Coping with Stress

https://www.changetochill.org/

This is a great resource for high school students dealing with stress.  It has resources for students as well as those working with students.  I found it helpful working one on one with students as well as group activities.  There is a short quiz about what stresses them out and how they deal with it.  Then the website gives personalized resources based on their answers.  There is a focus on gratitude, mindfulness, guided imagery and balance.  So many activities and worksheets are under each section.  The mindfulness section has different recordings as well as reading prompts.  One of my favorite ones is the gratitude section where there is a structured worksheet to write down 3 things someone is grateful for each day and different writing prompts as well.  There are also videos that explain different topics and ways to handle stress from a high school student perspective. This website gives a great way to help facilitate conversations about stress and anxieties especially when students have a hard time verbalizing what would be helpful for them.

October 31, 2018

Items of Interests – Love Line

Summary

The item of interest that I chose is a theraputic technique to communicate feelings and improve self-esteem. It is called “Love Line.” The purpose of this activity is for students to reflect on positive qualities of the other people in their social work group and to pass along their thoughts to the individuals in group. This activity can help build courage and of course, self-esteem! This activity requires for students to write on a note card (or any type of paper- we can be creative and write it on heart-shaped cut outs, etc.!) Students then write a small message to their peers and insert it in the envelope (or jar, again, lets all be creative) of the designated student. The picture below is an example however, it can be adjusted using envelops as mentioned in the book, jars, decorated tissue boxes, etc.! The paper can also be on a regular sheet of paper, note cards, different designed cut-outs.

I believe that this is a great idea to use for students who are in 3^rd or 4^th grade all the way to high school students. This is a great activity for students who have low self-esteem or who have difficulties communicating their feelings. It can help show them that they are beautiful in their own unique way and can help show them the different positive ways other people see them. I can also see this activity fit into an artistic theraputic activity because This activity fits into the School Social Work Model because it is evidence based; increasing self-esteem can help the student build confidence and lead to a brighter future. I really hope to use this activity with my 5^th grade group soon!  

Activity can be found on pages 78-79*

Images

Social Worker Toolbox

While doing some research I came across this website that I thought had some good resources.  There are different resources, activities and education material for students and their family.  Topics include alcohol use,  bullying, mental health (depression, suicide, anxiety) self harm, domestic violence, parenting, social emotional skills and so much more.  Curriculums, planning and intervention handouts and assessments are also provided to use. Website also includes books suggestions on various topics such as grief and loss, bullying and adoption.  The website provides resources for so many topics that I suggest you check it out!


http://www.socialworkerstoolbox.com/

DIY Calming/Mindfulness Bottle

DIY Calming/Mindfulness Bottle

This item of interest is an activity I started doing a while ago. I want to firstly point out that it is not evidence based. This activity is mostly a tool to help children cope with stress, worries, anxiety, etc. I usually use this activity with the younger children (K-3). The purpose of the activity is to teach children a strategy they can use in the moment when they are crying, panicked, stressed, or worried. It teaches children about self-regulation which is a necessary skill in order to help them be successful. Self-regulation is one of the skills that social workers can help educate the younger students about managing their emotions, and behavior.

To make it you can use an empty plastic water bottle of any kind, or a glass mason jar (or any jar). However, I usually only use plastic because kids drop stuff all the time and glass is messy and dangerous! To make it you will need a bottle of your choice with a lid, water, clear glue, gorilla or super glue, and food coloring. There are other methods to make it with glitter glue that work well too. 

You start out by filling the bottle 3/4ths full of room temp water. Then you add about half a bottle of the clear glue (this can be changed depending on how slow or fast you want the glitter to slow down).  Then I shake the water and glue together. After that add 1 drop of food coloring to sort of match the color of glitter you are using. Then you add the glitter. You can add more food coloring if necessary, however the fewer drops the better otherwise it will turn foggy and you won't be able to see the glitter. Shake it to combine everything. The last step is the most important, you want to make sure that you super glue the lid shut. Otherwise you'll have a very messy end product.

Usually before I make this with a student, I shake the bottle and ask them thoughtful questions like does your mind or body ever feel this way? You can discuss with them how when the glitter is moving fast and all over the place, sometimes our brain and bodies feel that way too when we are feeling anxious, stressed, worried, etc. Then when we use coping skills and other strategies, our brain and body can calm down like the glitter does. For younger kids, during crying/tantrums/freak outs, you can give them this to use as a timer and when the glitter is stopped, that means its time for them to stop too.

You can most certainly pair this activity with some evidence based tools like mindfulness. You can teach them deep breathing strategies (star breathing for younger kids). That way there is some evidence based treatment attached to the activity. 

