Mental Health Staff
Resources to support mental health staff in providing services will be added here regularly. Please check with your district to ensure you are operating within local guidelines.
Table of Contents
Crisis Planning Documents
This Crisis Kit contains five of the most relevant tools from our Positive Psychology Toolkit that you can use
to help your clients:
â– use their mental resources well
â– connect to a place of inner peace
â– become aware of factors within and beyond personal control
â– practice acceptance-based coping
â– remain calm and composed in the face of stress
These tools are all based on scientific research and you will find the references included.
The NEMLEC STARS Toolkit 2nd Edition is a resource designed to assist school districts and their communities with crisis planning and preparedness. It contains samples and templates that can be used to jump-start or update your community’s school preparedness program, as well as provides essential guidelines during a critical incident. Linked above are the resources designed specifically for response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Linked here is a collection of resources offered by SEL4MA to support parents, educators, and mental health staff with navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Student support professionals are carrying a uniquely difficult burden right now. While contending with your own uncertainty, stress, and worry, you are also tasked with supporting and guiding others through this difficult moment. This resource is for you.
Telehealth Resources
Telehealth Etiquette: Behavioral Consult - A helpful video to watch to get a sense of how to best interact with students over video conference.
This is a link to a video detailing how to set up a Zoom meeting and send an invite if you will be using Zoom: Zoom Tutorial
Google Hangouts: Scheduling a Google Hangouts Meeting Using Google Calendar & Starting a Google Hangouts Meeting from a Web Browser
Andover Public Schools: Telehealth Service Provision Handbook
ASCA Pop-Up Webinar: Ethical Considerations- School Counseling in a Virtual Setting: Learn more about the legal and ethical issues that can arise when conducting your school counseling program in an online world, both in emergency cases.
HHS and OCR Announcement: OCR Announces Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth Remote Communications During the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency
Downloadable strategies to send home to help your students while away from your school or out-of-school program
Professional development for you (PD credit is available)
White papers and blog posts to support your learning
In this course you will engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits. As preparation for these tasks, Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change. You will ultimately be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity into your life.
Behavioral Activation Resources
Students who may already be socially isolating are at a heightened risk of a sustained cycle of inactivity, isolation, and depression as a function of the need to engage in social distancing during the COVID-19 crisis. While we need to maintain social distancing, we can still promote healthy functioning and engagement in prosocial activities at home.
Bounce Back and CBITS Online Training Opportunities
Free CBITS and Bounce Back trainings for working with students who were exposed to trauma (and a few other free resources): for Elementary staff: https://bouncebackprogram.org; for Middle & High School: http://cbitsprogram.org
The United States has recently experienced numerous large-scale crises that resulted in high death tolls and extensive property damage. Critical incidents such as suicide contagion, natural disasters, or mass casualty events have the potential to cause traumatic reactions and significantly affect children’s sense of safety and security. School administrators and crisis team members tasked with meeting the needs of students and staff following such large-scale events must consider how they might support the school community both within the immediate aftermath of a crisis, as well as over the long term. The challenges encountered and the needs exhibited will vary and change with time and crisis teams must be prepared to address these as they face them. This resource was developed by a number of highly experienced school-based crisis responders with the intent of assisting administrators and crisis teams in crisis response and recovery efforts following a large-scale disaster or crisis.
Coping skills for kids, teens, and adults to help deal with anxiety and stress around Coronavirus (COVID-19). Also, a collection of resources to help adults talk with kids and teens about the virus.
