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Throughout the pandemic mental health has been a concern. Often times we believe that children cannot have these effects. I am here to advocate for children in grades K-8 who are experiencing hardships due to the ongoing pandemic. Children in these grades have shown an increase in negative behaviors while attending school. This includes, but is not limited to irritability, aggressiveness, clinginess, poor concentration, and withdrawal from activities and friends.
Not only are schools trying to make up lost time for learning but children need mental health care now more than ever before. "The grief, anxiety, and depression children have experienced during the pandemic is welling over into classrooms and hallways, resulting in crying and disruptive behavior in many younger kids and increased violence and bullying among adolescents" (Vestal, 2021). For some kids, the pressure of school is just too great.

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American Psychological Association. (2020, September 22). Student mental health during and after COVID-19: How can schools identify youth who need support? http://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/student-mental-health

American School Counselor Association (2004). ASCA National Standards for Students. Alexandria, VA: Author.

American School Counselor Association. (2019a). ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (4th ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.

Eagle, J.W., Dowd-Eagle, S.E., Snyder, A., & Holtzman, E.G. (2015). Implementing a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS): Collaboration between school psychologists and administrators to promote systems-level change. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 25, 160-177.

Hamilton. (n.d.). How to Support Your Family's Mental Health. Children and Youth Mental Health During Covid-19. photograph. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from https://www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus/child-and-youth-mental-health-during-covid-19.

Vestal, C. (2021, November 8). [web log]. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2021/11/08/covid-harmed-kids-mental-health-and-schools-are-feeling-it.

World Health Organization. (2019). Helping Children Cope with Stress During the 2019 Covid Outbreak. Child Mental Health During Covid-19. photograph. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://www.who.int/pmnch/covid-19/toolkits/child/mental-health/en/.

YouTube. (2020). Covid life and Kids' Mental Health. YouTube. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDw2361nIbY.

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In order for students to achieve their goals, they need to have the correct mindset and behaviors to access their fullest potential. I have listed the core mindset and behavior standards below directly from the ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success, which we will be focusing on through the healing process of Covid-19.

*M 1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being
*M 2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support and inclusion for self and others in the school environment
*M 3. Positive attitude toward work and learning
Although all mindsets in the ASCA are very important to fuel a student's learning ability, I have chosen the three above to focus on. These three mindsets are important for children to not only get through the social aspect of covid but to get backing into learning routines as well. Children first must feel comfortable mentally and physically before they are able to learn. Students must accept themselves and the opinion of others and how they handle the pandemic. Lastly, students will learn once they have developed a positive attitude towards learning. The ASCA Student Standards also sets behavior standards for counselors to help their students demonstrate. These standards are divided up into three core aspects, learning strategies, self-management skills, and social skills. I have chosen one behavior standard from each core aspect to help the students focus on. These standards will allow students to start making their own opinions by learning the correct facts. It will also teach them how to cope with the changes that are caused by the pandemic. Also, these standards will teach students that not everyone will have the same opinions and that is okay. It is important for students to remain positive towards and supportive to each other. Below I have listed the three main behavior standards to focus on.
B-LS 9. Decision-making informed by
gathering evidence, getting
others’ perspectives and
recognizing personal bias
B-SMS 10. Ability to manage transitions
and adapt to change
B-SS 2. Positive, respectful and supportive
relationships with students who are
similar to and different from them
(American School Counselor Association, 2019)

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In order for students to thrive at school, they first must feel safe in school.  “Schools that are focusing purely on academics without helping kids feel like things are back to normal, are really struggling" (Vestal, 2021). My goal as the school counselor is to use questionnaires that will show the students who are struggling to maintain their mental health while in school. "An established method to identify students who may have difficulties with anxiety or depression is through systematic screening of the school population" (American Psychological Association, 2020). Since my primary focus are grades k-8 teachers will assist students with the questionnaires.
These questionnaires will be brief and focus on the students’ emotions and classroom behaviors. Teachers will also be asked to give the names of students who are appearing emotionally distressed or saddened to the counselor. These questions can be completed through a secure network online in order for them to be appropriately scored in a timely manner. The school's mental health professionals will obtain the scores from the software and use them to identify the students who are appearing to be at risk for mental health issues. This questionnaire will be given again after a month to see if their mental health issues are prolonged (American Psychological Association, 2020). School mental health professionals can then provide direct support to the students who are at risk for mental health disorders by providing a support group for the students, "this would involve in-school individual or group counseling as part of a multi-tiered system of support" (Eagle et al., 2015). School counselors can also connect students to the correct outside resource that will best serve their needs.

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"The role of a leader for school counselors includes working collaboratively within the school community as an effective agent of change through the use of data-driven school counseling programs and services that are communicated to stakeholders" (American School Counselor Association, 2004). It is essential that school counselors act as leaders in the school in order to better serve the students. Although there are many different ways this can be done, collaborating with individuals who have direct contact with the student such as teachers, parents, and the community is one-way school counselors can show leadership.
When collaboration is done correctly in the schools and out of the schools students can achieve goals that they never thought they could and have a deeper understanding of the differences between one another. Each of the stakeholders listed above plays an essential role in creating this ALP. Parents are key to learning new information about the students. Parents are also actively involved in their student's educations and need to trust counselors that they will guide their child in the right direction. Teachers play an important role in a child's education because they spend most of their time with that child and can detect when their behaviors are abnormal. The community is an essential stakeholder because often times we reach out to other services to help our students when we are unable to. All stakeholders that are involved in a child's education need to collaborate to help the student reach their goal. Not only is it beneficial to the students but it is also very resourceful for the school counselor as well to work and collaborate with the teachers, parents, and other administrators/businesses that are directly involved with the student. This will allow each individual a chance to help the student achieve their goals without taking on the burden alone. Working together builds effective teams and stronger relationships.