Mindful Games

Jaclyn Walsh

Item of Interest

10/17/18

                 

                                                                                                                    

                                                                         

For my item of interest, I chose to talk about the awesome resource for client work by the name of, Mindful Games Activity Cards. This is a great resource to have for young kiddos and teens. I had purchased Mindfulness Games the book last year and dogeared a bunch of pages. The focus in this book is on assisting kids with the development of their sensory awareness, their focusing skills and the regulation of emotions, all with a sense of freedom. This book talks about the importance of kids learning how to ‘check in with themselves’ or to know when they need to ‘check out’; essentially practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness and meditation are at the core of this book, with the author zooming in her focus on 6 different life skills sections: focusing, quieting, seeing, reframing, caring, and connecting. Within each of these sections are multiple activities, with each activity having a brief summary at the top for what it entails (always simple yet effective), how long the activity takes, the skill set that it focuses on developing and the age group that the author recommends it for. Though it does say for teenagers as well, I did notice that many of these activities seem to be geared towards younger kids, though you can most certainly make your own modifications. I did mention the playing cards (I have not purchased these yet), only because it may be easier to pull them out during a session, rather than flip through the book. All of these ‘games’ are super innovative and possess a genuine and gentle approach. The earlier kids start learning the practice of mindfulness the more internally/externally aware and compassionate adults they will be. Mindful games can be implemented in group settings/activities, as well as individually. Mindful games can also be helpful for educators to check in with their students and take ‘brain breaks’.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, also known as MBSR, is an evidence based practice that implements aspects of mindfulness meditation and yoga into practice with clients. The emphasis in this intervention is on the attention to thoughts. Many individuals suffering from anxiety, panic disorders, depression and even pain disorders can see great benefits from the implementation of this intervention. MBSR is increasing in popularity throughout the United States.

Mindful Games can be purchased through Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Book: $12

Playing Cards: $17

Second Step Social Emotional Learning

For my item of interest, I chose the Early Learning Second Step Program.  It is a learning program rooted in social-emotional learning (SEL) aimed at creating a more empathetic society using a holistic approach with teachers, educators, and community members.  This program focuses on children developing and utilizing positive relationships, make smart decisions, gain confidence, be responsible and collaborate with others.  This program can begin in pre-K by teaching listening skills and behavior management and continues on to eighth grade to teach conflict resolution and values.  Concepts are learned by lessons, games, songs, and pictures.  The lessons are taught in four different sections covering: skills for learning, empathy and emotion management, problems solving, and friendship skills.  It is used in over 70 countries, reaching about 14 million students each year.  It is based off of years of research and experience.

This program is based on the evidence that has shown social-emotional learning is imperative to be successful academically, socially, and professionally.  The program has been researched and has been found to be based on best practice. This program provides evidence based education to students.  At my internship, this program has been used by teachers and social workers.  Not all lessons and parts are used fully by teachers; staff utilizes the parts that they feel their class needs at the time.  Social workers tend to use all the parts of the program, tailoring it to different age groups and group needs.   

Below is the link to take you to their site!

http://www.secondstep.org/what-is-second-step

LGBTQ Inclusive Schools

http://www.welcomingschools.org/.  

Welcoming Schools is a website that provides resources for a LGBTQ and gender inclusive school. There is professional development training that they provide to elementary school educators around prevention of bias based bullying, being inclusive in schools and support of Transgender and non binary students.  They also provide resources for those working at a school.

This website provides tips for having an inclusive classroom.  For example, what could that look like and what conversations could be helpful.  They also include ideas of how to respond when a student says harmful things like, "that's so gay".  In addition, they discuss how to initiate these conversations with students who use hurtful language about gender and they give sample responses.  It gives ideas on how to navigate these conversations, which can be difficult, especially with younger students.

There are lessons on how to create an inclusive school and also how to prevent bias bullying.  Also, they mention how books can be a great tool for teaching students to be inclusive and there are lesson plans for the books. 

The HRC Welcoming Schools approach is firmly grounded in research and they also have a case study of the program’s efficacy with 12 schools.  There are numerous videos showing these lessons and the purpose of welcoming schools. This is great resource to have guidance in creating a dialogue with students and a positive environment at your school about being inclusive. It provides support in knowing how to address questions and conflict that come up in schools in order to have a safer and more welcoming school environment.

Thoughts Are Not Facts Activity

Note Card

Birds of a Feather Worksheet

 At my field placement we have a Tier 1 intervention, called Ladies Lunch.  All girls are welcomed to attend.  During ladies lunch we have snacks, do crafts, have discussions, practice mindfulness and coping strategies, and have outside speakers come in who are experts on various topics, from motivational speakers to professionals in careers the girls are interested in pursuing.  A few weeks ago we had a clinical psychologist from the Dupage Health Department come and talk to the girls.  I was really impressed by the activity she did with the girls and how well the girls responded to it, so I asked her if I could share it with my class.  I am at a high school, but I think this activity could work well with younger students and males. It could be done in individual sessions or group sessions. It is designed to be an introduction to mindfulness, focusing thoughts on the present moment, and not allowing the bad or embarrassing moments to overtake our thought processes and shape our sense of identity.

