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The Prince George’s County community addressed mental health issues among young people with its second annual Youth Mental Health Expo on Saturday.
The event, sponsored by Bowie State University, Volunteers of America and the county health department, aimed to help teens and young adults with their mental health in the post-pandemic era.
“It’s about how we respond to crises,” Dr. Sheryl Neverson, one of the facilitators of the health expo, said. “How do we respond and cope when things don’t go our way? … We all need mental health, just like we need physical health.”
At the expo, providers dispensed information in non-clinical setting, a gateway to coping with the challenges of life.
Alyssa Washington, for one, said she found her escape through equine therapy.
“Going to the barns, riding horses–that’s my coping skills. That’s how I cope. That’s how I de-stress,” she said.
“She’s also doing barrel racing. She’s just found her passion,” Princess Washington said.
Still, there’s stigma attached to therapy, which is where Alyssa Washington has since become something of an ambassador of its benefits to her peers.
“If they don’t think therapy’s gonna work, or if they don’t find it as a way to get help, I try to tell them that there’s other ways too, not just therapy: teachers, other peers, principals, guidance counselors,” she said.
Three times as many people registered for the expo this year compared to last year, and about a third of the attendees who registered were not Bowie State University students, evidence of a wider acceptance and comfort with the topic of mental health.
“People need to speak up. You see a lot of celebrities now coming out. A lot of people saying, ‘Hey, it’s OK to talk to a therapist. It’s OK to not be OK,” Neverson said.
It’s especially necessary, Neverson said, amid all the complications of modern day life, especially for young people.
“Whether it’s school, whether it’s bullying, whether what they see on social media comes to them at their fingertips, and so we have to be prepared to respond,” she said.
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