Checking the Vibes of Students: A Pilot Study to Promote Emotional Wellness

Increasing youth mental health concerns require preventive, data-informed approaches that support students’ emotional well-being within school settings. Digital wellness platforms may provide efficient methods for school counselors to monitor student well-being and inform timely interventions. This pilot study examined the implementation, feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of Vibes, a digital emotional wellness platform, within an elementary school setting. The study explored: (a) patterns in students’ emotional well-being across the school year, (b) students’ perceptions and experiences using Vibes, and (c) the potential value of Vibes as a school-counselor-led tool for prevention and data-informed decision making. Because of the exploratory practitioner research design, no formal hypotheses were tested. In this practitioner research study, 52 fifth-grade students in a private pre-K–8 school completed daily emotional check-ins through the Vibes platform during the 2024–2025 school year. Quantitative data included emotional check-in data and an end-of-year student survey. Qualitative data included student open-ended responses and implementation feedback. Descriptive statistics and inductive thematic analysis were used to examine outcomes. Students generally reported positive emotional experiences, although emotional well-being declined across the school year and increased from beginning to end of the week. Three themes emerged: improved self-awareness and coping skills, help-seeking versus not receiving help, and varying levels of engagement with the platform. Students identified benefits related to emotional expression, support, and self-reflection; concerns included privacy and usability. Findings suggest that Vibes may serve as a feasible and useful component of comprehensive school counseling programs. Additional research is needed to examine effectiveness across settings and student populations.