By Dr. Charlene Berquist, Director, and Heather Blades, Associate Director
On February 26, Glendale High School in Springfield, Missouri, hosted “Flock Together,” a student-organized event focused on mental health awareness. The Center for Dispute Resolution (CDR) was represented at this event by Graduate Assistant Tina Pham, working towards a master’s in communication, and practicum student Kelsey Quick, a Master of Social Work Student, who spoke with students about healthy relationships and conflict management.
About Flock Together
Flock Together made the local news, in which KY3 reported the event was inspired by a statewide survey that revealed 17% of teens in Missouri had considered suicide; this survey encouraged students at Glendale to make a difference. The event began with a keynote speaker who communicated the importance of self-worth, after which students broke off into mini-sessions that focused on three key areas: healthy relationships, mental wellness, and substance abuse.
CDR student representatives Tina Pham and Kelsey Quick provided an interactive session for students focused on healthy relationships, specifically exploring conflict management. Students were provided with a conflict style quiz, aimed to reveal their strengths in conflict resolution, and explored tips on how to address conflict in different social situations. The students provided examples of conflict they had encountered and participated in an online survey that revealed how each group interacted with conflict, allowing for presentation material to be tailored to each group. During their session, students had the opportunity to engage in the conversation and share personal experiences.
COM student and CDR graduate assistant Tina Pham described the experience: “Being able to be a part of Flock Together allowed Kelsey and I to provide information to students about mental health, conflict management and healthy relationships that they may not have had before. We were able to talk with them in a smaller group setting and allow them to ask the questions they have wanted to ask in a safe space. Students are being shown or told that talking about mental health is not okay, and Flock Together allowed them to know that it is okay to talk about it and it is okay to ask for help. It was a great event to have and I hope that other schools will have these conversations as well.”
These sentiments were echoed by Kelsey Quick, a Social Work master’s student completing her practicum at the CDR. “Prior to Flock Together, I had only worked with adults regarding mental health. Interacting with high school students was an eye-opening experience, in that I was able to see a willingness to learn and improve mental health experiences in young adults. This conversation is so important and difficult to enter into, even with adults, so the fact that Glendale was able to provide an open and safe space to discuss mental health, was an amazing feat that will positively impact students for years to come.”