The Power of Daily Emotional Check-ins: Transforming Feelings into Actionable Insights

Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Clinch County School System

First Presenter’s Email Address

mwhite@clinchcounty.com

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Marie has been a School Counselor at Clinch County Schools for 19 years. During that time, she has worked with students in Pre-K through 7th grade. She is currently the School Counselor at Clinch County Elementary School and works with students in Pre-K through 5th grade. Marie is also a Georgia Licensed Professional Counselor. When not working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Second Presenter's Institution

Clinch County School System

Second Presenter’s Email Address

ataylor@clinchcounty.com

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Ali has been a middle school counselor with Clinch County Schools for the past three years, marking her 12th year in the Clinch County school system. Before becoming a counselor, she gained diverse experience as a para and pre-K teacher, registrar, and data specialist. Outside of work, Ali loves spending time with her two children and family.

Submitter

I am submitting this proposal as one of the presenter(s)

Location

Westbrook

Strand #1

Health: Mental & Physical Health

Strand #2

Heart: Social & Emotional Skills

Relevance

This presentation focuses on how school counselors are using wellbeing data to promote better mental health among students. By checking in every day, students are developing greater self-awareness, a key aspect of social emotional learning, and communicating their needs with adults in the building. We are then able to follow up with individuals who would benefit from additional support to bolster their mental health.

Brief Program Description

This presentation describes how counselors have used data from a daily check in app to promote better mental health outcomes for students. Presenters will share their experience collecting the data, how it has helped them and their students, and strategies that they have cultivated to address the mental health needs of all learners.

Summary

Outline:

Identifying some of the emotional and mental health challenges that students are facing-

Emotional Well-being: Stress, anxiety, and mood fluctuations affecting learning.

Academic Pressure: Overwhelmed with assignments, exams, and expectations.

Social Dynamics: Navigating friendships, peer pressure, and potential bullying.

Personal Circumstances: Family issues, health concerns, or financial stress.

Digital Overload: Managing screen time and online interactions.

How using WellCheq has helped identify how students are feeling each morning.

How our teams are using the data in real time to be proactive in addressing the emotional and mental health needs of students.

Spotting patterns in emotional well-being to address promptly.

Intervention Strategies:

  • One-on-one meetings with counselors or teachers.

  • Planning for small groups.

  • Parent involvement and outreach.

  • Connection to outside resources.

Resource Allocation: Directing support where it's needed most based on data.

Parental Involvement: Communicating with families when appropriate.

Policy Development: Informing school policies to better support students.

Tangible ideas/strategies that others can take away from this (even if they don’t use WC)-

Regular Check-ins: Start classes with brief discussions about how students are feeling.

Safe Spaces: Create environments where students feel comfortable sharing.

Professional Development: Train staff to recognize and respond to student needs.

It is widely known that many young people are experiencing compromised emotional wellbeing that is diminishing their ability to thrive socially, behaviorally, and academically. Schools are feeling overwhelmed by the needs and trying to identify ways to support individual students while promoting better community wellbeing. This presentation provides unique insight into how school counselors in a small, rural school are using data to systematically address student emotional and mental health needs.

In order to better understand the needs of learners, and ensure nobody slips through the “cracks”, counselors have adopted a new tool called WellCheq. The platform enables students to complete a quick, daily emotional check in that asks them to select the emojis that best represent how they are feeling and rate their overall wellbeing. Students are also able to self-identify as needing support or refer a friend to the counselor through the tool.

This presentation focuses on how counselors are using this type of data to respond to student needs. The speakers will discuss the structures their team has put in place to promote better mental health outcomes for students. Speakers will then share how this type of data has helped them better meet the needs of their students.

Lastly, the presenters will provide audience members with some strategies that they can implement in their communities with or without the use of such a platform. Given the high levels of mental health needs observed among students and limited resources, having a streamlined approach will prove invaluable for all educators.

Evidence

There are a myriad of studies that document the importance of support for young people experiencing compromised emotional wellbeing. Below are articles that discuss the importance of self-awareness, identifying difficult emotions, and having strong relationships with educators for overall student wellbeing.

Torre, J. B., & Lieberman, M. D. (2018). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling as implicit emotion regulation. Emotion Review, 10(2), 116-124.

Ciarrochi, J., Heaven, P. C., & Supavadeeprasit, S. (2008). The link between emotion identification skills and socio-emotional functioning in early adolescence: A 1-year longitudinal study. Journal of adolescence, 31(5), 565-582.

Oberle, E., Guhn, M., Gadermann, A. M., Thomson, K., & Schonert-Reichl, K. A. (2018). Positive mental health and supportive school environments: A population-level longitudinal study of dispositional optimism and school relationships in early adolescence. Social Science & Medicine, 214, 154-161.

Savitz-Romer, M., Nicola, T. P., & Colletta, L. H. (2022). The promise of school counselors: Why they are essential for students' and educators' well-being. American Educator, 46(2), 10-15.

Learning Objective 1

Participants will be able to explain how a daily check-in system can help them better meet the needs of students.

Learning Objective 2

Participants will be able to summarize how they can use student wellbeing data to address the needs of their learners.

Learning Objective 3

Participants will be able to describe strategies that they can implement within their schools to bolster youth mental health.

Keyword Descriptors

School counseling, mental health, youth, data-informed, wellbeing, Social Emotional Learning

Presentation Year

2025

Start Date

3-3-2025 10:15 AM

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Mar 3rd, 10:15 AM

The Power of Daily Emotional Check-ins: Transforming Feelings into Actionable Insights

Westbrook

This presentation describes how counselors have used data from a daily check in app to promote better mental health outcomes for students. Presenters will share their experience collecting the data, how it has helped them and their students, and strategies that they have cultivated to address the mental health needs of all learners.