Page 15 - DistanceLearning

Just prior to, and immediately following the and activities provides those with mental health training an oppor-
stay-at-home orders, school counselors have
been serving as the often-silent champions
and advocates for our most vulnerable and
disaffected students throughout the state. From
aiding and supporting families in connecting to community resourc-
es to ensuring that students had and continue to have the neces-
sary materials and tools to remain engaged. As trained profession-
als, school counselors are able to do to this and so much more to
address a myriad of student needs via a whole-child approach.
Of immediate recognition to school counselors across the state
was the need to address the mental health needs of students of all
ages. While the initial shelter-in-place orders were brief in nature,
school counselors began the process of accessing student sense
of well-being by implementing “Wellness Surveys”. While these
ranged in scope of application, early conversations by counselors
noted student reactions as ranging from indifference to those that
were already beginning to identify signs of grief and loss. Depend-
ing on district policies, our state counselors showed tremendous
creativity and resiliency in order to connect with and support stu-
dents. From virtual support groups to weekly phone calls, mental
health wellness became a top priority.
As time at home increased, school counselors created statewide
networks of support to share unique ideas and best practices to aid in
addressing the mental health needs of students. For younger stu-
dents, social stories pertaining to the pandemic were created, as well
as a variety of social-emotional learning and mindfulness activities to
connect students to additional coping mechanisms. For adolescent
students, efforts were increased for more frequent connections that
sought to meet students where they are. For some a phone call, oth-
ers a virtual meeting, and for some just a text to get through the day.
The most unfortunate aspect of COVID 19 for school counselors
has been the inability to simply see their students each day. The
time greeting students as they get off the bus or enter the building,
seeing students as they engage with their peers at lunch or recess,
and observing which students stay after school for clubs, sports,
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tunity to read not only the verbal cues, but the non-verbal cues that
trigger that something else may be needed by a student. Across
the state, so many of our students are struggling. For many, school
has served as a safe haven, an escape. With physical school no
longer an option, some young people have gone to a darker place.
Some statistics are reflecting a decline in reported cases, but the
reality is that many students do not have those trusted adults in
their daily lives to advocate on their behalf. While many schools
created remote crisis response plans, the hope was that they
would never have to be implemented. The sad reality is that they
have. Students are experiencing suicidal ideations and lives have
been lost.
As building and district-based administrators, we need to be cog-
nizant that the mental health needs of our students needs to be a
top priority. Students need to have balance in their lives, and even
more so now when they are not directly under our care every day.
School counselors, and our district support staff, should be en-
couraged to continue to think outside of the box to support student
mental health. They should continue to be engaged in county and
statewide networks. Your school counselors are the voice for your
students, so encourage them to do so. The words of Frederick
Douglas have never been more true than they are now, “It is easier
to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
Video: Dear Class of 2020
Video: In celebration of National Decision Day, high school
counselors gathered information and images from the
Class of 2020 to highlight their next steps after high school.
These were done by many NJ high schools, but this is
mine, so I can share.
Top Ways to Engage You Students in College and Career Readiness in a
Remote Environment. These are items gathered from state school coun-
selor network meetings, as well as those completed in my own district.