How it Works

In order to avoid isolating students, we recommend having a counselor accompany any screening of the film. The goal is to facilitate small group interactions, not to show it to a large assembly.

  • 1.

    Watch the Film

  • 2.

    Identify Strengths

  • 3.

    Open Discussion Among Peers

The Four

These individuals offer diverse backgrounds and personalities that students can relate to

Kole

A loving husband giving back to his community

Molly

An expressive and multi-talented music lover

Zadejah

A bubbly camp counselor who loves caring for children.

Kristen

A faithful volleyball player with a passion for medicine

Educational Topics

Risky Strengths
All brains are different. Excelling at one thing often comes at the expense of others. The four identify their risky strengths and why some things, such as determination, can cause distress.
Shock Media
Mental Health Awareness has become a buzzword today. The four discuss how they were tricked into identifying with media that offers only negativity - no positive role modeling.
Support Networks
Using the Sources of Strength method, we task viewers with identifying the interests they can fall back on and who they can talk to when they're in distress.
Honesty
The key to successfully implementing Tough Hope is encouraging students not only to be honest and vulnerable with their counselors, but also with their peers. Many students feel they have no other outlet to discuss their feelings.
Resilience
There's no way around it. Life is hard. We go beyond the discussion of how students can take care of themselves, showing them how to become stronger to prepare for when things go wrong.
Empathy
Depression can look very different in different people. Students who've watched the film have reported feeling that they can better understand their peers going forward.
Give them Tough Hope.
Discover how you can improve your students' mental wellbeing. We offer a variety of screening options and we are committed to increasing accessibility.
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