And….. we’re back!

Welcome back to the Educators and Self-Injury Blog! I hope this update finds you and yours safely making your way through this wildly challenging year. It is more important than ever to focus in on mental health and meaningful and effective social-emotional learning (SEL) and effective coping strategies for ourselves and our students. In this “welcome back” blog, I wanted to share a brief training I provided for families in my school district and introduce you to a new collaborator for this website.

Social Emotional Learning for Parents and Families

Lauren Appel, School Counselor and Behavior Specialist

When preparing for a recent presentation (on Zoom of course!) for the San Diego Office of Education, I came across a wonderful article about responding to Non-Suicidal Self Injury in schools by a school counselor from North Carolina. I was so impressed that I reached out to her and she has agreed to become a collaborator on future blog posts! I am so grateful to have met her. Here’s a short bio:

Lauren Appel attended The College of William and Mary where she received her bachelor’s in psychology and the University of Virginia where she received her master’s degree in Counselor Education. She worked three years as a school counselor in an elementary school in Martinsville, Virginia. Lauren currently works as a Behavior Specialist in a school district in Yanceyville. North Carolina.   

I am so excited to begin our collaboration together! Look for an upcoming post authored by Lauren next week.

Until then, take care and stay well!- Dr. Laura Mueller

Please read this article: Best Brightest and Saddest

A colleague of mine recently sent this article from the New York Times to all of the psychologists in my district. This article EXACTLY focuses on my soap box. By applying unrelenting pressure on students to excel and be the best one, we are creating pressure-filled lives for our children. I believe there is a balance that we as educators and parents have not achieved yet. A balance where children are encouraged to learn and grow and are provided with reasonable expectations. A balance where supports are provided for areas of need and strengths are celebrated. A balance where each individual student knows that his or her BEST is enough! We should be communicating to students that they don’t need to be THE best… they just need to be THEIR best. There is a huge difference. Whereas doing your own personal best and focusing on strengths is exhilarating,  being told that you must be THE best is exhausting, discouraging, and can even be life threatening.

Please read the attached article.

Suicide- Best Brightest and Saddest_ – NYTimes (2)