Covid-19 Advocacy Leadership Plan (9-12) by Nadine Vitenas https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi en-us 2021-01-21 01:11:34 UTC 2021-01-21 01:49:48 UTC hello@padlet.com Advocacy Leadership Plan nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108171212 As a school counselor in Metairie, Louisiana who works in Jefferson Parish, I have noticed that an advocacy effort is needed for our students, grades 9-12. My school administration has asked me to develop an Advocacy Leadership Plan or ALP to address challenges the students are experiencing. Due to COVID-19 many students have reported feeling anxious, depressed, and fearful of the pandemic. This ALP will help other administrations and those working in the school system to better understand the impacts of COVID-19 and discover how everyone can best support one another to give the students the most normal year possible, considering the situation on the pandemic. 

]]> 2021-01-21 01:11:53 UTC https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108171212 The Advocacy Issue nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108172519 The advocacy issue for the students is mental health concerns due to the stressors of COVID-19. Students are back to online learning, which creates social isolation. This can cause psychological distress among students. Mental health concerns of the students is mentioned thoroughly in this article:  Mental Health in High School Students at the Time of COVID-19: A Student’s Perspective. The article states that there has been an increase of mental health problems and trauma, quarantining, and grief can escalate the risk of mental illness (Thakur, 2020). In terms of student achievement, some lower-economical class students do not have access to the internet or a computer at home (Garcia & Weiss, 2020). This in turn causes a gap in achievement from lower-class students to upper-class students (Garcia & Weiss, 2020). Also, students who had a high number of absences may be likely to drop out due to a lack of support (Garcia & Weiss, 2020). The behavior among students has proven to be unmotivated, socially distant, anxious, and depressed. 

]]> 2021-01-21 01:12:46 UTC https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108172519 The Program nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108174467 The program that I have designed for the advocacy leadership plan is to educate parents and teachers about what to do and look for in students who are experiencing signs of isolation, sadness, anxiety, fear, and other symptoms, feelings, and behaviors associated with adverse responses to COVID-19. Students will receive resources to learn healthy coping skills and the signs of different mental illnesses. Administering healthy coping skills for students is supported by the article, Mental Health in High School Students at the Time of COVID-19: A Student’s Perspective because it develops resiliency. Online support groups will also be created to help students engage socially and learn tactics to cope with mental and emotional distress. By creating support groups online, school counselors will help students to “overcome loneliness and bridge the social distance” (Radwan et al., 2020, p.2).

]]> 2021-01-21 01:13:36 UTC https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108174467 The Program Goal nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108176277 The students in grades 9-12, who have been affected negatively by covid-19 via increased levels of anxiety, depression, or other adverse psychological symptoms will experience a decrease in these negative emotions within 3 months. I am expecting a 20-25% decrease in their symptoms within this time period. The way I expect this to manifest is in happier and more positive demeanors from the students. I will be measuring the students’ demeanor and mood via two subjective questionnaires. The first is the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4), which will help designate if the student is having higher than deemed normal stress levels (Perceived Stress Scale 4 (PSS-4), 2015). The second questionnaire, The Patient Health Questionnaire for Depression and Anxiety (PHQ-4), will help dive deeper into how these perceived stress levels may be manifesting themselves as either anxiety or depression (Kroenke et al., 2009). I am modeling my questionnaires off a study done in March and April of 2020, which showed significant increases in anxiety and depression among high school and college students at the peak of covid-19 (Aiyer et al., 2020). The students will show progression from severe or high levels of negative psychological emotions (whether it be depression, anxiety, etc.)  to at least moderate levels in 3 months. Progress may be limited or slowed due to the inability to meet in person with groups. Group interventions will need to be virtual due to covid-19. There are currently no group therapy programs at my school, and the personal virtual sessions are very limited, if even existent. The group therapy session will help the students to address their anxiety and depression along with other negative mental health attributes. The sessions will also teach the students proper coping mechanisms to help with not only this crisis but others that may arise in the future as well. 

]]> 2021-01-21 01:14:18 UTC https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108176277 ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108177461 Category 1: Mindset Standards
  • M 1. Belief in self, balance of well-being
  • M3. Sense of community in school 
  • M 6. Positivity toward work and learning
Category 2: Behavior Standards
  • Learning Strategies
    • B-LS 7. Develop long and short-term goals for social/emotional outcomes
    • B-LS 10. Partake in extracurricular activities 
  • Self-Management Skills
    • B-SMS 7. When faced with a problem, students will demonstrate healthy coping skills
    • B-SMS 8. Balance school, home, and community activities
    • B-SMS 10. With changing situations and responsibilities the students will manage transitions and adapt.
  • Social Skills
    • B-SS 2. Build supportive and positive relationships with other students
]]> 2021-01-21 01:15:07 UTC https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108177461 Involving Stakeholders nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108178268 The stakeholders for this program include: parents, students, teachers, and school counselors. The teachers will receive educational resources for warning signs of mental illnesses and what to look for in terms of negative psychological behavior as a response to covid-19. Dr. Isaiah Pickens is a licensed clinical psychologist and former employee of NYU as well as UCLA. Dr. Pickens wrote a helpful piece for teachers that will allow them to notice warning signs during virtual learning (Pickens, 2020). This piece can be found via the link: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-10-07-virtual-signs-of-serious-mental-health-problems-a-teacher-s-guide-to-protecting-students.  Parents will receive the same information as well as parenting guides and coping mechanisms in response to covid-19 to assist their children during this troubling time ("Helping Children Cope With Changes Resulting From COVID-19", 2020). This resource can be found by visiting the following website: https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/helping-children-cope-with-changes-resulting-from-covid-19. Students will receive handouts and social media avenues for coping skills and signs of mental distress. One of the social media avenues is YouTube and on this platform Dr. Paul Jenkins discusses coping skills for covid-19 (Jenkins, 2020). This YouTube video can be accessed at the following link: https://youtu.be/BRgOHVPMCmQ. Students will also partake in questionnaires to determine their mental wellness. The students who are eligible for the support group are those who score with the highest levels of distress. The school counselors will score the questionnaires, distribute all of the resources to all parties (via email), and lead support groups online via webchat. 
The support groups will be divided by grade, consist of 12 weeks, and two visits (via video chat) a week. In these support groups the students will discuss their distress, adaptability to change, healthy and unhealthy coping skills, and journal every week to determine effectiveness of their coping skills. The journal will also serve as talking points for each session. The school counselor will administer a coping skills questionnaire before the first session, after the 3rd week, the 6th week, 9th week, and after the last session.   


