Manhattan Day School implements mental new health program

UPPER WEST SIDE - Inside this 7th-grade classroom, students are having an open discussion about mental health.

"I also think there’s a difference between having anxiety and being anxious. Because when you’re anxious you can just be anxious about one thing," one student says in her group.

They’re sitting in groups discussing ‘Real Abilities, the Mental Health Addition’. It’s a new mental health literacy curriculum, teaching kids about different disorders through five different comics.

Each comic focuses on a different topic with questions and hands-on activities, like mindfulness exercises students can implement in their everyday lives.

Developmental Psychologist, Doctor Nava Silton created the research-based curriculum.

She says she hopes the book helps eliminate the stigma of talking about mental health in schools and gives kids the tools needed to manage their own struggles.

Implementing the curriculum here is just one part of their larger philosophy of prioritizing students’ mental well-being.

Head of School, Dr. Pesha Kletenik says, "Research has shown that from an early age through adolescence, kids need direct instruction in social-emotional behavioral areas, not something you can expect students to do."

The comics are relatable and engaging.

One 12-year-old student tells Fox5, "It talks a lot about these struggles that people deal with and its very entertaining and educational."

The curriculum creates an open dialogue surrounding not only mental health but how to cope with just being a teenager.

Manhattan Day School on Manhattan’s Upper West Side is the first school to fully implement the curriculum, but the goal is to have the comic book in schools across the tri-state area.