"Stress management for high school students"

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1. Practice. What type of interventions and theories are used in school counseling to help students manage stress and ways counseling helps students cope with stress.

There are some general stress management strategies for high school students. Often students who end up seeing a school counselor, however, have other issues that also need to be addressed, anger issues, low self-esteem, depression or anxiety, drugs or alcohol related problems, and so on. Therefore, a comprehensive assessment is important to determine the nature and extent of what is causing the stress. The two most important things to know about teenagers dealing with stress:

? A "pile-up" of many stressful life events in a small amount of time is more difficult for adolescents than dealing with just one event.

? If a major event causes stress, it is often because it sets off a chain of events that intensifies the on-going, day-to-day stressful conditions of their lives. (http://www.focusas.com/Stress.html)

There are some common sources of day-to-day stress for high school students, including:

? problems with peers (e.g., being bullied, break-up with boyfriend or girlfriend, dating relationship problems)
? family issues or problems with parents
? school-related problems or pressures
? their own thoughts, feelings, or behaviors (feeling depressed or lonely, getting into trouble because of their behavior) (http://www.focusas.com/Stress.html)

Other sources of stress for high school students may include:

? chronic illness or severe problems in the family
? death of a loved one
? moving to a new community
? changing schools
? taking on too many activities or having too high expectations
? family financial problems
? unsafe living environment/neighborhood http://www.focusas.com/Stress.html

Stress Management for Students

Stress management techniques draw on a number of theories. Some common stress management techniques taken from various theoretical positions (eclectic) focusing on bio-psycho-social factors:

? Do not wait (Behavioral Theory). Explain to the student: If you know that you have an assignment due or an exam looming on the horizon, do not wait until the last minute to open your text. By starting early and focusing on small amounts each day, you will be prepared for the exam or have the assignment finished well before the due date. When you wait until the last minute, you increase your stress and ...