'This is a safe space for me': WUHS Zen Den promotes mental wellbeing for students

Michaela Harris, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
Updated ·3 min read

Oct. 5—Wheatland Union High School has made significant efforts to provide mental health resources to its students in recent years.

After introducing a 10-person team of mental health professionals, the school opened the Zen Den on Sept. 26 to give students a safe space to destress and practice coping skills to propel them through school.

Assistant Principal Lauren Link said that the school's library was renovated into the Zen Den after staff noticed a significant number of students who were anxious or stressed both in and out of school. After checking in or signing up for a time to use the space, students are able to participate in different calming activities such as coloring, using fidget toys or journaling.

Students are encouraged to stay off their phones while using the space and engage in quiet activities to focus on relaxing, recharging and resetting, Link said.

Staff members stationed at the Zen Den are in charge of keeping time for students, monitoring check-ins and helping students get in touch with on-site mental health professionals.

The Zen Den brings in between 20-50 kids per day, she said. Students are allowed to visit the space before class as needed and during class with a pass issued by their teacher.

"Even one student saying, 'This is a safe space for me,' makes this all worth it," Link said.

While students are generally given a 15-minute time limit, Link said that they are allowed to come back to the Zen Den if they return to class and realize they need more time to organize their thoughts and emotions.

"It's available for students to practice their coping skills without missing too much class. We want students to be able to go back in class, try again and come back to the Zen Den if they really need more time to handle whatever it is that they're going through," she said.

The Zen Den is the most recent mental health resource that Wheatland Union High School has implemented. Over the past five years, the school has been building its team of mental health professionals. There are currently four therapists and six counselors staffed to help students, Link said.

"In five years, we've gone from having one person to 10," she said. "When we came back after the pandemic, we noticed that there were a lot of kids facing anxiety, stress or other problems, so we needed to provide more mental health resources."

Students are able to request appointments with the mental health professionals on campus or visit the Zen Den for a walk-in session if they are having an emergency, Link said.

The Zen Den was funded in part by the Yuba County Office of Education which also provided funds to renovate the staff break room next to the Zen Den. Link said that this has given staff members and students their own spaces to unwind and take breaks from work.

The Zen Den was also backed by Wheatland Union High School District Superintendent Nicole Newman who practices trauma informed teaching skills, Link said. The district's board of trustees also gave support for building and implementing the space.