May is Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and May 9 is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. 

High leverage classroom-based strategies for supporting student mental health:

• Positive greetings at the door

• Raise awareness by sharing SAP info with families and students via Seesaw/Canvas, and by posting and sharing the 9-8-8 and other crisis line information with older students

• Utilize time set aside for SEL/advisory to incorporate modeling and practicing stress reduction strategies

• For more information, see this guide to supporting student mental health needs from the U.S. Department of Education

https://www.samhsa.gov/about/digital-toolkits/childrens-mental-health-awareness-day

Did You Know?

All SEP students and any member of their household have access to 6 free counseling sessions through our Student Assistance Program. In addition, SEP Junior High students have access to small group SAP sessions at school, and Middle School and High School students can access their free individual sessions from a counselor at school. 

If you have a student who you think might benefit, reach out to one of the counselors to discuss this further.

Educator Learning

If you’re interested in learning more about student mental health, you might want to consider one of the following options:

• Youth Mental Health First Aid, which is offered at SEP each summer. If you’d like to be added to the waitlist for June 5, please email Amy Anderson. 

• Iowa Safe Schools Academy offers many courses related to student mental health, including Anxiety Awareness & Advocacy , Depression Awareness & Advocacy, Mental Health Systems, Supports & Awareness, and more 

• The Scanlan Center for School Mental Health from the University of Iowa offers webinars and workshops, online-demand courses available for license renewal credit (a great option for using your TQ funds!), podcasts, and more 

Educator Wellness:

Educator wellness is associated with student wellness and healthy school climates. Remember to take advantage of wellness programs that SEP offers, including:

• Employee Assistance Program - 6 free counseling sessions for you or any member of your household

• Employee Wellness Program

• The Scanlan Center mentioned above also offers ongoing virtual educator wellness groups with topics including grief and loss and educator empowerment