THE 8 “CERTIFIED BESTIES” SUPPORTING THEIR FRIEND’S MENTAL HEALTH

What does it mean to be a Certified Bestie?

Well, only these young mental health advocates can tell you! DoSomething launched Certified Bestie in June 2023, and we saw over 20,000 young people sign up to learn how they can support their friend’s mental health and get certified while doing it. Through courses at the Wellness Education Lab, members discovered how they could use mental health skills to approach friends going through mental health challenges.

Think of it as mental health first aid. A way to grow your mental health resilience and the steps you can take to show up for friends when they are experiencing anxiety, stress, or other mental health challenges. While only 46% of young people say they are comfortable talking to their friends about their mental health and less than one in five do so regularly, these members have taken the first step to end the stigma around mental health conversations.

• Let’s meet these newly certified mental health supporters who are ready to end that stigma!

2) SAVANAHH M., 18

“With the research that I have learned, I now have a better understanding on how I can help myself, friends and family members through tough times. I want to be able to use what I have learned about anxiety and depression to help my Hispanic community understand that mental health is important.

3) SABRINA R., 15

“I personally struggle with anxiety. I compete very often in speech and debate tournaments and find myself experiencing nausea, grinding my teeth, and tugging my hair. No matter how many times I compete, these feelings never go away.

4) MAYA A., 18

“Recently, I have struggled with extreme anxiety over school, friendships, and my personal safety. This has caused me numerous anxiety attacks and has made me stay home from many social activities. This is why I chose to take the Rethinking Anxiety training. After completion, I feel very supported and confident in handling my anxiety.

5) MARS B., 18

“During my journey with mental health, I struggled severely because I was too scared to ask for help and resorted to accepting that my current state was exactly how I would feel forever. I eventually gathered the courage to seek help from friends and mental health professionals and got the care I needed.

6) KYLE G., 18

“My 11th grade year was a very rough and stressful year where it felt like nothing was going right and I was drowning in my own responsibilities. I felt helpless. I didn't know who to go to or how to get help which only deepened my struggling.

7) NOAH M., 16

“The advice that left the most considerable impression was how important values are to mental health. Before taking the courses, I did not believe knowing values made a difference in mental health, but now I understand that my stance was definitely wrong. I realized there is immense significance in values relating to mental well-being.

8) JIANN K., 16

“…While taking Rethinking Anxiety and Mental Health Foundations, I now know that it’s not embarrassing to reach out to those I trust and how I can become someone that my friends and family trust. I used to think that I was alone in my struggles but because of the videos of other kids my age going through the same thing, I became aware of the unspoken struggles that us teens face.