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Sources of Strength Building Emotional Intelligence and Resilience in Teens
SOURCES OF STRENGTH:
BY KATHERINE FAY AND DANA BAUER, SOURCES OF STRENGTH FACULTY LEADERS
In response to the growing global mental health crisis for adolescents, Regis Jesuit has made it a priority to enhance its staffing, programs and resources focused on improving mental health and resiliency in its students. As part of the Inspire & Ignite 2025 Strategic Plan initiatives, Regis Jesuit more than doubled its capacity to provide social/emotional therapy for students by increasing from one part-time to two full-time therapists. In addition, after several years of research and a desire to bring a holistic approach to mental health support for students, Assistant Principal for Student Support Dana Bauer and School Therapist Celeste Siade led the way to adopt the nationally recognized Sources of Strength (SOS) program aimed at building student emotional intelligence and resilience. Using an active learning model incorporating art, storytelling, small group sharing and games, Sources of Strength explores the eight protective factors, depicted in the wheel of strength, to develop resilient individuals and communities.
First developed in North Dakota in 1998, Sources of Strength slowly gained national recognition after it was awarded the American Association of Public Health’s (AAPH) Public Heath Practice Award in 2005. Following years of continued research and successful trials indicating that adult-supported peer leaders could have significant impact on the mental health of teens, the program was listed on the National Best Practices Registry by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) in 2009. In 2011, Sources of Strength was listed on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices, the gold standard of prevention programs in the United States.
Under the guidance of Bauer and Siade, more than 65 students and nearly 20 faculty and staff members were trained as SOS leaders in the fall of 2021. Their unified mission: to increase help-seeking behaviors and promote connections between peers and caring adults, ultimately preventing suicide, bullying and substance abuse. The group now has more than 93 members, and they look forward to welcoming new freshmen in the fall of 2022.
As a student-leader, Katherine Leaffer ’22 recognized that peer support was needed at the school and wanted in on the project. “Mental health is a problem, and I hate that it’s so stigmatized,” she said. “During my sophomore year, the pandemic hit, which made things worse all across the country. It really tore my heart apart, because, even before, a lot of kids didn’t feel like they could share their problems.”
Together, Bauer and Leaffer organized a student advisory committee and created an open forum for students to share their stories with the administration. At the first meeting, students spoke openly about what services they need, what the school is doing well and what gaps exist. After reviewing a list of the many services and programs the school could add, Leaffer’s family— and Katherine herself—provided seed funding to ensure that Regis Jesuit’s one part-time school therapist could expand her hours to full-time. The school also hired a second fulltime therapist, and was awarded a grant by the University of Colorado to implement Botvin LifeSkills Training for incoming high school students to help them build skills to navigate the challenges they face.
The Sources of Strength team has partnered with other clubs on five different campaigns throughout the year and held more than 20 meetings during the 2021-22 school year. A few of the schoolwide activities they supported this year were the “Get the Word Out”, “I Am Thankful For” and “What Helps Me” campaigns, as well as teaming up to support Mission Week and Wish Week alongside the Servant Leadership class.
Photo by Katherine McManus ‘23, Peer Leader
To initiate the program, the school held an inaugural “Get the Word Out” campaign introducing the well-known colorcoded Strength Wheel. Each day, a different strength and associated activity was promoted, and students were encouraged to identify the strength that they most identify with, as indicated by a color pie piece. Additionally, during the weeklong campaign, daily prayer and the Examen were written and read aloud by Sources of Strength student leaders and focused on the strength of the day. As a reflection of the kickoff campaign, one student leader shared, “I think that doing the Examen and being featured on RJTV really helped our ‘Get the Word Out’ campaign succeed.” On the last day of the campaign, students were given a Raider Day and were asked to wear the color best representing the part of the Strength Wheel they felt most connected to. Students embraced this challenge.
Going forward, the program plans to partner once again with the Servant Leadership class as well as seek other opportunities to spread their message such as during Homecoming, athletics and through Performing Arts programming. Leaders also hope to create Sources of Strength swag for students to wear on special Raider Days to continue to publicize their messaging. Continual reminders of the Sources of Strength are important and impactful. At the conclusion of one of the campaigns, one student leader said “Getting to share with the school that there is a resource for them that can help is the best part of Sources of Strength.”
Siade, one of the two full-time school therapists at the school, is excited to have been a part of this charge, bringing the U.S.’s first-ever student-led mental health program to Regis Jesuit. “Giving them skills to be resilient, to overcome these obstacles, meet their challenges and know they have a community that supports them is important,” she said, “I think this program can help educate everyone about the strengths we have in our lives and these eight areas of our life that are important to maintain good mental health.”
Reflecting on the reason it was important to institute this program, Bauer shared, “Students cannot be fully successful in academics if their mental health is not the number-one priority. We are a unique environment, where cura personalis—the care and concern of the whole person— permeates everything we do. Katherine [Leaffer] has helped us see how important it is to hear from the students exactly what it is they need and how they want to proceed at Regis Jesuit.” The Sources of Strength team will continue to educate the community on understanding what Sources of Strength is, how it can be incorporated into their daily lives and how to use the program to support one another. This tool will be invaluable in bringing the strengths of our community together, destigmatize mental health issues and permeate a sense of love, hope and support.
Participating in a photo booth activity, students were asked to grab a piece of the pie wheel and pose with it to demonstrate their source of strength. Photo by Lenny Osuna ‘24
