Iowa School Mental Health Newsletter | May 2024
Scanlan Center for School Mental Health
The state's hub for school mental health research, professional development, and clinical services.
Make mental health a priority this May with our free mindfulness activities. Promote calm with short meditation breaks, engage the mind through activity pages, or re-energize with coloring sheets - perfect for your students or yourself!?
?Three new audio-guided activities just launched to help enhance focus and reduce stress:?
Visit our Mindfulness Activities page to download, print, and listen.?
Resource Central
Suicide affects many of our youth and can have serious consequences, including negative mental health outcomes, increased risk of subsequent attempts, and death. This practice brief by Laura Gallo, Ph.D. provides K-12 educators with evidence-based resources to identify and intervene when students are struggling with suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Experts constantly emphasize the importance of adequate sleep for optimal well-being. As educators, we likely even promote healthy sleep habits for our students. But do we give that same attention to our own sleep habits? In this blog, learn 7 tips to improve your sleep quality and boost focus, energy, and well-being.
This summer, prioritize yourself with our?Educator Empowerment Group.?In 8 weekly virtual sessions, strengthen your skills around emotional regulation, setting boundaries, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness. The group will meet online 1x per week for 60 minutes and is open to PreK-12 educators, school administrators, school counselors, and other school staff in Iowa. The next group runs?June 12 - July 31 on Wednesdays from 10-11 a.m. CT.?
n today's digitally-driven world, social media and technology play an integral role in our students' lives. But what happens when tech use becomes excessive or detrimentally affects our students’ emotional and mental health? In this podcast episode, Dr. Kari Vogelgesang welcomes Dr. Jacqueline Nesi to explore the latest tech research, healthy ways to incorporate it into our lives and classrooms, and safeguards that educators and parents should consider.
Over the past two years,?the Scanlan Center’s Workforce Expansion Graduate Student (WEGs) Program has been training students to fill the dire shortage of school mental health professionals. As the program wraps up this May, our doctoral students reflect on the knowledge, skills, and projects that have prepared them for the future. Read about the impact of the program and how the students will apply their experience.
Join via Zoom or in person! Join us for a special presentation by Dr. Elizabeth Hoffman, Associate Director of the ABCD Project at the?National Institute on Drug Abuse. She will explore the impacts of screen use on pre-teens. K-12 administrators, educators, and faculty/staff interested in school mental health research are welcome. Complimentary lunch will be provided for in-person attendees.
Professional Development
Check out our professional learning opportunities for PreK-12 educators and school staff. Iowa teachers can earn Iowa Licensure Renewal Units through select training.?See all upcoming offerings.
May 2024
Online | Contemporary Clinical Suicidology: Assessment, Treatment, and Ethics
Wednesday, May 15 from 12 - 2 p.m.
?Each year, 15 million adults and youth in the United States experience serious thoughts of suicide. This free?webinar?aims to empower?mental health providers (including psychologists, social workers, and counselors)?across the state of Iowa?to learn how to use suicide-focused screening and assessment. Ethical considerations?related to suicidal risk?will also?be thoroughly reviewed.
June 2024
Online | Prioritizing Health and Well-Being: Introduction to Secondary Traumatic Stress
Thursday, June 6 from 10 - 11 a.m.
This webinar focuses on recognizing the signs and symptoms of secondary traumatic stress and introduces proactive and responsive strategies to support ongoing healing and wellbeing. Participants will develop personal and professional strategies to promote well-being in their daily lives.
In-Person | LivingWorks safeTALK
Tuesday, June 18 from 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. (University of Iowa Lindquist Center)?
?safeTALK prepares people to be more alert to suicide and to help persons with thoughts of suicide make safe connections. The intervention goal is that persons with thoughts of suicide connect with someone who will help them keep safe from suicide and access further support.
领英推荐
In-Person | School Leaders Nurturing Well-Being: Developing Resilience in Self and Others
Wednesday, June 19 from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Iowa City, Iowa)?
