Brzycki Group: Research on How Schools Impact Teens' Mental Health and Sense of Self

The "Integrated Self" Model Helps Parents Take Charge of their Teens’ Mental Health and Well-Being

STATE COLLEGE, PA, UNITED STATES, November 14, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Dr. Henry G. Brzycki and Elaine J. Brzycki, co-Presidents of The Center for the Self in Schooling, have worked for 40 years to bring mental health and well-being into schools, and their ongoing research shows that the structure of schooling in America damages teens’ mental health.

Elaine Brzycki says, “As a whole, American schools dis-integrate the Self of teens, so it is up to parents and caregivers to teach their teens how to re-integrate the Self as a counter-measure to the damage done by the schools.”

The Brzyckis have dedicated their careers to teach well-being competencies to families and schools. They have successfully brought their methods into schools and teacher training, and they have worked with dedicated educators. Further, Dr. Brzycki brought to the United States Department of Education, ESSA Title IV provisions that made it possible for schools to offer mental health and well-being services to students. However, the funding for these provisions later became focused upon developing behaviors to enhance academic achievement—and not students’ mental health and well-being.

The Brzyckis continue to see in their research (summarized in "The Mental Health for All Toolkit: Teachers, Parents, and Students") that schools today are overwhelmingly locked into outdated approaches that damage teens’ mental health.

The Brzyckis offer best practices for parents to pro-actively and preventively build and restore their teens’ mental health.

Their "Integrated Self" model offers 40 Self attributes that help parents build mental health and well-being competencies into the daily life of their teens. It reduces the need to rely upon schools to provide these competencies to their children and teens.

Research and clinical practice show that forming a Self is an experiential learning process. Teens develop a sense of Self by deeply feeling their own emotions and then by making and trying out their own decisions. Young people with a strong sense of Self can feel and think for themselves, while at the same time building warm and positive relationships. Further, studies show that having a sense of Self is the number one protective factor against mental illness.

The forces against this experiential process—of forming a Self—have grown stronger and more damaging in the schools and in society.

The first example of a negative force is the constant “teaching to the test,” which denies young people the chance to fully experience their strengths, grow self-agency, and formulate their dreams, leaving them feeling resigned and hopeless. Teens feel like “data points” and not unique and valued human beings.

The second example is the overreliance on MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support) and PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports), which are designed to monitor students’ progress, but unfortunately, zap their internal motivation.

Another example of a negative force is the unparalleled funding spent on school procedures to prevent the next mass shooting; this creates a culture of group trauma, where the fear of violence destroys teens’ ability to feel their emotions.

Finally, the constant flow of information on social media—which is specifically designed to capture attention and influence our teens, whether the information is true or false—can overwhelm young minds deciding who they are and what matters to them.

These forces work against teens developing and integrating their sense of Self. Schools “teaching to the test” damage any sense of self-esteem or self-agency and dull students’ ability to think for themselves or practice making their own decisions. The constant fear of school violence diminishes students’ ability to process their emotions, which causes dissociation, anxiety and depression. And the online “attention-getting information-overload” limits the time they have to try out their own thoughts and feelings in the real world.

In sum, schools are denying teens' experiential process of forming a healthy Self.

How can parents counter-act the ways in which schools dis-integrate their teens’ sense of Self?

The Brzyckis’ books and online “Champions Program” teach their Integrated Self model. Interested parents can learn the types of mental health competencies they can give their teens to flourish. Also, the Brzyckis will release a new book in 2025—"Champions!”—a self-guided playbook for teens to develop their Integrated Self and share their discoveries with their parents. The “Champions!” book and the “Champions Program” can be viewed at brzyckigroup.com.

Integrating the Self requires getting beyond the day-to-day—homework, tests, and information overload—and giving teens the chance to share their highest hopes and dreams.

Teens begin to develop a sense of Self when they talk about their emotions and the challenges in their lives. A non-judgmental discussion is a healthy process to counter the “you-must-get-it-right” answers they are drilled in them at school. Teens want and deserve additional supports in a world that is doing so much damage to them.

Dr. Brzycki says, “Teens need practice developing a Self by exploring their own purpose in life. Create special moments when you listen without judgement to your teens’ highest hopes and dreams. Save your comments or guidance about those dreams for another time. Use our 40 Integrated Self attributes to make certain that your teens have a foundation of mental health.”

Elaine J. Brzycki, Ed.M., and Henry G. Brzycki, Ph.D., have generated a body of work to impact the human condition and make the world a better place. Exploring their life purpose for 40 years, they have helped people create happy, healthy and flourishing lives. They have authored three best-selling books, numerous articles, and personal and professional development workshops. Utilized in over 50 countries, their work has led to a new worldwide consciousness about the importance of self-knowledge and placing mental health and well-being at the center of a good and successful life.

Elaine J. Brzycki
The Brzycki Group & The Center for the Self in Schools
+1 814-753-2505
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CBS-WTAJ-TV Interview with Dr. Henry G. Brzycki and Elaine J. Brzycki