**Student’s name has been changed for privacy.
James is a 4th grade student at Bell Elementary who is in his second year with CIS. Last year, James was referred to CIS by his teacher after noticing struggles with anxiety, participating in class, and interacting with his peers. This year, James has been consistently coming to the CIS room during lunch to work on coping skills to help him manage his emotions. Samantha Nava, Site Coordinator at Bell Elementary, has been working with James by providing supportive guidance and social-emotional learning tools. Ms. Nava creates a safe space for James to be heard and talk about what’s going on in his life. This year, James has experienced a lot of friend conflict and struggled to get along with others. Ms. Nava has been working with him by helping him problem solve and differentiate what is in his control versus what is out of his control.
Recently, Ms. Nava and James completed an activity called the Circle of Control to help him identify what he worries about. James expressed that the activity really helped him visually see all the things that he worries about that are out of his control. James continues to learn new skills to add to his toolbox and with time and practice, Ms. Nava is confident that James will be able to manage his emotions in a more healthy way.
James has shown incredible growth, and Ms. Nava has observed how much he has improved in the way he thinks through things and processes information. After experiencing conflict, James now comes up with ideas on his own of how he could have handled the situation better and how he can address things on his own. In the past, it was difficult for James to see how he contributed to a situation, but he now shows more accountability instead of solely putting blame on others.
CISNT believes that every child needs and deserves a safe space to learn and grow. Ms. Nava strives to provide a consistent and intentional relationship with all of her students and has been a great support for James. James knows that the CIS room is a safe space for him to go to for support and that Ms. Nava will be there to talk to him and help him problem solve. We are so proud of James and all the progress he has made and look forward to what the year will bring for him!