The first step of the activity is to allow students a minute to draw dots on a note card.  Next, students are given the "birds of a feather" worksheet and are asked to check off thoughts that trouble them about themselves.  They are then asked to move on to the next section and check off what thoughts often accompany those thoughts, showing that negative thoughts often "flock together."  The last section of the worksheet focuses on checking off the emotions that student's feel as a result of the negative thoughts they have about themselves.  After giving students some time to process that, she asked the students to look at their note card and compared it to all the moments in our day, week, month, year.  She explained that there are millions of moments, but we tend to hold on to the few moments where we felt embarrassed, like a failure, or less than.  For example, just because you fail one test does not mean you will fail all tests.  She explained the importance of being in the present moment and not allowing negative thoughts to hold you back.  She explained one way to get back into the present moment when students begin having negative thoughts is to just be aware of how you are feeling without any judgement.  Finally, the thoughts are not facts sheet was handed out and gone over.  Students were told to keep this in a folder or notebook and refer back to it when they begin having negative thoughts or emotions. 

Suicidal Ideations

Last Friday at my internship, we had three crises. Three students had to be evaluated because of suicidal ideations. Since this was the most overwhelmed I have ever been at the school I decided to look into some resources to help with the process. I have provided some links as resources when faced with a student that has suicidal idealizations, and we as social workers have to hospitalize them. 

The first link, I find to be the most helpful, comes from the NASW website. Under school social work tool kit, you can find many articles. When I searched suicide, this and a few other tools came up. This PDF is extremely long, however, it gives step by step tools for all suicide related situations that come up in the school. Chapter two is the chapter I focused on because that chapter has guidelines and assessment tools for going through the process of hospitalizing a student. Chapter 3 discusses what to do when a student from the school commits suicide. Chapter 4 also has resources on a few training options social workers can take to be more prepared for the time they have a suicidal student. 

            The next link is also from the NASW website. This link does not go into what to do when you have a student who has suicidal ideations in your office, but just talks about preventative measures to take within the school. The article discuses warning signs to be on the lookout for. 

            The final link is to the Illinois Department of Human Services. This page explains what SASS is, how to get in contact with SASS, and what the purpose of SASS is. The link also explains who is eligible for the SASS services. 

            All these links I have provided are great resources for school social workers to have because unfortunately many students self-harm and have suicidal ideations. It is our job to assess them, call their parents to inform them, and get the students the help and care they need. Our job in this situation is very stressful and overwhelming, which is why understanding what to do is imperative. 

https://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content//SMA12-4669/SMA12-4669.pdf

https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=KAdzT4skAT8%3d&portalid

http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=92597

Impulse Control

Impulse Control

Activities & Worksheets for Elementary Students

This is a great resource for kids that have ADHD or difficulties controlling their impulsive behaviors. You can get it on amazon for $35. It is titled Impulse Control: Activities and Worksheets for Elementary School Students by Tonia Caselman. This book is something I recently came across when searching through my supervisors books for something work on with a student that has ADHD. The worksheets and activities can be used for either individuals or groups. A lot of kids with ADHD have challenges with their impulsive behaviors (acting before thinking). This book has a lesson plan to teach kids how to think before acting which is super helpful for kids with these challenges. The chapters can all be easily copied and printed for use. I haven't used it yet but I am planning on using a worksheet titled "Stop and Think" for the student I am working with that has ADHD. It gives an example of a situation where the student didn't stop and think and the problem that came about when that happened. Then, it gives a blank sheet for the student to fill out a time when they didn't stop and think. It is evidence based that students with ADHD have difficulties controlling their impulsivity, so teaching a child how to help their impulsivity will help them to be more aware and allow them to learn to prevent these types of behaviors.

Item of Interest - I Love Me

Items of Interests - Art Therapy

Summary

The item of interest that I chose is an artistic therapeutic technique. It is called “I Love Me.” The purpose of this activity is for students to better their self-esteem and show them that there’s different things that represent who they are as a whole; this activity can help them love their uniqueness. This activity requires students to write down what makes them, them. They write this on the leaf and paste it to the tree (the tree trunk represents themselves). The picture below is an example however, it can be adjusted using any image of a tree and leaves. It could be as simple as the students cutting out their own tree’s and leaves.

I believe that this is a great idea to use for students who are in 4^th grade all the way to high school students. This is a great activity for student who have low self-esteem or who have feelings of anxiety. It can help show them that they are beautiful in their own unique way. This activity is fun and relaxing; who doesn’t love art?! This activity fits into the School Social Work Model because it is evidence based; art therapy has been shown to reduce feelings of anxiety and has also shown to be a form of relaxation. I have used this activity at my previous internship and the students loved it. I can’t wait to use this in one of my sessions this year.

Activity

 

McKinney-Vento Act

Resource for homeless students

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987: US law provides federal money for shelter programs for the homeless, particularly students who do not have a fixed, regular, and adequate place to sleep at night. It also provides for families who have lost their homes and need to live with friends or relatives.  The goal of the McKinney-Vento Act is to focus on students so that they are able to stay in their old school or attend a school in the area in which they may have had to relocate. During the transition of the family finding stable housing and if the student has to change schools, the student may have a difficult time transitioning and may fall behind.  According to the brochure, students can fall behind as much as 6 months with each school change.  Therefore, having stability can make a great difference in students’ academics.  The key points of the McKinney-Vento law are that children without school or medical records have the right to immediately enroll, the right to be provided with transportation to and from school if needed, and qualify for educational assistance and free lunch.  Children younger than age 5 may also qualify for educational services.

Link
https://www.isbe.net/pages/homeless.aspx

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