9/30/2019 Objectives Student Distress and Identify two mental health concerns facing students attending international schools. Relationships for Wellbeing With a focus on pastoral care, identify strategies to support students. Christopher T. H. Liang, PhD Lehigh University * with support Gabrielle Rochinno, Teresa Rosenberger, and Brooke Kohler Plan Guidelines for Weekend 9:00 - 10:30 - Introductions and Foundations ●“Try On” ●It’s okay to disagree Break ●It is not okay to blame, shame, or attack self or others 11:00 - 12:15 - Stress and Health ●Practice “self-focus” ●Practice “both/and” thinking Lunch ●Notice both process and content 13:00 - 14:30 - Depression and Stigma ●Be aware of intent and impact ● ** Con fidentiality Break *adapted from Visions, Inc. 2011 15:15 - 16:30 - Anxiety and Academic Pressure 1
9/30/2019 Activity - “I am From” Processing The purpose of this is activity is to share pieces of ourselves. What was it like to write the poem? Spend the next 10 or so minutes completing the stem, “I am From” as many times as What was it like for you to recite the poem? you feel is necessary to describe the important things about your experiences in life. These need not be physical locations but about family, your passions, experiences, etc., What was it like for you listen to poems? In ways do you build connection with students? We will share these as small groups and discuss. What is the role of empathy? Think, Pair, and Share Empathy & In what ways have you attempted to demonstrate empathy for others (failures and successes)? Connection In what ways will you show empathy? How will you give yourself empathy? 2
9/30/2019 Break About Here Stress and Health Psychological Distress is multiply determined. ● ● Most people are able to handle everyday stressors; a good number will grow from stress, especially when they have support and have internal resources. ● Chronic Stress (including poor sleep hygiene) as well as Complex Trauma trigger physiological responses (e.g., Autonomic Nervous System: Cortisol levels - Flight, Fight, Freeze) that is demonstrated to be associated with greater risks for mental health problems as well as chronic health problems later in life. ● Insecure attachments, as well as lack of emotional awareness and social relationships, may exacerbate the effects of stress. ● Importantly, one positive relationship with an adult or peer can reduce the risk associated with exposure to stress. Anxiety and Depression Stress Responses and the Brain Anxiety and Depression on the Rise since 2012 The chronic release of adrenaline and cortisol, which are physiological responses to stress and trauma (fight, flight, or freeze response), is harmful to the development of the brain. As a result, students may have difficulty regulating emotions, behaviors, or have problems using language to problem-solve. In the context of the classroom, these problems have been implicated in problems with memory and inattention (hippocampus - shrinks), as well as difficulty trusting adults and peers (in/out of school), behavioral problems, aggression, and dysregulated mood (amygdala – increases in size is aroused to protect self) and planning/decision making (prefrontal cortex - shrinks). *Surviving is more critical than learning. 3
9/30/2019 Anxiety and Depression From Invisible to Visible: Naming the Issue Anxiety and Depression on the Rise since 2012 Socio-Political Stressors Family Stress Social Media Identity-Related Economics Stress University Relationships Enrichment Activities Career-Related Grades Sleep Hygiene Pressure Competition Attachments Mobility Cultural Isolation Identity Hyperconnection Stories from your Schools Lunch Break about Here In your work groups, what are your reactions to the video? How does invisibility contribute to stigma and deepening of problems? How “visible” are Mental Health problems in your school? How comfortable are you in identifying and talking about Mental Health? 4
9/30/2019 Post-It! Depression Write on separate post-it notes, the things you see when someone is experiencing anxiety and/or depression. Place notes for anxiety to the right and depression to the left. When all have placed there post-it notes up, scan what you notice under anxiety and depression. Prevalence of Diagnosed Clinical Depression Depression Major depressive episode includes depressed mood nearly every day for a 2-week period Four other symptoms also must be present for For kids, you are more likely to see irritability. Watch for these other symptoms: adolescents: ● Anger or hostility ● Irritable, sad, withdrawn, or bored most ● Changes in eating or sleeping habits of the time ● Fatigue or lack of energy ● Does not take pleasure in usual activities ● Hopelessness ● Sleeping too much or too little ● Feelings of guilt or worthlessness ● Weight gain or weight loss ● Poor school performance ● Feeling hopeless or helpless ● Lack of motivation ● Difficulty concentrating or making ● Difficulty concentrating decisions ● Tearfulness or frequent crying ● Fatigue ● Restlessness ● Thoughts of death or suicide ● Agitation ● Unexplained aches or pains ● Thoughts of death or suicide (with or without a plan) 5
