Welcome Hunt Middle’s New SAP, Marissa Stokes!

              Marissa smiles lakeside with their dog. 

BPHC works closely with many staff in the Burlington School District on a variety of initiatives to support substance misuse prevention and health and wellness in our district. The Student Assistance Program (SAP) Counselors at the middle schools and high school are some of our strongest collaborators in this work. Mariah was excited to sit down with Hunt's new SAP, Marissa Stokes, to learn more about her and her plans for the role.

Mariah: Tell me about yourself and what brought you to this position at Hunt Middle School. 

Marissa: My background is in school counseling. I worked previously at the high school level, then last academic year I took a job at Hunt as the 6th grade school counselor. That was my first experience working at the middle school level, and I really enjoyed the students and the amazing faculty and administration at this school. The SAP position became available and I was motivated to support a program to reach all students. This position helps provide individual support for students as well as coordinate whole school prevention and wellness activities. I liked that it combines the counseling elements that I enjoy, and provides an opportunity to support programming that I feel is really needed at our school. 

Mariah: Can you share what the SAP role does at Hunt Middle School? 

Marissa: The SAP role at Hunt was vacant the majority of last year, so this year I’ve been able to build it from the ground up and spend time to design a program that will meet the needs of the students and community. Because I worked at Hunt last year, I had an existing caseload of students already and had built great relationships with staff and administrators, so the individual counseling work has been pretty organic. I am also working on planning schoolwide and smaller group prevention and leadership opportunities for students. 

Mariah: Tell me more about the school-based prevention and leadership activities. What are you working on right now? 

Marissa: I’m the advisor for Hunt’s afterschool prevention group, BE ABove, and we had our first meeting last week. It seemed like students had been craving a space to work on activities to support health and wellness for themselves and their peers. We are putting together activities to support bullying prevention for the next month and I’m also organizing an opportunity for some students to attend a statewide VT youth leadership conference at the end of October on nicotine and vaping prevention. The goal is that they will learn skills and ideas that they can bring back to Hunt and our community to help with reducing youth nicotine use for their peers. 

Mariah: What do you like about working with middle schoolers? 

Marissa: I really surprised myself with how much I love working with middle schoolers. It is such a pivotal age and there is so much happening developmentally, so it’s always exciting. I love how my students are still so open to receiving support from adults. I love how diverse and open minded they are. I’ve been impressed by the acceptance and awareness of this generation. 

Mariah: What are some of the main issues you see middle schoolers navigating today? What substance use issues are you seeing the most often at Hunt? 

Marissa: The most prevalent concerns center around school and friendship stress. Online rumors and bullying have been an ongoing issue, but we have seen a slight improvement with the new policy banning cell phones at school. I think most students are honestly relieved to have 7 cell phone-free hours, they can contribute to a lot of stress and anxiety! 

Many students have expressed concerns about family or friend substance use. The issue that seems to continue to be the most prevalent for our students is using vape or nicotine products. We have students who are vaping, either nicotine or cannabis or both, and the portability of vape products makes it harder to identify if kids are using so that I can offer them support. 

Mariah: In your role how do you support youth with those issues you shared? 

Marissa: An SAP’s role is to provide support, education, and help get students connected to additional treatment if that is what they need. I am a safe space for students to talk about what is going on without judgment. Sometimes kids connect differently at school than they do at home. I provide a confidential space to process all the big feelings that can come with adolescence. I really believe that addiction stems from isolation, insecurity and lack of healthy attachments to others. Johan Hari said, “the opposite of addiction is connection.” Being involved, feeling good about yourself and having goals and hope for your future are powerful deterrents to substance use. Who you surround yourself with also has so much influence on the choices you make, so a lot of my work with students focuses on helping them build positive friendships and healthy relationships. 

Mariah: What do you want caregivers to know about your role and the services you provide? 

Marissa: I want people to know that my role is not just around helping students with current substance use issues, but also about helping to alleviate the conditions that lead to substance misuse in the future. Kids who feel good about themselves and hopeful about their future, who have strong values and self-worth, are much less likely to engage in substance use. Parents, it is never too early to start having conversations about substance use, health, and wellbeing with your kids. I’m a resource for parents too. I welcome caregivers to call me for info or with questions and I can in some instances help provide a safe space to have difficult conversations. My door is always open!