May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to recognize and promote mental health awareness across the country.

This month means a lot to mental health counselor Mrs. Sarah Ehlich. She said, “I think it’s a great time to really get after normalizing mental health and sharing mental health resources.” Ehlich is employed by the Community Health Network and has an office in the counseling hallway, where she provides therapy and mental health resources.

She said, “(I often hear that therapy) is for people who are crazy or in crisis. Yes, therapy is for crisis, but therapy is (also) for people who are not in crisis and want to do some work. (Therapy) does require thought and being present.”

Ehlich is all about promoting mental health awareness and reducing stigma surrounding the topic. She said, “I think (an assumption people often make) is that (therapy) is scary and it’s going to be really uncomfortable and hard. That can be true, but it doesn’t have to be. I work really hard to make sure that it doesn’t feel super scary.”

In order to schedule regular therapy sessions with Ehlich, a student would need parental consent. Ehlich recommends starting with a school counselor to begin the process.

On a final note, Mrs. Ehlich said, “It’s OK to ask for help. I know that talking to adults can be really scary, but reaching out for help (is encouraged) and can be really helpful. It’s not as scary as you think it’s going to be.”