August 12, 2021 | Volume 2, Number 4
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Back to School with Compassion:
Welcoming Staff, Students, and Families
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By Dana Asby, CEI Director of Innovation & Research Support
At this time last year, we were all uncertain about where and how learning during the next school year would take place. One year later, we are hopeful that we will all once more be learning together in the same physical space this fall.
As school administrators and educators take much needed rest and respite this summer, we hope that they have had space and time to reflect on their own needs as well as the needs of the students and families in their communities.
We also hope you will consider how your school community can start the 2021-2022 school year off with practices that demonstrate resiliency and a commitment to becoming trauma-skilled.
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By Dana Asby
In addition to healing from public health and mental health crises brought on by COVID-19, America is also reckoning with an increased awareness and acknowledgement of the trauma that racial violence has caused and is causing Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Schools can no longer ignore the impact this trauma has on the teachers, students, and families in their communities.
Educators and administrators are becoming more cognizant of the fact that like all systems in our countries, the education system perpetuates racism, inequity, and trauma. While individual anti-racist teachers, principals, and superintendents have done incredible work to increase equity for their BIPOC students, there is a long road to travel to make our vision of a truly anti-racist education system a reality. When we intentionally create spaces that prioritize equity and safety, we come closer to realizing that vision.
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By Dana Asby and Martha Staeheli
Educators have been rightfully heralded as some of the heroes that helped get us through this pandemic. Teachers and administrators are accustomed to donning many caps and pivoting to deliver whatever their school communities need, often
without optimal funding and training.
We saw the effects of stress and trauma on our ability to effectively manage our emotions and retain new information in the past year and a half. Educators may not have had the words to describe this phenomenon before the COVID-19 pandemic, but many have always understood that kind words, care, and attention to the holistic needs of youth set the stage for learning.
As mental health literacy increases in the education world—through free, virtual courses like the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center’s
Classroom WISE—schools are recognizing that supporting student mental health is a crucial component of holistic education.
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By Carmen Florentin, CEI Intern
Educators all over the world are pioneering new ways of connecting to students in virtual or hybrid learning environments. As we approach a return to closer-to-normal life resembling the pre-pandemic world, schools everywhere still face the challenge of getting through to students simultaneously behind screens and in the classroom. The pandemic has influenced this generation of students, likely, for the rest of their lives—some have been traumatized. Now, we face the question of how to best to support and accommodate students.
Dr. Siza Mtimbiri is a Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative Fellow and principal at Southwick School in Pittsfield, NH. He utilizes his knowledge of research-based methods and his sincere spirit to ensure his students feel seen and heard, while also prioritizing teachers’ needs.
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Resources & Upcoming Events
Access and share C-TLC resources:
The C-TLC develops training materials to enhance school culture and prepare professionals in education and mental health to improve and support the mental health and resiliency of school-aged youth.
Choose a learning track in the C-TLC's Training Library and begin your journey toward compassionate school mental health practices. Click here to view a topical directory of all our learning resources.
Whether you are returning to school in-person, virtually, or in a hybrid format, apply a trauma-informed, equitable, and compassionate lens to providing mental health supports to every member of the school community. Because we will all return to school as different people than when we left, our suite of resources is designed to help school staff understand the need for and nature of becoming more trauma-sensitive and considerations for working with trauma-impacted communities.
Classroom WISE is a FREE three-part training package that assists K-12 educators in supporting the mental health of students in the classroom. This package offers evidence-based strategies and skills to engage and support students with mental health concerns in the classroom. In addition to a free online course on mental health literacy for educators and school personnel, a video library and resource collection are also available! Learn more.
- cultivate a compassionate school community that will buffer against the negative effects of trauma,
- build resilience for all students, and
- provide stress-relief and enhanced well-being for teachers and other school personnel as well as students.
Gain understanding of how a compassionate school mental health support system can help schools create systems, policies, and protocols to prevent, address, and recover from tragedies and crises including staff or student suicide, school violence, natural disasters, and global pandemics.
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Register now for our virtual events!
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Date/Time: Wed., 8/18 @ 3:00 p.m. EDT
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Learn tips and strategies to improve wellness for you, your family, and members of your community. You can also join in conversation with other families.
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Date/Time: Fri., 9/3 @ 12:00 p.m. EDT
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Start the school year off right by focusing on ways to welcome everyone back to school with compassion.
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Date/Time: Thurs., 9/16 @ 10:00 a.m. EDT
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Learn more about the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center’s six-hour mental health literacy course for educators—a free, self-guided course designed to help adults who work in schools create trauma-informed environments and use nurturing practices to support positive mental health.
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Stay posted to our Events page for updates and announcements.
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Healthcare workers & Educators Addressing and Reducing Trauma
(HEART) Learning Collaborative
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Now accepting applications! We invite schools working with healthcare or behavioral healthcare centers on school-based mental health to learn more about the HEART Learning Collaborative.
View and complete our online application for this opportunity to enhance skills around effective collaboration, mental health systems building, funding, and delivering culturally responsive care.
This regional effort is an initiative with:
- SAMHSA Region 1 Office
- Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Office of Regional Operations (Region 1)
- New England Addiction Technology Transfer Center
- New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center
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Join an information session to learn more about our HEART Learning Collaborative.
Two Sessions:
Mon., 8/16 @ 12:00 p.m. EDT
Wed., 9/1 @ 4:00 p.m. EDT
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Note: Our HEART Learning Collaborative will convene from October 2021 - May 2022.
For more information or for a fillable, Adobe-based application, contact us.
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“There is always a light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” ~ Amanda Gorman
Hopefully, you have had a chance for some rest and recovery and opportunities to care for yourselves and your loved ones. While the new school year is on the horizon, we still have time in the summer to care for ourselves and take the time we need to rest and recharge. If you haven’t yet, please check out our resources and newsletter archive for information about how (and why!) you should prioritize your well-being. It will take time and continued dedication to support the mental health of students and staff this year. This time of rest, whatever it looks like for you, is the necessary fortification we need to greet the new school year with optimism, strength, and courage. Best wishes for rest, joy, and peace.
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The C-TLC is funded by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is part of the New England Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (New England MHTTC) Network.
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STAY CONNECTED
New England MHTTC
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