San Jose high school opens wellness center to help students cope with stress, anxiety

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - Some Silicon Valley high school students have a new space to learn how to cope with daily stress.

Pioneer High School in South San Jose last month opened what they organizers call a "Wellness Center." 

It's a room on-campus that features couches, bean bag chairs, gentle music, and soft lighting.

Coordinator Amy Hernandez says it's a space where students can calm their mind, whether it's reading about mindfulness or practicing yoga.
 
"They'll try meditation, they'll try a meditative app, they'll work with the stress toys, for some students it's sketching," said Hernandez.

She says students came up with the idea, which was funded with a $49,000 mental health grant from the San Jose Unified School District. 

The space opened six weeks ago and has already had 200 check-ins.
 
"We were planning to open the 2nd Friday of school but the first day of school we had five students in crisis so we opened," said Hernandez.
 
According to the Pew Research Center, anxiety and depression are on the rise among teens who cite pressure to get good grades as one of the top stressors.
 
"About 80 percent of the students that are coming in are dealing with some kind of anxiety or stress," said Jenny Kim, a special education teacher at Pioneer High School.
 
If it's during class time, students need a pass from their teacher, and they get about 20 minutes in the center.

Organizers say students must first identify why they are coming in, rate their wellness and then find a coping strategy.

They also note the Wellness Center is not a place or replacement for mental health therapy.
 
"If a student comes more than three or four times, we do know that. And we work with them and their families to see what other resources they need," said Kim.

The message organizers want to send out is that it's okay not to be okay.

San Jose Unified says the center marks a first for the district, but they hope it won't be the last.