Community Interview: Mrs. Gallegos, School Psychologist
Youth Voices is working with students from Mountain View High School to explore El Monte/South El Monte and the surrounding communities. The students have formed teams to explore and investigate their communities, map assets, collect and share stories, data and community input for their projects. All the while they are learning and expanding their knowledge of digital media and civic engagement. Follow their work on Instagram and Twitter by using the hashtag: #LoveisRespectEM. For this investigation, students from Arroyo High School are collaboration with students from Mountain View High School.
Our team Jasfersize, based at Mountain View High School, is working on raising awareness on the effects of Teen Dating Abuse (TDA). We find it important to raise awareness on the issue, because we want teens and adults to learn how TDA can affect teens and their community. We also want to help teens who are going through the abuse and let them know where they can go for help.
Mrs. Gallegos is the official school Psychologist at Mountain View High School. She's seen first hand the effects of Teen Dating Abuse on many students. On campus, Teen Dating Abuse can be physical, emotional, and in recent cases inflicted through social media. Many of Mrs.Gallegos students first speak to a counselor, teacher, or sometimes the police officer on campus for help. If you're a student at Mountain View High School and want to visit our school Psychologist know that it's totally confidential unless there is signs of abuse, then Mrs.Gallegos is required to legally report it. Mrs. Gallegos is a great resource for students because she talks and interacts with teens on campus who go to her for help on teen dating abuse.
Ms. Gallegos shared with us some reasons why teen dating abuse usually occurs. Jealousy and insecurities are big causes. Some people in relationships tend to get jealous when their partner interacts with someone else, since they don't know how to handle the situation they may hurt their partner. Ms.Gallegos states that," I see more jealousy in the cases we have here at school because the boyfriends or girlfriends get jealous and don't want others around them." The abuse is not always physical, it can also be emotional and through social media as well. "As soon as you guys see something wrong in your relationship you need to seek help," said Ms.Gallegos. No matter how severe or small the problem is in your relationship you must act fast.
Ms. Gallegos opened our eyes to how important this issue is and how it affects students around us. She works here in El Monte and is one of the many people that students can go to for help, other than counselors or teachers.