Grant helps MP counselors with mental health issues

MT. PLEASANT - The Mt. Pleasant school district guidance counselors recently received a grant for $18,000 from Southeast Iowa Link, a community organization that is aimed at connecting community members to mental health resources.

The grant from Southeast Iowa Link is aimed at specifically combating the mental health crisis that has come with COVID-19 and the social isolation due to social distancing guidelines.

Mt. Pleasant guidance counselors are using this funding to bring a new social-emotional learning curriculum to the district as well as helping district families in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The district has recently adopted a new social-emotional learning curriculum in the high school and elementary schools. At the elementary level, they will be adopting Second Step's curriculum, which was already implemented at the middle school earlier this year.

According to elementary guidance counselor Sara LeBlanc, the program aims at teaching students life skills that will aid them in becoming functioning members of society, such as, problem-solving skills, communication skills, confidence and more.

'It's difficult for them to navigate it so we just want to provide them with life skills so that they can be successful in life, but right now it's a just really tough time,” LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc teaches 42 classes and meets with every class every two weeks to teach social-emotional learning and life skills. LeBlanc has already implemented the second step curriculum in all classes in the kindergarten through second grade.

At the high school level, they will be adopting a social-emotional learning curriculum called 'Character Strong” which aims at teaching students how to cope, mindfulness, good character and a growth mindset.

Spear headed by high school guidance counselor Ashlei Venghaus, the program will be implemented by advisory teachers in lessons during the advisory periods on Fridays.

'There is just a lot of uncertainty and turmoil right now in our country and in our world. With all of that people can develop anxieties and underlying anxiety problems can come to the surface,” Venghaus said.

'These approaches and curriculum is to provide a resource or a tool for parents, and it's a tool for students to cope healthily,” she added.

Not only did the grant pay for a new social-emotional learning curriculum, but it also paid for training for all three counselors on the 'Nurtured Heart Approach” that aims at helping students, families and teachers cope with the uncertainty and turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic.

'We were trying to figure out how we can help families during this time because families are pushed in a lot of different directions financially, emotionally and physically,” Venghaus said.

'So we were brainstorming what we could do to help our families, and we came up with the Nurtured Heart Approach, which is a way to work with kids in a positive manner,” she added.

With new training and programs in place to combat the mental and emotional effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, elementary guidance counselor Sara LeBlanc said she is glad that the schools are still open and in face-to-face learning models. Since it has been proven that remote, or hybrid learning environments has effects on students mental health as well as parents'.

'Having the school open and having kids face-to-face has been really good for them, it's important for kids to see their teachers and for their teachers to see them,” LeBlanc said.

'Elementary students just do a better job learning when they are in the class engaging with their friends, and with their teachers versus online learning. It's just a happy, healthier place for them,” She added.