Carolyn Maneley

Mrs Carolyn Maneley is a counselor at Science and Arts Academy. She has worked in this role for 13 years and has been involved in mental health care for over 30 years. In our conversation she shared her opinions on stigma, education with mental health, and solutions she would like to see in the future. On the topic of stigma we chatted about comparing mental and physical health and having an equal relationship and acceptance of the two. Starting at a young age it should be normalized so students aren't afraid to address it and it doesn't feel out of the ordinary or weird to face mental health issues. One way she promotes this is through social emotional learning or SEL. Through SEL students can not only learn about mental health and how to deal with it, but also they can grow their interpersonal and emotional skills which is key at a young age. This program is one that I found had a profound impact on me and credit for more emotional and social understanding . In terms of other solutions she advocated for promoting mental health in schools and using schools as centers of community to house resources for care. She also mentioned leadership that is supportive of and advocates for mental health care reforms to help expand mental health care in the future.