(Public School System) — On Friday, Jan. 14, 2022, PSS Mental Health hosted First Aid For Feelings Virtual Workshop via Blackboard. Blackboard is a web-based virtual learning environment used by students, teachers, and staff to implement curriculum through an online interface. First Aid for Feelings was sourced from a Scholastic Workbook designed to assist students in learning mental health coping strategies that can help alleviate emotional stress, improve concentration, and enhance brain development.
Approximately 50 participants had the opportunity to engage in the activities through the facilitator and the student lens. This training was offered to PSS elementary school teachers in the district to model the activities and strategies they can implement in their classroom and office settings to help our students cope with Covid-related anxieties.
The training was facilitated by Vannah Hocog, behavioral health specialist from Rota, and Mary Hocog, behavioral health specialist from Tinian.
According to Mary Hocog, “Modeling the activities in the workbook was such a fun way to interact with our teachers and counselors and provide them with strategies to help our elementary students cope with Covid-19 related anxiety. Covid-19 has impacted all of us in some way or another, so we’re glad that we were able to share helpful tools with our teachers and counselors to guide our students in navigating through this new normal.”
Vannah Hocog said, “As we go through this “new normal,” I was delighted to share this beneficial resource with our elementary teachers and counselors. I hope that the activities and strategies provided in this demonstration will empower our educators to have these open conversations with their students and practice these coping strategies when facing difficult times.”
Overall, the virtual workshop allowed PSS elementary teachers to open an additional resource to help better support our students in this trying time of Covid and the anxieties that come along with it. With this training, they are better equipped with the tools to alleviate the stresses they may face in this new way of living in the ongoing pandemic.
