Counselor's Corner
OVERVIEW
I am excited to connect with you through PTO this year. Each week I will provide updates on ways the counseling team is supporting children and families. Then, I will provide resources that will help all of you navigate school, parenting, and COVID.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me (fkassoy@uaschools.org.)
Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham
2/8/2021 2:00 pm
As we are approaching the one year mark of what most people consider the start of the global pandemic in our country, children and adults alike are wrestling with many emotions.
A special thank you to Ms. Giles and Ms Rodriquez for introducing me to LeUyen Pham’s newest book, Outside, Inside. This is a wonderful book that captures the journey that we have all been on since March. With her beautiful illustrations and poetic language, Pham finds just the right words to describe what we have been through while paying tribute to the essential workers. Outside, Inside reminds us that spring will come again.
I’ve included this trailer to give you a taste of this book. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.
Book Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/leuyen-pham/outside-inside-pham/
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwoOPMj7STs
How Screen Time Shapes Kids
2/1/2021 4:31 pm
In light of our upcoming parent coffee, I wanted to share an NPR podcast that I heard on Meghna Chakrabarti’s program, On Point called, “How Screen Time Shapes Kids.” This podcast talks about the impact that screen time is having on our children
Anya Kamenetz, NPR education correspondent. Author of "The Art Of Screen Time" provides one perspective. Natasha Burgert, pediatrician and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics and member of the advisory board for Wait Until 8th, a group that encourages parents to wait until 8th grade before purchasing a smartphone for their child, provides a different point of view.
The concept of children developing the internal skills to self-regulate while parents provide the necessary boundaries and expectations about screen time usage, is the key to helping our children successfully use their devices for learning and staying connected.
As always, I hope this podcast reaffirms the choices you are already making or provides some new ways to think about your child and their device.
https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/how-screen-time-shapes-kids
Regulating Emotions through Mindfulness and Meditation
1/25/2021 12:05 pm
Developing tools and strategies to help our children regulate their emotions is a critical part of their social-emotional development. As we continue to navigate this pandemic, this is more important than ever.
You may have noticed, one of our newest groups is Morning Mindfulness. This was developed in response to the increased worries that children are experiencing and expressing to us at school. The research continues to support mindfulness and meditation as tools to promote happiness and relieve stress.
This article provides an overview of the benefits of mindfulness, the “simple act of bringing a gentle, accepting attitude to the present moment.” In addition, meditation, learning to observe your feelings without judgment, is another tool for emotional regulation. Common Sense Media suggests these meditation apps for children.
So I encourage everyone to explore with their children how to pause, take a deep breath, and pay attention to the present moment in an accepting, nonjudgmental manner.
https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/mindfulness-for-children
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/meditation-apps-for-kids
The Benefits Of Exercise For Children's Mental Health
1/18/2021 4:33 pm
The good news is that the days are getting longer. The bad news is that the sun rarely shines. Taking care of our mental health is always important, but as we continue to navigate COVID, it is more important than ever.
The research tells us that exercise and mental wellness are connected. In this article the author explains the importance of physical activity and mental health in adolescents. Starting when children are young will develop good habits.
So as your family is exploring ways to stay fit during this pandemic, our metro parks are a great place for an outdoor adventure. Check out this blog about winter hiking. It might be fun to have everyone in the family earn their unique 2020/2021 Winter Hike patch. Happy hiking!!
https://www.nytimes.com/family/the-benefits-of-exercise-for-childrens-mental-health.html
https://www.metroparks.net/blog/a-ticket-to-travel-through-your-metro-parks/
Conversations in Times of Civil Unrest
1/11/2021 11:54 am
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As the events in Washington DC unfolded this week, we relied on the expertise of community professionals to guide us in our conversations. Below is a letter from Dr. Parker Huston, the Clinical Director of the On Our Sleeves initiative at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, that might be helpful. As always, you know your children best. So take what works for you and leave the rest behind.
From: Dr. Parker, On Our Sleeves Clinical Director <onoursleeves@ I wish we were coming to you to talk about a more positive topic. However, as has been the case far too often in the past few years, current events necessitate a different discussion. No matter your personal views, the events in Washington, D.C., at the Capitol Building affected all of us to some degree, and children are no different. Civil unrest is not new to our country, especially in the past year, but for reasons beyond the scope of this message, yesterday’s events caused a different kind of distress. As parents and adults who care about children, we would like to think we can shield our children from traumatic events in the world, but that is not the case. Kids hear and see things despite our best efforts to protect them. If you don't address events like this with them, they are left to process on their own and may turn to other unreliable sources. How do we talk with the children in our lives about scary, violent or otherwise traumatic events they may be exposed to?
Last evening, at our dinner table with our 8 and 5 year olds, we followed these steps as best we could, given what we knew at the time. In a way, it also helped me process the events because I wanted to make sure I could model that for them. We need to keep talking with and listening to our children to help them develop into the best humans they can be. Sometimes that means making sense of when bad things happen and learning to cope in healthy ways. Be well, practice gratitude and act with kindness, |
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https://www.onoursleeves.org/talking-to-kids-in-times-of-tragedy
Boredom: What Is It and How Can It Be Good For Us?
