Maybe that's why they are called Camp Counselors?
Anyone who works with children and adolescents must be attune to their emotional needs. This is especially true for overnight camps. At many camps there are staff members devoted to the mental health of their population.
Back in the 19’s (as my kids like to call it) that wasn’t the case. Do kids have more mental health problems today than they did 25-50 years ago or are they just not swept under the carpet?
I cannot answer that question. What I can tell you is I remember the first person who “saw” me was a camp counselor at a Jewish overnight camp. In two weeks, she picked up on two problematic behaviors: frequent stomach aches requiring the attention of the nurse and self deprecation as humor.
One Shabbat we took a walk, and she asked me,
“Why do you only make jokes about yourself?”
“Why do you always hold your stomach?”
“Why did you tear up that letter from home?”
She taught me the phrase “low self-esteem” and explained that I had an inaccurate picture of myself. Knowing that my family had drawn the picture, I could see she was unsure of what to do next.
After her next day off, Taryn brought me a journal to write in. “I want you to write five positive thoughts about yourself every day,” she said. “Then you can see yourself as everyone else sees you.”
I honestly don’t remember what happened next - if I wrote in the journal or not. As an adult, I can recognize that while Taryn was well meaning, perhaps she was a bit out of bounds. Today, we’d tell Taryn to bring her concerns about me to someone with more qualifications. I would say the same.
But that doesn’t change my experience: Taryn in identifying that the way I felt about myself was not normal and that the way my family spoke about me was inappropriate, and as I’ve come to understand, abusive, was empowering. She couldn’t take away my pain, but she started my journey of change that began as a little girl and continues every day of my life.
So thank you to all of the camp counselors, social workers, unit heads, assistants, all of you who help kids, “see them,” and do so much. You are the unsung heroes of summer and we appreciate you.
-anonymous is a writer and teacher who has struggled with anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia since the 19’s.