Malden Safe Space is a space created within Malden High for students to be able to be comfortable, regroup, and feel safe in a school setting.
Mr. Charles, the Brunelli House principal, stated that: “there was an influx of students struggling and eternally fighting within themselves, whether with eating disorders or just becoming burnt out.”
Although, the continuous search has led to the safe space itself and the people that work there. The three ladies that run the safe space are enthusiastic and proud to work with the students at Malden High, one being Jillian Correira. Correira is an LCSW (Licensed Certified Social Worker) and has a master’s in social work. She provides mental health and substance use counseling for the students at Malden High School.
She continued, “We’ve had a lot of students self-refer for the service. So that sort of indicates to me that students are really interested in either wanting therapy, wanting to talk about mental health, or wanting to talk about their substance use.”
Correira believes that the safe space is an impactful and necessary and significant place and has seen impacts on a larger and individual level.
She has been working alongside her other two colleagues, Ashley and Olivia Godfrey, to help further showcase a course they want to facilitate on substance use and psycho-educational support called iDECIDE. This course being presented is in response to student substance use infractions in school or at school events.
Malden Safe Space also offers two additional programs. Project AMP is one of the programs, allowing students to meet with a mentor to discuss resources related to career, education, hobbies, and overall wellness. The second program is A-CRA therapy, a therapeutic service offering clinical support to students suffering from substance use and mental health challenges.
The safe space as a whole is a place where students can take a break, relax and recharge. They offer free snacks, a charging station, comfortable seating, art supplies, and more. Malden Safe Space is located in BR475 and is open Monday-Friday from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm. For more information, follow their Instagram at @maldensafe.
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