]]> 2021-01-21 01:15:42 UTC https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108178268 Resource List for Students, Parents, and Teachers nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108179971 Resource List]]> 2021-01-21 01:16:47 UTC https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108179971 The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Students nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108188804 2021-01-21 01:22:42 UTC https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108188804 Guide to Virtual School Counseling for School Counselors nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108194066 2021-01-21 01:26:11 UTC https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108194066 Resources for Parents nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108218609 2021-01-21 01:43:39 UTC https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108218609 Teacher Self-Care nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108219726 2021-01-21 01:44:25 UTC https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108219726 Depression nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108221872 2021-01-21 01:45:56 UTC https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108221872 nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108222076 2021-01-21 01:46:04 UTC https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108222076 Other Adverse Psychological Symptoms nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108222267 Including an escalation of grief, trauma, and isolation.]]> 2021-01-21 01:46:11 UTC https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108222267 References nadinereneey https://padlet.com/nadinereneey/b7kvvqn3jrc4hsgi/wish/1108225384 Aiyer, A., Surani, S., Gill, Y., Ratnani, I., & Sunesara, S. (2020). COVID-19 ANXIETY AND STRESS SURVEY (CASS) IN HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS DUE TO CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019. Chest, 158(4), A314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2020.08.312  
Bufka, L., & Wright, V. (2020). Coping in the era of coronavirus: A webinar for students. https://www.apa.org. Retrieved 10 January 2021, from https://www.apa.org/education/coping-webinar-students. 
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 385-396. 
Garcia, E., & Weiss, E. (2020). COVID-19 and student performance, equity, and U.S. education policy: Lessons from pre-pandemic research to inform relief, recovery, and rebuilding. Economic Policy Institute. Retrieved 10 January 2021, from https://www.epi.org/publication/the-consequences-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-for-education-performance-and-equity-in-the-united-states-what-can-we-learn-from-pre-pandemic-research-to-inform-relief-recovery-and-rebuilding/. 
Helping Children Cope With Changes Resulting From COVID-19. National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). (2020). Retrieved 10 January 2021, from https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/helping-children-cope-with-changes-resulting-from-covid-19. 
Jenkins, Paul [Live on Purpose TV]. (2020). 5 Mental Health Coping Skills | COVID-19 Anxiety [Youtube Channel]. Retrieved 10 January 2021, from https://youtu.be/BRgOHVPMCmQ.
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B., & Löwe, B. (2009). An ultra-brief screening scale for anxiety and depression: the PHQ-4. Psychosomatics, 50(6), 613–621. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psy.50.6.613 
Perceived Stress Scale 4 (PSS-4). (2015). [PDF]. Retrieved 10 January 2021, from https://ohnurses.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Perceived-Stress-Scale-4.pdf. 
PHQ-4: THE FOUR-ITEM PATIENT HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. (2016). [PDF]. Retrieved 10 January 2021, from https://www.oregonpainguidance.org/app/content/uploads/2016/05/PHQ-4.pdf. 
Pickens, I. (2020). Virtual Signs of Serious Mental Health Problems: A Teacher’s Guide to Protecting Students - EdSurge News. EdSurge. Retrieved 10 January 2021, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-10-07-virtual-signs-of-serious-mental-health-problems-a-teacher-s-guide-to-protecting-students. 
Radwan, E., Radwan, A., & Radwan, W. (2020). The Mental Health of School Students and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Aquademia, 4(2), ep20020. https://doi.org/10.29333/aquademia/8394 
Resources for Helping Kids and Parents Cope Amidst COVID-19. Aacap.org. (2020). Retrieved 10 January 2021, from https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Resource_Libraries/covid-19/resources_helping_kids_parents_cope.aspx. 
Steele, T. (2021). Virtual High School Counseling | American School Counselor Association (ASCA). Schoolcounselor.org. Retrieved 10 January 2021, from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/school-counselors/professional-development/learn-more/virtual-high-school-counseling. 
Thakur A. (2020). Mental Health in High School Students at the Time of COVID-19: A Student's Perspective. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(12), 1309–1310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.08.005 
Treleaven, K. (2020). Teachers, How Can We Care for Our Mental Health Right Now?. WeAreTeachers. Retrieved 10 January 2021, from https://www.weareteachers.com/mental-health-during-covid/. 




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