Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Family Recovery of Southwest Georgia

Second Presenter's Institution

Family Recovery of Southwest Georgia

Third Presenter's Institution

NA

Fourth Presenter's Institution

NA

Fifth Presenter's Institution

NA

Location

Session 4 Breakouts

Strand #1

Health: Mental & Physical Health

Strand #2

Heart: Social & Emotional Skills

Relevance

This proposal relates to the HEALTH strand in that it focuses on providing support and mental health care to students and staff in difficult circumstances. It relates to HEART in that it offers strategies for providing social and emotional skills and encouraging emotional health.

Brief Program Description

The global pandemic of Covid-19 placed protecting physical health at the forefront of all of our minds. However, the mental and emotional impact of stress, quarantine, social distance, political and social turmoil, and virtual learning is enormous. This presentation will outline strategies for effectively managing stress while also understanding how to effectively communicate with students and parents who are struggling.

Summary

While the world has always been full of tragedy, 2020 brought on unprecedented change and uncertainty to all of us. Students and teachers alike have experienced massive changes on the local, national, and global levels. Because of the major role that schools play in communities, school staff find themselves as front line workers in regards to managing the stress of community members. The Covid-19 pandemic added the challenge of physical distance and technological issues that have kept educators apart from the students they are committed to caring for. Administrators are under incredible pressure to manage the varied emotions of staff, parents, children, and often the community at large. While maintaining physical health of personnel and students is an obvious priority, maintaining the mental and emotional health of those involved in the school system is also vital.

Using attachment theory, systems thinking, and trauma theory, this presentation will discuss how to effectively manage the unexpected questions and conversations that are inevitable when dealing with students and their families. We will discuss how to respond to those directly involved in a crisis and how to effectively talk to children and students about difficult situations. We will also discuss the real threat of burnout and caregiver fatigue and provide strategies for prioritizing self-awareness and self care.

Participants will discuss how our reactions to stress affect others. We will provide examples and reasoning behind both helpful and unhelpful responses to crisis. Participants will be encouraged to discuss how they have been successful in dealing with crises in their own settings. Interventions for all ages will be discussed with a focus on trauma-informed practices and healthy boundaries.

Evidence

This presentation will show evidence from research in trauma, attachment, and systems. Trauma experts such as Bessel van der Kolk and Judith Herman, attachment research by Susan Johnson, and interpersonal neurobiology work by Daniel Siegel will all be utilized and discussed.

Learning Objectives

  1. Define vicarious trauma and discuss how vicarious trauma has affected students and staff

  2. Learn regulation skills to manage difficult situations

  3. Identify language that will allow for effective communication.

Biographical Sketch

Elizabeth Marston is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker living in Moultrie, Georgia. She completed her MSW at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has pursued advanced training in trauma and completed basic training for EMDR. In her private practice, she works with individuals of all ages, couples, and families. She specializes in working with clients diagnosed with personality disorders as well as complex trauma.

Sam Marion is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker from Moultrie, Georgia. He completed his MSW at the University of Georgia. He has advanced training in trauma, play therapy, and EMDR. Fluent in Spanish, Sam enjoys being able to provide services to clients throughout the community. He enjoys using sand tray, art, play, and other expressive therapies when working with people of varying ages, as well as couples and families, within his private practice setting.

Keyword Descriptors

trauma, communication, stress

Presentation Year

2021

Start Date

3-9-2021 10:05 AM

End Date

3-9-2021 11:05 AM

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Mar 9th, 10:05 AM Mar 9th, 11:05 AM

Communication and Self-Care in Times of Stress

Session 4 Breakouts

The global pandemic of Covid-19 placed protecting physical health at the forefront of all of our minds. However, the mental and emotional impact of stress, quarantine, social distance, political and social turmoil, and virtual learning is enormous. This presentation will outline strategies for effectively managing stress while also understanding how to effectively communicate with students and parents who are struggling.