Additional Resources to Help Children Manage Distress

We provided a number of resources in our original blog posting on Helping Children Manage Distress.  Unfortunately, current events have us revisiting this topic yet again.  It's important to remember that educators can reinforce students’ sense of security by making classrooms predictable and welcoming, enabling students to process their reactions to events, providing access to mental health supports as needed, and connecting families with other available resources, when needed.  Additional resources that may be helpful for families and teachers include the following:

Talking to Children about Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers  This resource from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) can also be downloaded in a variety of languages.

Helping Children Cope with Terrorism: Tips for Families and Educators  This NASP resource can also be downloaded in multiple languages.

Most children and youth are resilient and will cope well with the support and caring of their families, teachers, friends, and other caring adults. However, some students may be at risk for more intense reactions. Ongoing proactive measures can help children develop the skills they need to cope effectively with incidents like the the recent mass shooting, including:

Building Resiliency: Helping Children Learn to Weather Tough Times

Supporting Children's Mental Health: Tips for Parents and Educators

As always, your Student Services colleagues are here to provide additional support when needed.  Please let us know how we can help.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

September is National Suicide Prevention Month

Image
This month, we want to take time to remember those who have lost their lives to suicide, those who have struggled with suicidal ideation, and acknowledge all of those who have been impacted.  Why is this work important? According to the CDC, in 2021, there were 48,183 deaths by suicide in the United States, which is equivalent to 1 death every 11 minutes. 1.7 million adults attempted suicide. In 2021, the suicide rate among males was approximately four times higher than the rate among females. Males make up 50% of the population but nearly 80% of suicides. In North Carolina, suicide is the second leading cause of death in ages 10-18. There was a 94% increase in youth suicide from 2011-2020.  Suicide can be prevented by recognizing signs, learning how to help, and taking steps to help those in need. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Student Services Department has a district protocol to respond to and manage suicide risk.   Firearms are the most common method used, at more than 50%,
Read more

Random Acts of Kindness Week is February 11-17, 2024

Image
  Although Random Acts of Kindness week will be celebrated next week, the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has provided a calendar for the 2023-2024 school year; that's 365 ideas of ways to spread kindness. They also provide a variety of resources for spreading kindness at school, at home, and at work, including a 2024 calendar for adults to spread kindness at work throughout the year.  Additionally, the Social Emotional Learning and Restorative Practices department has compiled a Random Acts of Kindness resource folder that includes lesson plans, kindness activities, announcements, book lists, and more.  Join the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation in their effort to make kindness the norm, not just next week, but all year long! 
Read more

Teen Week - Planning for Your Future

Last week, we posted a blog on fun activities for students during this time of quarantine.  As we looked over the list, we noticed that it was mostly focused on elementary and middle school students. Our high school students are also struggling to find ways to fill their time and remain socially connected to their peers.  For seniors, this time has been particularly difficult because they are missing out on many of the events they have looked forward to since kindergarten! To support our teenage students, our blog will be devoting an entire week to them!  Each day, we will have a list of activities to keep them engaged, active, and entertained. Today we are sharing ways they can begin preparing for college and planning for their future. Let us know if you think of more!  Show us your activities by tweeting to us @schoolpsychws. Use #wspsychs and #wsfcslearnon.  We would love to add your ideas to this list! College Prep Is your teen planning to take the SAT next year? Now is a great
Read more