COMPASS Utilized the Evidence-Based Wise Interventions Framework

Wise Interventions, as defined by Gregory Walton, represent brief, psychoeducational approaches to addressing mental health symptoms of anxiety and depression in nonclinical settings. These interventions are precise, theory-based techniques designed to specifically target and alter psychological processes, enabling individuals to thrive across various life domains (Schleider et al., 2019).

Core Principles of Wise Interventions:

1. Adaptive Meaning-Making: Rather than encouraging students to simply "think positively," these interventions address the root of meaning-making. They teach students how to create meanings that empower them and affirm their authority, effectively addressing the underlying causes of their emotional experiences (Walton et al., 2018).
2. Self-Sustainable Change: These interventions address the negative nature of beliefs and behaviors. For instance, when students ascribe negative meanings to themselves, they tend to engage in behaviors that reinforce these beliefs. Wise Interventions aim to break these self-defeating cycles by helping students view themselves through a more positive lens, thereby fostering behaviors that support healthier, self-enhancing cycles.
3. Contextual Sensitivity: Wise Interventions acknowledge that individuals make meanings within complex systems. It considers the broader context of a student's life, including oppressive and inequitable structures. This recognition supports a recursive process of change that involves both individual and environmental transformation (Walton et al., 2018).

Practical Applications in the Classroom

Wise Interventions capitalize on the innate human needs to understand, maintain self-integrity, and belong. Through various psychoeducational and experiential learning activities, these interventions address these needs both personally and within a larger social context. Key strategies include:

• Direct Labeling: For example, calling someone "Earth-conscious" encourages them to engage in behaviors that support environmental care.
• Reflective Practices: Students are guided to reflect on positive aspects of themselves, helping to normalize emotions and increase self-empowerment.
• Promoting Connectedness: Activities are designed to enhance social bonds and the feeling of belonging to others.
• Empowering Actions: Encouraging a growth mindset, setting goals, and building confidence in one’s abilities.
• Interpreting Social Interactions: Teaching students to understand better and manage interpersonal conflicts and disappointments.
• Enhancing Motivation: Enhancing motivation for change and positive behaviors (Walton et al., 2018)

Why Choose Health Class for COMPASS?

Health education plays a crucial role in shaping how students understand and manage their well-being. Many health teachers across the United States create their lesson plans, often drawing from traditional and medical understandings of mental health. However, feedback from focus groups indicates that this approach may inadvertently perpetuate a pathologizing view of mental health issues. 

Today, where mental health challenges are intertwined with modern societal pressures, this medical model falls short of fostering meaningful change among our youth.

COMPASS offers a refreshing alternative. It addresses mental health holistically and contextualistically, clearly explaining the problems and practical solutions.

Understanding the Impact of Modern Social Contexts

Recent research has highlighted significant correlations between the rise in mental health symptoms among young people and three key social factors:

• Increased Screen Time: Excessive use of digital media has been linked to reduced face-to-face interactions, which can impact students’ sense of connectedness and social skills.
• The COVID-19 Pandemic: The isolation and uncertainty brought about by the pandemic have profoundly affected adolescents' emotional and psychological well-being.
• Discrimination: Experiences of discrimination can lead to feelings of alienation and distress, significantly impacting mental health.

These factors contribute to disruptions in four essential aspects of emotional wellness: connectedness, mattering, agency, and authority. COMPASS’s lesson plans are specifically designed to counteract these disruptions. By addressing these core needs, COMPASS helps students reclaim their sense of connectedness to others, their feeling of belonging in their communities, and their personal and collective agency and authority.