Reframing Mental Health as Mental Strength

In the world of youth development and camp, mental health has been at the forefront of our conversations in recent years—both for our campers and our staff. And for good reason. Young people today are navigating a world filled with challenges: political unrest, environmental crises, and growing hostility toward marginalized communities. Social media only amplifies these struggles, making them impossible to escape.

I’ve long championed the belief that camp offers a unique and powerful response to these challenges. After more than 30 years in teaching and youth development, I’ve watched the conversation around mental health evolve—often for the better. The increased awareness and openness are, in many ways, a positive shift. But I can’t shake the feeling that not all of it is helpful.

Recently, I came across a social media post that perfectly captured what's been on my mind. Here it is:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGF7q8Xu7mw/?igsh=MTVxc3NtdWl6eW9kNg%3D%3D

And here is the transcript of what RaQuel Hopkins, Capacity Expert explains:

"Maybe it's just me, but I thought that the goal was to create awareness, to, you know, normalize seeking help, to make therapy accessible, to remove the shame around mental health struggles. But somewhere along the way, destigmatizing mental health has taken on a life of his own. And now instead of people getting better, I just feel like people are getting worse.

We didn't just normalize therapy. We turned it into a personality trait. We didn't just encourage self-awareness. We turned every feeling into a diagnosis, and instead of using mental health language as a tool, we've started using it as a shield, justifying avoidance, self-sabotage, and emotional fragility in the name of protection.

Now, everything is a trigger. Everything is trauma. People say, I can't do this, it's bad for my mental health, when what they really mean is: This is hard and I don't want to deal with it. But since when did mental health become about avoiding life instead of learning how to handle it? (emphasis mine)

Good mental health isn't about comfort. It's about capacity. It's about having the emotional, the psychological, and the cognitive range to handle life as it comes, not just when it's easy, but especially when it's hard. Your mental health should be challenged, because if your mental health can't withstand stress, discomfort, or uncertainty, then you don't have mental strength. You have emotional dependence based on the right circumstances. But life does not care about your circumstances.

I'm serious y'all. Really ask yourself, has your mental health journey actually made you stronger, or has it made you retreat further into protecting yourself in the name of good mental health?"

What do the kids say? No crumbs? Exactly. This is a timely reminder for all of us in youth development (yes, that means you, camp people!) about what education—and by extension, raising young people—is really about. It brings to mind a guiding principle in social work: you start where the client is. But that principle doesn’t end there. It doesn’t say: and then you stay there. The goal of therapy, education, and youth development is to help young people build the skills they need to move forward, to grow, to step into their own capacity.

And that brings us right back to camp. Camp is, at its core, an educational environment, and these themes—support, resilience, growth—are everywhere, more than ever in recent years. The challenge is actually pretty simple, even if it's tricky to execute: How do we create spaces that are both safe and supportive, while also pushing young people to develop the skills they need to navigate life’s challenges? Most camps do this well, but it takes intentionality. It requires skilled, thoughtful adults—who, let’s be honest, are often grappling with these same struggles themselves. That’s why structure and environmental design are so important. When a camp is built to foster both care and challenge, staff and campers alike feel supported.

At camp, I CAN DO HARD THINGS isn’t just a phrase we tell our campers—it applies to our staff, too. So, how do we build a culture where both campers and staff can grow in this way?

Some ideas to consider:

• Normalize Discomfort as Part of Growth – Camp should be a space where young people (and staff!) understand that struggle isn’t a sign of failure, but part of learning. Teach staff the language to use for this, and use that language with your staff, yourself.
• Foster Independence with Safety Nets – Give campers and staff room to make decisions and problem-solve, while ensuring they have a strong support system to catch them if needed. Ensure both staff and campers can experience successes, early and often.
• Teach Emotional Regulation, Not Just Awareness – While it’s great that we’re more open about mental health, we also need to equip young people with real tools to manage their emotions, not just name them. Allow for discomfort and for things to not always feel great.
• Model, Model, Model – If we want campers to believe they can do hard things, we have to show them—through our own challenges, setbacks, and growth. That means we should do hard things too and openly fail, and when we do, talk about it, talk about how it felt, and - my favorite - apologize if we got it wrong.

The Camp Workplace: A Unique Opportunity

This same challenge extends beyond campers—it plays out in the camp workplace as well. Camps often have a disproportionately high number of young adults at the very start of their careers (which, let’s be honest, is part of what makes this work so amazing!). There's been plenty of discussion about Gen Z in the workforce, and I believe the same dynamics are at play here. Young staff need both support and stretch—they need workplaces that acknowledge their challenges while also giving them the tools and opportunities to grow. Camps, once again, are uniquely positioned to provide just that.

At its best, camp is a place where young people—and the young adults who guide them—learn not just to feel safe, but to be strong. It’s where we practice resilience in real time, navigating challenges with the support of a caring community. The work we do in youth development isn’t about removing obstacles; it’s about equipping young people with the confidence and skills to face them head-on. And that’s just as true for our staff as it is for our campers. If we want to raise a generation that is not only aware of their mental health but also capable in the face of adversity, we need to build environments that foster both care and challenge. That’s the real power of camp—and the responsibility we carry as camp professionals.