As May comes to a close, we’d like to acknowledge that it is Mental Health Awareness Month. We know that it’s not only students who need urgent mental health support—with teacher burnout and mental health crises on the rise, it is critical that students and teachers across the board receive the support they need.
While strategies like taking a coffee, tea, or stretch break and the countless self-care activities we can do to maintain our mental health are certainly available and important to us, we also recognize that support from our organizations and communities, and proper access to appropriate resources are critical to fostering healthy and secure teachers, students, and families.
To support educators and students, we’ve compiled a (short, non-exhaustive) list of free mental health-related resources. For further assistance with mental health issues, please see the National Institute for Mental Health’s resources on finding providers, treatments, or help in crises. Furthermore, you can view the full list of Corwin’s emotional learning resources here.
And lastly, Corwin Connect would like to acknowledge the horrific tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas that claimed 19 students and two teachers. To support educators and students through the trauma and anxiety that these events so often bring, we’ve also added resources related to easing stress and discussing difficult or traumatic events with students.
Checklists, Toolkits, and Archived Webinars:
- Michelle Trujillo’s SEL Checklist for Educators
- ACEs Do’s & Don’ts of Trauma-Informed Practices
- Archived Webinar: The SEL Playbook, presented by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Dominique Smith
- Los Angeles County’s Department of Mental Health and UCLA’s School Wellbeing Toolkit
- Child Mind Institute’s instructional videos on understanding emotions, relaxation skills, and mindfulness, divided between elementary, middle, and high school
- A psychologist’s perspective on working with the survivors of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting
- MentalHealth.gov’s list of local community groups, nonprofits, and organizations that assist with mental health issues
- a kids book about school shootings, by Crystal Woodman Miller is a free e-book that covers discussing mass shootings with students
- “What Will We Say to Them Tomorrow?”: Tackling Tough Conversations in the Classroom, a video from the International Library Association that covers discussing traumatic events with students the day after it happens
Support Groups:
Hotlines:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- Trevor Project’s hotline to assist LGBTQ+ youth: 1-866-488-7386
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s treatment referrable and informational services helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
- The Center for Disease Control’s list of hotlines
As the school year ends, we hope that everyone finishes strong, and has a restful, mindful summer. If you’ve benefitted from any mental health resource, program, or community, let us know! We would love to hear from you and collaborate on ways we can best support students, teachers, and educational leaders alike.
Desiree Bartlett / July 15, 2022
I’m really glad to see that you’ve included the hotline numbers in this post. I heard on NPR today that there are plans to roll out 988 soon. It’s an alternative to 911 for mental health crisis where trained professionals show up to help – not police officers.
/