Shelia Leverette, MS, is working to teach everyone about mental wellness
Leverette, a proud LaFayette resident, is a certified mental health coach and the mental health services coordinator for the Chambers County School District. Through her work she has seen the need to educate adults and kids about the importance of mental health and how it isn’t a bad thing. She says people associate mental health with mental illness when mental health is a broad umbrella term that also includes mental wellness, which involves emotional awareness and developing healthy habits to navigate tough emotions.
Leverette recently published a children’s book, “Everybody Has Mental Health,” to teach kids about how to navigate the big emotions and practice mental wellness early. She compiled her knowledge about mental health and things she’s observed into a child-friendly picture book, with illustrations made on Canva
“I want kids to know what the difference is [between mental wellness and mental illness], and that it’s okay to have feelings. It’s okay to talk to people about feelings, and we all need somebody to talk to. And I want them to feel comfortable going to people talking about their feelings,” Leverette said
The book is currently available on Amazon (bit.ly/4xhsEAl), and Leverette wants to get the book out anywhere kids could have access so they know what’s going on and how to deal with their mental health
Proceeds from “Everybody Has Mental Health” supports Leverette’s mental wellness initiative, The Abeze Project. Its message, “What’s Your Mind Grind,” encourages people to recognize what is weighing on their minds and have the comfortability and know-hows to navigate it healthily. Abeze is also built on the framework of Awareness, Balance, Empower, Zeal and Encouragement. The framework helps people have emotional awareness, balance, feelings of empowerment to make health choices, a renewed zeal for life, and ways to encourage themselves and others. Through the framework, Leverette wants to help guide people through their emotions and mental health, letting them know it’s important to care for their mind. She notes she doesn’t diagnose people, but she does provide education, encouragement, resources, coaching and outreach to help make mental wellness easier to understand and help people be more comfortable with talking about their mental health.
Leverette says she wants to erase the stigma surrounding mental health
“People think that [mental health] is a bad thing, but it’s really not a bad thing. Everyone has mental health just like everyone has physical health. We go to the doctor about our physical health for everything else and seek help for that. Why not try to seek help for our mental health?” Leverette asked
Leverette wants to promote everyday mental wellness for all ages. She says she is working to get The Abeze Project out more since she believes it truly can help other people deal with their emotions
“It’s just basically to help encourage people, teach people about and bring awareness to mental health, and also give them the tools and the necessary equipment and things that they need to help guide them through the day,” Leverette said. “Mental health helps people to deal with stress, emotions, and just the things that we go through every day. Like everybody goes through things every day. Mental health just helps us to deal with it better, to cope with it better, and that’s really what I want The Abeze Project to do, to create something to help people cope with their everyday challenges.”
