Malden SAFE is the epitome of a safe space at Malden High School where a student who needs assistance—whether for stress, substance usage, or general mental health— can sit down with one of the advisors to talk about what is going on.
More specifically, it is “an office within Malden High School dedicated to student mental health,” detailed Angela Mastandrea, a Project Amp mentor working at Malden SAFE.
In providing a safe space for students, “we offer snacks and a quiet place to decompress between classes or during your study period,” said Mastandrea. There are even “mindfulness activities, games, art supplies and fidgets available for student use.”
For clients—“the students who are enrolled in either our therapy, mentorship, or substance use programs—we also have the ability to take clients to Dunkin’ as part of our services!” she exclaimed. “So Malden SAFE is a great place to go if you are interested in getting therapy, or if you’re not quite sure about therapy, but you’d like to talk to someone one on one.”
Mastandrea, alongside Chris Sabatuk, an A-CRA (Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach) certified therapist, have contributed significantly to the Malden SAFE program.
Malden SAFE consists of various programs such as iDECIDE, ACRA Therapy, and AMP mentoring, which are all designed to assist students in mental health recovery.
“‘iDECIDE’ is a drug education curriculum program for students; it’s an alternative for the school just to lower the suspension rate of students and give them an alternative as opposed to a suspension,” Sabatuk explained.
Malden SAFE has had many impacts on the community—and not just at the high school as they hope to expand their branches to reach other ends of the community with open arms.
“We work in a bigger scope, with the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services and DPH [Department of Public Health], so there are other high schools that offer the very same services that we do,” Sabutuk commented.
“We are really trying to get our name out there,” said Mastandrea. “So far, we’ve met with other Malden High School staff and the Student Ambassador’s Club to clarify our roles, and what we offer, and to answer questions. We’ve also put up flyers around the school as well as maintained a social media presence. You can find us on Instagram @maldensafe. In addition to all of that, we also hold raffles and table events outside the cafeteria.”
They have also hosted past events like a backpack giveaway and a “Build Your Own Coping Kit” event. In doing these activities, Mastandrea expressed that Malden SAFE hopes to “bridge that gap of being another adult in the room that is there to stand up for the student.”
Malden SAFE has been a program for four years; it has had a genuine, and positive impact on the students and faculty of Malden High School. In regards to milestones and achievements in the program, impressive is an understatement.
“I feel most proud when I get to witness students making progress on their goals! Some student goals have included getting their grades up, getting a job, improving their relationship with a parent, improving their mental health, getting over a breakup, getting along with a sibling, cutting down on vaping, building confidence, having healthier communication, improving in their sport and many more. I work together with students to break these goals down into tangible steps, identify resources and barriers, and track progress,” Mastandrea claimed.
“I’ve been here for eight months, so I’m relatively new. But we’ve been going strong for four years. Angela’s been with us for one year. My supervisor has been on this project for about four years, so she’s very familiar with this program. She worked closely with our previous mentors and was also a therapist in this program as well,” Sabatuk described.
If a student is feeling overwhelmed academically or emotionally, Malden SAFE is available as a safe space. It is located on the Brunelli floor, BR475, where students should not feel shy to swing by.
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