President's Letter: Being Well in Difficult Times

For the past several months, cities, districts, schools, teachers, counselors, families and students have experienced the challenges, changes and uncertainties of daily life in a pandemic. Furthermore, the pandemic has revealed many health and educational inequalities that create additional stressors for families and students of color. According to the Centers for Disease Control, stress during an infectious disease outbreak can sometimes cause the following: sleep disturbances; health problems; exacerbation of mental health conditions; increased use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco; and fear and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones, your financial situation or job, or loss of necessary support services.

Although disruptions are essential for change, as stated by Dr. Sara Martucci, professor of sociology at Mercy College, disruptions can also exacerbate learning barriers in the school environment. Therefore, it is imperative to create a comprehensive school counseling program that not only includes academic and career services but focuses on the social/emotional needs of all students. Given frequent correlation between academic and emotional problem, students affected by mental health issues can manifest difficulties that compromise their long-term educational attainments, emotional well-being and occupational success.

To support schools, students, and families, school counselors must ensure that they are focused on their own self-care. Self-care is not an indulgent activity; it is a professional obligation. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) addresses self-care as an ethical mandate. According to ASCA Ethical Standard B.3., school counselors must monitor their own well-being to ensure they are effective in their roles. Therefore, school counselors must first develop their own self-care plan:

1. Make self-care a career-long focus.
2. Plans must promote your emotional, physical, mental and spiritual well-being to support your professional responsibilities.
3. Plans must be realistic.

Here are several relevant resources:

• ASCA offers several Tips for Practicing Self Care
• Self-Care for Staff Flyer (Erin Hassall, Family Support Center)
• GLAD Handout

Professional collaboration can be another way to support districts, schools, teachers, school counselors, families and students. ASCA Ethical Standard A.6., “Appropriate Referrals and Advocacy,” offers several tips for collaborating with other mental health professionals when student assistance is needed:

• identifying early warning signs of student distress
• providing a list of resources to students and parents or guardians
• remaining aware of state laws and local district policies related to students with special needs
• refraining from allowing your personal beliefs or values to influence the services that you provide
• establishing a collaborative relationship with outside service providers to best serve the students

One outside partner that is often overlooked is the counselor educator. Counselor education programs can be a source of support, expertise and professional development for school counselors. A working partnership between school counselors and counselor educators can address student mental health needs and provide support to the school and communities.

Coping with stress in a healthy way creates resiliency. Therefore, school counselors are in a unique position to recognize and respond to the diverse mental health needs of students during these unprecedented times. Supporting yourself will have a direct impact on the support you provide to your students and school community.

Contact Cynthia Walley, Ph.D., NYSSCA president, at president@nyssca.org.