9/30/2019 Depression among Students in International Schools Anxiety Pair Up - Share Up *What trends in depression among students in your schools have you notice over your career? *What keeps depression hidden? 6
9/30/2019 Common Symptoms of Anxiety among Youth @ Home: @ School: * Refusing to go to school/having a hard time at drop-offs * Trouble falling asleep *Difficulty participating in class and interacting with peers * Fear of being alone *Excessive worry about everyday things * Picking at skin *Trouble answering questions when called on by the teacher * Nail biting *Disruptive behavior * Strong startle response *Squirming * Being overly self-critical *Frequent trips to the nurse (with complaints of headaches, nausea, stomachaches, or even vomiting) * OCD-like behaviors (e.g. checking and rechecking the *Avoiding socializing or group work door to make sure it is locked or arranging objects “just *Not turning in homework so”) * Suddenly avoiding social contact * Frequent urination 7
9/30/2019 Where Do We Go From Here? Break About Here Need to Understand Pathways, with particular focus on risk and protective factors. Risk & Protective Factors for Mental Health Risk Factor: Risk Factors Protective Factors Academic Presences of ACEs Self-Regulation Skills, Positive Adult Relationships Pressure Bullying Bullying Policy that is Followed Discrimination Cross-Group Interpersonal Contact Think/Pair/Share *What messages resonate? High Levels of Social Stress Coping Strategies *What strategies have you/your peers/your schools used to mitigate the effects Academic/Career Pressure Good Sleep Hygiene of this pressure? Isolation Social Connection through Engagement Poor Social Skills Social Emotional Learning Program 8
9/30/2019 Risk Factor: Bullying Bullying: A Snapshot Defined: Repeated, intentional use of aggression, exclusion, or Prevalence: About 35% of adolescent youth experience bullying intimidation against a target with whom there is a clear power as a perpetrator, victim, or both (Modecki et al., 2014). differential (e.g., status) Bullying shifts from physical and overt forms to relational or Hidden but More Common Relational bullying: 27.2% to 37.4% social bullying when children move into adolescents (Craig et al., of youth (Wang et al., 2009) 2009) Outcomes: Problems with psychological and social adjustment, and academic outcomes (Craig et al., 2011) Bullying: The Actors Bullying: The Actors What are costs of labels? PBIS recommends shift from labels to behavior. Why? Bully Bully Bully Target Bully Target Bully Bystander (through acts omission or commission) Bully Bystander (through acts omission or commission) Defender/Upstander Defender/Upstander Educators? Educators? 9
9/30/2019 Pair and Share Set Policy What is your own experience with bullying? as a student and as a teacher? What For a Guide: feelings (anger, sadness, guilt) do you have? https://www.stopbullying.gov/prevention/at-school/rules/index.html Policies should be developed by involving relevant stakeholders. Here is a sample: http://www.bullypolice.org/bullying_policy.pdf What strategies have you used that are helpful? Not-so helpful? Discuss in groups: If your school has a policy, discuss how it operates. If not, discuss how your school addresses bullying. All should discuss the strengths and limitations of the policy. Teachers: To Do’s Teachers: To Do II Stop the bullying immediately. Stand between the bullied student and the bully(ies), Impose immediate consequences. The consequences should be logical and connected blocking eye contact. Don't send any bystanders away. to the offense. To avoid escalating the tension, wait until later to sort out the facts. Notify colleagues and parents. Talk to the parties involved separately once they are calm. Let the “bully” know he or she is being watched. Refer to school rules regarding bullying. Follow up and intervene as necessary. Speak in a matter-of-fact tone of voice to describe what you heard or saw. Let all students know bullying is always unacceptable. Support the bullied child - without compromising their dignity. Check in later. Increase supervision to assure bullying is not repeated. 10
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