As Houston educators, counselors and researchers gathered recently to discuss the mental health challenges facing young people, one phrase lingered long after the statistics and presentations ended: "See me."
By: Nathaniel J. Greene, Community & Culture Reporter
As Houston educators, counselors and researchers gathered recently to discuss the mental health challenges facing young people, one phrase lingered long after the statistics and presentations ended.
“See me.”
Sarah Howell, a therapist who works extensively with immigrant youth and trauma survivors, said those words reflect what many young people are trying to communicate as they navigate anxiety, isolation, family pressures and a rapidly changing social landscape. Beneath the statistics and clinical terminology lies a more fundamental desire: to be recognized, heard and understood by the adults in their lives.
That message surfaced repeatedly during a Houston Community Media briefing focused on the mental health concerns of teens and young adults. While researchers presented data and educators discussed resources, a common theme emerged: many young people are carrying burdens that are not always visible to the people around them.
The numbers help explain the urgency. Nearly 42% of Houston ISD students surveyed reported feeling so sad or hopeless that they stopped participating in their normal activities. Fourteen percent reported attempting suicide, while roughly one in five said they had missed school because they felt unsafe.
Those statistics formed the backdrop of a discussion that explored not only what young people are experiencing, but why so many are struggling to feel connected in an era defined by constant information, social pressures and uncertainty.
Katharine Harris, a fellow in drug policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, said the data points to a growing concern that extends beyond individual students or schools.
“We have an increase in students who report having considered suicide, having made a plan for it or having attempted it,” Harris said.
The survey also found that approximately 16% of students reported being bullied on campus and 14% reported being bullied online. Female students, Black and Latino students, and students identifying as LGBTQ+ reported higher rates of several mental health challenges.
For Harris, the troubling statistics become even more concerning when viewed alongside gaps in available resources and support systems.
“One of the reasons that I would call it a crisis is because not only do we have this problem, but we don’t have people really, at a large scale level, working on solutions,” she said.
Yet amid the sobering data, speakers repeatedly pointed to reasons for hope.
Najah Callander, Houston ISD’s deputy chief of family and community partnerships, described a generation that is increasingly willing to speak openly about mental health and advocate for support.
“What we are realizing and what we know is that our students are reaching out and they’re flagging that they need the mental health support,” Callander said.
That willingness to ask for help is helping shape the district’s response. Through Houston ISD’s Sunrise Centers, students and families can access counseling, healthcare, food assistance and other support services. Last year alone, the centers provided more than 2,700 hours of mental health services.
For Callander, today’s students often demonstrate a level of self-awareness that many adults lacked at the same age.
“To be able to raise your hand and say, ‘I need something I’m not getting,’ gives me a lot of hope,” she said.
Howell believes that hope is rooted in something much less complicated than many people assume.
Asked what helps young people most, her answer was immediate.
“Relationship is my answer,” she said.
The challenges facing young people may be modern, but Howell argued that one of the most effective responses remains timeless: consistent human connection.
“Being able to see people every day, not for therapy every day, but to have contact, to be a consistent presence, makes a difference,” Howell said.
The discussion offered no easy solutions to what many experts describe as a growing youth mental health crisis. What emerged instead was a reminder that behind every statistic is a young person trying to make sense of the world around them.
Many are asking for counseling. Some are asking for support. Others are searching for safety, belonging or understanding.
And, as Howell’s two-word observation suggests, many are simply asking to be seen.
