**Student’s name has been changed for privacy.
October 10th is World Mental Health Day, an international holiday dedicated to bringing awareness to the importance of mental health through education, empowerment, and advocacy against social stigmas. Different international organizations have created themes for their 2021 World Mental Health Day campaigns. The World Federation for Mental Health declared that their theme this year is “mental health in an unequal world,” while the World Health Organization announced that their theme is “mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality.” Both campaigns focus on addressing inequality, accessibility, and the need for mental health care, especially considering the hardships experienced in the last year.
The COVID-19 pandemic, winter storms, and other events have caused wide-spread distress, especially among students and their families. Over the past year and a half, students have experienced major disruptions in their learning environment and increased risk factors such as decreased instructional time, economic hardship, grief, loss, illness, lack of access to basic needs, and increased mental health needs (U.S. Dept. of Education, 2021). Mental Health America explained in a 2016 report that “mental health and learning are deeply interwoven – strong mental health is a foundation for learning, and academic success impacts mental health.” CISNT acknowledges the importance of mental health in education and works to provide prevention and intervention services within the CIS model which address students’ mental health needs.
Emma is an elementary student in her second year in the CISNT program. On top of challenges experienced from the pandemic, Emma unexpectedly suffered the loss of her father two years ago, and she has been working to cope with her loss in a more healthy way. This year started out rough with the move to a new school and the stress of a new baby coming into their family soon. Emma would get so overwhelmed with her stress and grief that she would start to cry and break down in the middle of class. Emma’s CIS Site Coordinator started working with her to learn new coping skills that could help her calm down when she faces hard emotions.
Emma’s CIS Site Coordinator writes:
“This month she has shown so much progress! When she starts to feel upset, she comes straight to the CISNT room, grabs the weighted blanket and a breathing chart, and starts doing her deep breathing techniques! She is able to calm herself down within minutes. We have also been working on changing our mindset about loss. She is able to think about good memories of her father now when she is upset. Some days are harder than others, but we can see that she is trying every day! I am so incredibly proud of Emma, and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the year holds for her!”
Emma is this month’s star student at her campus and has made significant progress throughout her time with CISNT. CISNT is committed to making mental health care a reality for all of our students by providing equitable and accessible services, equipping them with the tools and resources to manage their emotions in positive ways and build resiliency. CISNT is very proud of Emma’s resilience and the progress she has made over the past two years!
CISNT surrounds students with a community of support and provides equitable access to mental health services, ensuring students have the care they need to succeed in school and in life. In line with the purpose of World Mental Health Day, CISNT prioritizes mental health and strives to empower students and bring awareness to the importance of mental health in education. We invite our Community of Support to join us today in recognizing World Mental Health Day!
#WorldMentalHealthDay
