Nine counselors serve approximately 280 students each at Carlmont High School, and still, the demand for mental health support only continues to grow.
As students face constant academic pressure and mounting personal crises, Carlmont has expanded mental health support to meet needs.
Currently, Carlmont boasts traditional counseling services, licensed therapists on campus, and a student-led peer support program called Students Offering Support (SOS).
Yet, some students remain wary of mandatory reporting, and others struggle with scheduling conflicts. These obstacles have challenged the school’s ability to meet every student’s needs.
Academic stress is a primary concern that students bring to the Carlmont Teen Wellness Center, according to Lucia Rodriguez, the president of SOS.
“Usually, it’s a lot of academic stress. A lot of students experience academic stress, especially during school,” Rodriguez said. “That’s definitely one of the biggest factors I’ve seen.”
This stress intensifies during predictable periods of the school year, particularly around college application deadlines. Shelley Bustamante, the director of Carlmont’s Teen Wellness Center and coordinator of SOS, has observed these seasonal patterns throughout her 30-year career at the school.
“College apps — right around this time. A lot of seniors fall apart and burn out and freak out,” Bustamante said. “A lot of juniors are worried about ‘this is my most important year.’”
However, the pressure extends beyond the normal academic challenges. Bustamante has witnessed students pushed to dangerous extremes.
“I have to hospitalize kids because they’re overextended, taking way too many AP classes, extracurricular activities, internships, jobs — you name it. They’re not doing it because they want to; they’re doing it because they think they have to,” Bustamante said.
She attributes this to cultural expectations that prioritize college admissions over the well-being of students, particularly within certain communities.
“It’s not what college you go to, it’s what you do when you get there and what you bring to the table,” Bustamante said.
Access and response times
Carlmont’s counseling department handles crises, academic registration appointments, and non-crisis situations, the latter of which can include personal relationship issues. Counselors are always on hand for crises, according to Theresa Torres, the head academic counselor at Carlmont.
For non-crisis situations, students typically receive appointments within a week. According to Torres, relatively high no-show rates for these types of appointments don’t significantly impact the department’s capacity.
“We’re more of a drop-in center. We’re very flexible,” Torres said.
The wellness center provides an additional layer of support, offering licensed therapists during school hours. However, many students remain unaware of this resource, according to Rodriguez.
“Anyone can just come in and talk to a therapist,” Rodriguez said.
According to Bustamante, the referral system between counselors and the wellness center’s therapists follows a well-structured system.
“We have a referral process; the counselors go online and make a referral. They fill out a form and describe the student and their needs, and then we look at the availability of the therapists that we have on their caseload and who would be the best fit,” Bustamante said.
Obstacles preventing help
Despite the multiple support systems in place, several barriers prevent students from accessing mental health services. Torres noted a unique challenge with on-campus services.
“Students need to focus on school while at school, and one of the reasons why some students avoid counseling is that if you talk about your issues at school, you don’t have the time to mentally regroup,” Torres said.
Bustamante emphasized that students have rights that may supersede some of their concerns about parental approval. For example, Assembly Bill (AB) 665 allows minors over the age of 12 to consent to mental health treatment without parental permission.
Fear represents another significant barrier. Rodriguez acknowledged that concerns about confidentiality can deter some students from seeking peer support.
“It’s very hard to go into a room full of people that you don’t know, and you’re kind of scared of someone reporting that to the administration,” Rodriguez said.
These fears aren’t entirely unfounded. While SOS maintains strict confidentiality policies, gossip remains a concern on campus.
“Our rule here at SOS: we make sure that what’s said in here stays in here — that’s our major rule,” Rodriguez said. “Obviously, we can’t prevent people from saying things or spreading things, but if we ever do find out, we tend to kick people out of the program if they’re violating our rule.”
Student peer support
Rodriguez and other SOS members provide front-line peer support, conducting conflict mediations and offering a listening ear during drop-in hours.
“We’re all trained here professionally by Ms. Bustamante to have a common trust among everyone here,” Rodriguez said.
SOS volunteers handle sensitive topics, including some that challenge even the most experienced members. Rodriguez identified abusive relationships as particularly difficult.
“It’s a lot harder for us to encounter those types of situations between students because a lot of it may be family abuse or could be a friend. Any abuse in general can be really hard to discuss,” Rodriguez said.
The emotional labor can take a personal toll on volunteers, even as they help their peers.
“Hearing other stories can be a little hard sometimes, especially because I’m already dealing with a lot of other personal issues,” Rodriguez said.
Despite these challenges, Rodriguez and her peers work to maintain a supportive environment for students seeking help.
“We make sure that the area is safe for people to come in without judgment. It’s a judgment-free zone, and people are able to express their thoughts and feelings,” Rodriguez said.
The overall impact
Bustamante believes Rodriguez and SOS’s efforts have produced remarkable results, evidenced by Carlmont’s suicide prevention record.
“At Carlmont, we haven’t had as many deaths of students through suicide. We’ve only had one in the 30 years that I’ve been here, and I never met that student,” Bustamante said.
Reflecting on that loss, she connected it directly to the importance of the support systems now in place.
“I think if at that time SOS was in place, that kid would be alive,” Bustamante said.
Additionally, the current Say Something campaign has empowered students to intervene when their peers are in crisis. According to Bustamante, peer reporting has the potential to save lives.
“They can report it anonymously, they come to the wellness center and tell us, and those kids are heroes,” Bustamante said. “We have some in here that have prevented all of us from being harmed with their ability to speak up, and have prevented other students from leaving this planet, from harming themselves, because they spoke up.”
