental Health Kits. Our counselors and teachers often see students who need mental health support, and these kits will provide additional resources for our students as we partner with our families and community.”

–Nicole Walker, Director of Student Services

Friday is when the rest of the kits will be delivered to students and staff. Cotten said he hopes to keep the program running for generations of students to come.