'Hope Squad' students assist their peers dealing with mental health issues

Sometimes the best thing a young person can do when they’re struggling is to confide in a peer.

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It’s part of what makes Hope Squad at Fallsburg Junior Senior High School work. Hope Squad consists of students who can help their peers dealing with mental health issues.

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Seventh grader Ava Berrios says she knows how hard it can be.

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“I was bullied for a couple of years and it really set back my mental health a lot," she said. "I was very depressed. I still have really bad anxiety from, being in really public spaces. And I'm trying to get over that now.”

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Students in Hope Squad have helpful conversations with their peers and if needed, bring what’s talked about to a counselor or teacher. They also helped set up an assembly to hear from law enforcement’s perspective on mental health.

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“Students don't understand, I think, that we as law enforcement, we're there for everybody else," said New York State Police school and community outreach coordinator Elizabeth Roser. "But law enforcement also sees a lot of the bad days.”

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Roser was among those who spoke, as a mix of state, local and school police talked about how they approach mental health and illness in their jobs. They also spoke about how they work with people in mental health crises and how they process some of the difficult things they see.

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“[The students] were given a lot of information and insight from a lot of different areas," Roser said. "I think the most important thing that they take away is talking to someone if they have something going on.”

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Organizers say the goal is that assemblies like this will get young people to open up through Hope Squad.

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That’s why Berrios says she joined.

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“I know what it feels like to be in those type of situations where you think you're on your own and have no way to talk to," she said. "And that's why I want to be able to be there and help other people out.”

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Originally published at https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/hudson-valley/news/2026/02/10/hope-squad-students-mental-health