Open the Photos app on your phone. Look back to December 2019. Remember reminiscing at holiday parties with coworkers? Laughing with friends on the weekends? The past few months have negatively impacted my mental health (missing friends, students, restaurants, etc.), but let’s think about our students. It’s already so hard for them to communicate their feelings and needs, what about when we return for school this fall?
My colleagues and I fear our students will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Vindegaard and Benros (2020) share their studies of COVID-19 increasing symptoms for mental health disorders, up to 10%, with PTSD most commonly. Children showing symptoms for anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia, and paranoia closely follow, but don’t account for the students already trying to cope with these disorders. Nationally speaking, there has been a “decrease in psychological well-being” (p. 4) and we need to prepare to support our students with intentional strategies to communicate their needs and feelings while fostering social development.
If classes are online one week and quarantining the next, how do teachers and counselors support student relationships and communication? Mindfulness, self-regulation and communicating needs can help students cope with new or more severe mental health disorders (Kakunje et al., 2020). Thankfully, there are many online tools to help educators with this whether online or in the classroom.
FlipGrid and Microsoft Teams are two platforms we currently use, but, solely for academic engagement. These tools can, additionally, enhance communication and social development whether online, in person, or both. Colleagues across the country already see successful engagement with FlipGrid and Teams. But, by adding intentional social development (focus on peer interactions) and self-regulation (expressing feelings and needs) opportunities during these times of uncertainty give students a safe place to communicate and develop in any environment this fall.
Resources:
Kakunje A., Mithur R., & Kishor M. (2020, June 20). Emotional well-being, mental health awareness, and prevention of suicide: Covid-19 pandemic and digital psychiatry. Arch Med Health Sci, 8(1),147-53. http://www.amhsjournal.org/text.asp?2020/8/1/147/287374
Vindegaard, N., & Benros, M. E. (2020, May 30). COVID-19 pandemic and mental health consequences: Systematic review of the current evidence. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.048
Imran, N., Zeshan M., & Pervaiz, Z. (2020, May 31). Mental health considerations for children and adolescents in COVID-19 Pandemic. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 36 (S4) 1-5. https://go-gale-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=msu_main&id=GALE%7CA625795205&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon
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