News

Beebe Medical Center High School Wellness Centers are there for the Students

11/10/09

Jane struggled with a painful feeling of alienation. She feared that when she saw her classmates giggling amongst themselves, they were talking about her and her breakup with her boyfriend. It was painful and no doubt something everyone would love to talk about.

She didn't know who to turn to, but eventually found solace when she poured her heart out to Tricia White, the licensed clinical social worker who is a staff member with the Beebe Medical Center Wellness Center at Indian River High School. Mrs. White is a mother of three, a wife and a professional when it comes to teenage emotional problems. She got Jane together with her friends and they shared their thoughts about friendship and relationships and came one step closer to learning how to get along as adults.

This is a make-believe scenario. There is no Jane. And if there were, we wouldn't know because almost everything that is said to either Mrs. White or her associate Lee Doordan, a licensed clinical social worker, wife and mother of two, is confidential. However, this scenario represents one of the many types of problems that these two social workers deal with in the high school setting where teenagers are struggling to deal with the everyday problems of life. The two social workers are available whenever the students need someone to talk to. Parents also are encouraged to contact the social workers if they are concerned about a high school child. The service is free.

The students call it drama, Mrs. White says. The problems they face with friends, with boyfriends, with their families and now, because of the economy, with their job situations.

Just as the adult world is dealing with lost jobs, foreclosures and fears of the future, so do local teens.

Many students already pay for their gas, their year books, proms home comings and other activities, Mrs. Doordan says. Now, with the economy, the jobs aren't there for them.

The two social workers not only are available to meet with students one on one, but they hold sessions where students can talk about friendship, about peer pressure, and how to handle grief when a friend or family member dies. Other sessions deal with anger management, stress reduction, academic problems, relationship issues, family conflict, and healthy lifestyles.

We are here to help, Mrs. Doordan says. And it has been so rewarding for us. We have many students who come back after they have graduating, just to say hello and let us know how they are doing.

The Wellness Center at Indian River High School just completed its first decade and has touched the lives of thousands of students. Parents have to enroll the students into the program, and the most recent count shows that 92 percent of the student body is enrolled. The program is free and includes all kinds of services besides the counseling. There is a nutritionist available and education on healthy lifestyles is an important aspect. The Center, managed by a family nurse practitioner, also provides school physicals, treatment for minor illnesses and injuries and a variety of educational programs.

For more information, contact Center Coordinator and Family Nurse Practitioner Vanessa Adams at (302)732-3680.


Caption: Tricia White, left, and Lee Doordan are licensed clinical social workers who are based at the Beebe Medical Center Wellness Center at Indian River High School. They are available to talk to students, as well as their parents.



Beebe Medical Center is a not-for-profit community medical center with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health with the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities we serve. For more information, please visit us online at www.beebemed.org