12/14/2020 10:03 am
There is always an air of excitement when winter break is upon us. This year will be no different. But with this excitement comes more time at home (when we have already been home for the last four weeks!) And for some, this means experiencing boredom.
“Did you know that it’s actually good for our kids’ brains to experience boredom? Find out what boredom really is and what’s happening in our brains when we feel this way, tips to combat boredom, age-appropriate ideas for unstructured play and what to do about boredom when you’re stuck inside this winter.” Here is your guide to boredom as we head into winter break.
https://www.onoursleeves.org/find-help/tools-for-you/boredom-guide
https://www.onoursleeves.org/boredom-what-is-it-and-how-can-it-be-good-for-us
We are hoping that everyone finds a little joy in each day and oodles of creativity in the moments of boredom.
Rethinking the Holidays
12/7/2020 4:27 pm
On Sunday evening, we hosted a parent coffee to talk about “Rethinking the Holidays.” There were two articles published by Nationwide Children’s Hospital that provided some helpful ideas about the challenges and opportunities that COVID provides us and reminders for taking care of our mental health during this time. We had an opportunity to discuss how these ideas resonated with each of us.
If I could capture the essence of our conversation, these would be the four “takeaways” shared by the participants.
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Try to avoid the temptation to overcompensate (perhaps with gifts, etc.) to take away the pain and disappointment our kiddos may be experiencing this year with respect to the holidays.
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We sometimes conflate self-care with pampering one’s self. This can send a confusing message to children.
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It is helpful to affirm the feelings of sadness, disappointment, frustration, anger or whatever your child is expressing. It is also helping to remind our kiddos about gratitude. But, I would suggest making these separate conversations. Having them at the same time might inadvertently send the message that being grateful negates those big feelings.
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Consider thinking about ways to teach your children about the history of your family traditions while encouraging them to think of starting some new ones.
https://www.onoursleeves.org/find-help/tools-for-you/holidays/rethinking-the-holidays
https://www.onoursleeves.org/find-help/tools-for-you/holidays/covid-19-and-holiday-stress
Returning to EDL - Tips for Learning Online
11/30/2020 9:00 am
As we head back to Enhanced Distanced Learning, I decided to reread an article about tips for learning online. Since this is our third time doing this (once in the spring, the start of the school year, and now) we all have different feelings about EDL. Some families are relieved to be back home away from the potential threat of COVID while others are dreading the idea of having to juggle work and school for the next month. As I often remind your children, whatever you are feeling is an okay feeling to have at this time.
So, please remember to practice self-care and self-compassion so that you can be your best self. Remember to have realistic expectations for yourself and your children so that you are not in a constant state of frustration and disappointment. And please practice forgiveness for yourself and your family. We are all doing our best!
As always, I hope the article either affirms for you something that you are already doing or is a gentle reminder of things that you might consider trying.
https://www.usatoday.com/covid-19-tips-parents-successful-online-learning
Thanksgiving Books: Authenticity and Accuracy
11/23/2020 1:00 pm
I hope that some of you had the opportunity to read last week’s message about gratitude. I wanted to share one more thought before Thanksgiving.
As we continue to teach children a historically accurate and authentic narrative of Thanksgiving it can be hard to find great books about Thanksgiving and First Nations/Native American culture. After a quick Google search (since I can’t go to my local library during COVID), I found this short list. Thanksgiving Books: Authenticity and Accuracy
It was a good reminder to me about the importance of diverse books. According to Rudine Sims Bishop, professor emerita from OSU, literature can be “mirrors” for indigenous children to have the opportunity to see themselves in books while providing “windows” to other children to have insight into a new culture. So, this Thanksgiving I hope that one of these books might be a window or mirror for your child and family.
https://www.ypsilibrary.org/2018/11/thanksgiving-books-authenticity-and-accuracy/
Activity to Prompt Gratitude in Children
11/15/2020 6:20 pm
As we approach Thanksgiving (and especially this Thanksgiving), gratitude is something that comes to mind. According to the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s website for their Making Caring Common Initiative...
“Gratitude is a process that unfolds into action by noticing what or whom to be grateful for, thinking about why one is grateful, and feeling positively about the experience of gratitude (Hussong et al., 2018). Although it is common for parents to focus on what their children should do to show gratitude (for example, to “say thank you”), it is also important to guide them to experience gratitude through noticing, thinking, and feeling (Hussong et al., 2019). This activity can prompt children to first notice what or whom they’re grateful for and to think about why they’re grateful. Parents [can] also share or talk about their own experiences with gratitude. Younger children may find it difficult to fully understand why they’re grateful, or what it is that someone did for them, but by listening to their parents talk about their own experiences of gratitude, they can come to understand and appreciate what it means to think about someone else, which is an important aspect of being able to feel gratitude (McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002).”
https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/resources-for-families/gratitude-scavenger-hunt
I am going to give this a try with my granddaughters, Bea and Tillie. I hope you might do this, as well.