?Join us for a transformative K-12 leadership conference dedicated to fostering well-being within school communities. In an era of rising stress for administrators and teachers, and increasing turnover rates, this conference offers a holistic approach to addressing the well-being of teachers and?students. Designed for principals, superintendents, curriculum directors, and school board members, you'll leave equipped with valuable insights and actionable tools to create supportive environments that promote the well-being of all school community members.
July 2024
In-Person | Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
Thursday, July 18 - Friday, July 19 from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CT (University of Iowa Lindquist Center)?
?ASIST is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first-aid. ASIST teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. As the world’s leading suicide intervention workshop, LivingWorks’ ASIST program is supported by numerous evaluations including independent and peer-reviewed studies.
September 2024
In-Person | 2024 Iowa BEST Summit
Sunday, September 15 - Monday, September 16 (Coralville, Iowa)
?Our team is gearing up for the 2024 Iowa BEST Summit! This year's theme is "All In for School Mental Health and Well-Being." We are excited to announce keynote speaker?Dr. Wendy Borlabi,?High-Performance Expert + Director of Performance and Mental Health for the Chicago Bulls, at the opening session on Sunday, September 15 from 1:30 - 3 p.m.? Bookmark the Summit web page for the latest updates. Reserve your hotel room now with this discount code!
On your time, at your pace
Online | Self-Care for Self-Preservation: Educator Edition
On your time, at your pace over 8 weeks
?Take an 8-week journey rooted in well-being and reflection. You will synthesize wellness skills like mindful movement and breath work, and compose plans for committing to practicing wellness techniques and habits for a healthy present and future.?Earn 1 Iowa Licensure Renewal Credit!
Season 2 | Educator Wellness Podcast
On your time, at your pace
?Watch or listen, and then reflect on each of the 8 episodes in Season 2 of the Educator Wellness Podcast to earn 1 free Iowa Licensure Renewal Credit. All 8?episodes have been released. Tune in on the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health's YouTube channel or your favorite podcasting platform.
Online | School Mental Health and Well-Being Modules
On your time, at your pace
?Learn from national social-emotional-behavioral health experts in a convenient, online format. Our self-paced modules include topics such as: Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports; Establishing Bully-Free Classrooms and Schools; Self-Care Regimen for Educators; Trauma Informed Restorative Practices; and more. Earn 1 Iowa Licensure Renewal Credit with completion of 6 modules!
Online | LivingWorks Start Suicide Prevention Training
On your time, at your pace
?In just 90 minutes,?LivingWorks Start?will train you to recognize when someone may be thinking about suicide and how to connect them to help and support. Start is an evidence-based, entry program into suicide alertness, so that everyone can play a role in preventing suicide. We will provide a?free access code?to the?first 100 Iowans to register. You will have 60 days to complete the training.
More Mental Well-Being Supports
Do your students or staff need mental health support? In preparation for summer,?the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health Clinic will only accept new individual short-term counseling referrals for clients aged 14 and older starting April 1. We will continue to accept new referrals for educators throughout the summer. We will resume accepting new referrals for students aged 10+ in August 2024.?School administrators, AEAs, and Iowa school mental health providers can refer eligible students, while school staff can self-refer by emailing?[email protected].
All PreK-12 educators in Iowa have free, immediate access to?Togetherall, an anonymous, 24/7 digital?mental?health?and peer support community that is monitored by?mental?health?professionals.?Togetherall provides an online community where educators can share feelings and experiences in a confidential space with those who understand what they’re going through.
A resource to help Iowa educators and students find a therapist.?Welltrack Connect?- a free resource for PreK-12 educators and students in Iowa - streamlines referrals and makes it easy to search for and contact licensed therapists, counselors, psychologists, and psychiatric medication providers. Educators and students can search on:?scsmh.org.welltrack-connect.com.