Psyched About School

By Eva M. Bishop, M.Ed., School Counselor  I often find that my personal life acts as a “mirror” of sorts when working with students and families as a School Counselor.  My family is made up of three boys that represent a wide range of ages, personality types, talents, weaknesses and so on.  During the pandemic known as COVID-19 it has been both inspiring, and at times, exasperating, to watch the affect that our “new normal” has had on each of them.  The oldest, my introvert, happily just finished his Senior year in college at home, in the comfort of his bedroom; the middle guy, a junior in high school, whom I would categorize as a “social-loner,” has done well on his own for long stretches and then suddenly, desperately, craves companionship; then, we have the youngest, our truest of true, middle school aged, extrovert.  He recently made the statement, while in total meltdown mode, “I wish I was back at school, wishing I wasn’t at school!!”  You won’t ...

By Hollie Gomez, MSW, LCSW, School Social Worker Mental Health is a term those of us in the profession are used to throwing around. Mental Health is the foundation for what we are trying to achieve with the work that we do. For others, the term “Mental Health” may seem unfamiliar or a bit too technical and cold to describe or categorize ourselves. Your loved ones may not call on the phone and ask “how was your mental health today?”. Nonetheless, that is the critical question right now, amidst the COVID-19 Global Pandemic we are all facing. Mental Health refers to our cognitive, behavioral, and emotional well-being. How we think and feel in response to stress impacts how we cope, or act. We can cope well or not so well. We can fluctuate on a continuum of healthy to not-so-healthy to downright bad coping. As humans, we all experience problems and we are all on a journey of learning how to cope well as consistently as possible, despite our circumstances and differences. Struggles in ...

By Chrissy Sergiacomi, School Counselor  Today’s guest blogger is the school counselor at Sherwood Forest Elementary School, Chrissy Sergiacomi. As we continue to focus on social-emotional learning, Chrissy shares information on why it is so important for kids to learn these skills and several practical activities that parents/guardians can use to teach these skills at home.  I have always told my young children that I believe the most important thing in life is to be kind.   Maybe that philosophy is why I became a school counselor.  I had a student once introduce me to a new classmate as “This is the lady who teaches us how to be good people.”  I think it’s the best job description I’ve ever heard!  Because the truth is, we have to teach our kids to be good people.  Social-emotional life skills are critical, and their teaching needs to be intentional.  If we teach our kids Calculus, history, poetry. . .none of it is useful if they can’t...