Supporting Students' Well-Being

General Mental Health Resources, Minnesota Teen Mental Health Directory: Your ongoing work to support the wellness and wholeness of all of our students is incredible! To expand your current toolkit, the Minnesota Teen Mental Health Directory has several great “de-stress” tools, apps, and resources specific to exploring emotions, various aspects of mental health, and finding both personal support and how to support friends. Although this is geared toward older students, many of the apps could be used with students of all ages and abilities.

A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus, Teaching Tolerance: Experts from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network share their recommendations for educators supporting students during the COVID-19 crisis. The article includes recommendations for maintaining clear communication, establishing routines and a sense of safety, and letting relationship-building and well-being take priority over assignment and behavioral compliance in this moment. This is a crucial resource for all educators, and would be worth sharing with families as well.

diaryofamadblackyogi, Youtube: William Drew’s YouTube channel is an excellent resource to share with students who may need extra social-emotional support in this moment. Drew has been working with our ALCs this year and also led a session on the January 17th Professional Development day. His channel includes meditations, short animated videos explaining the body/brain science behind mindfulness, and guides for building practices of gratitude, breath and movement.

Establishing Structure and Routines, Megan Halverson, 916: Written with parents in mind, Halverson provides concrete, actionable steps folks can use to create conditions that will help them better deal with stressful challenges and hopefully decrease frustration. This is an excellent resource to share with families!

Homelessness Resources Cheat Sheet, Anne Kent, 916: Resource guide for both students and families experiencing homelessness and housing instability. The guide includes vital information on available services, as well as brief scripts to support them as they access resources.