Understanding the Adolescent Mind

On Tuesday, September 15, during National Suicide Prevention Week, Marlborough’s Active Minds Club organized a meaningful All-School Meeting (ASM) on adolescent mental health and wellbeing. The ASM welcomed two women who could uniquely relate to the Marlborough experience and whose professional experience makes them experts on the topic: Dr. Neha Agrawal ’07, a clinical psychologist, and Dr. Dolly Klock ’88, a family medicine physician. 

Dr. Agrawal and Dr. Klock joined student moderators Jiya M. ’27, Gia C. ’29, and Natalie K. ’29 for a candid conversation on mental health, the adolescent brain, healthy coping strategies, and how students can support themselves and one another.

Natalie opened the ASM by grounding the conversation in something universal: “Every single person has mental health, no matter how different, and seeing the progress that has been made both inside and outside of the Marlborough community can motivate us to keep prioritizing the wellbeing of ourselves, and others.” The students also highlighted the resources readily available at Marlborough today, from school psychologists to peer support groups and wellbeing representatives in each grade.

Dr. Klock reflected on the positive advances in the School’s mental health support since her time as a student at Marlborough in the 1980s: “We did not have our own school psychologist, we did not have this amazing team like you have. We certainly didn't have wellness representatives and PALs (Peers Are Listening), nobody. We never would have had an assembly just to talk about mental health.”

The student moderators then turned to one of the most practical questions students face. Jiya asked, “When we notice a friend who may be going through a tough period, how can we as students be a supportive caring presence while still maintaining healthy boundaries for our own mental wellbeing and the fact that we are not professionals in the field of psychology?”

After Dr. Klock and Dr. Agrawal described the development of the adolescent brain to help students understand why they may be experiencing things a certain way, Dr. Agrawal elaborated on how students can support one another: “There is a very specific way that a therapist can hold what you're going through because they're not involved in the rhythms of your life,” she explained. “When you are involved in the rhythms of each other's lives, it is so important to be able to recognize that you are part of that person's life. You are not responsible for it. You can feel sad and worried and concerned for your friend, but you do not hold all the answers for them.” 

She added that one of the most powerful things a student can do is simply acknowledge their concern to their friend and offer to think things through together. And to remember that professionals are always there to help as well. 

The ASM left students equipped with tools to navigate supporting one another and a community ready to talk openly about mental health. To conclude, Natalie shared, “Thank you so much to both of you for speaking with us today. I think we as the Marlborough community have learned so much about our own brain and our own mental health today.”

By blending concrete neuroscience with compassionate insight, Dr. Agrawal and Dr. Klock made the science personal and grounded their expert insights in shared experience. The conversation served to help destigmatize seeking help and gave students a clearer lens on their own developing minds and emotions.