Pinellas County, Florida — Mental health is a top priority for many parents and educators as children return to school.
Things to know
- Several agencies declared mental health emergencies last fall
- Pinellas Schools Work to Support Mental Health Efforts
Last fall, multiple agencies declared a national health emergency for adolescent mental health.
Pinellas County Schools is working to provide more support by bringing more providers into the school.
Spectrum News caught up with the Support Services team and Cypress Woods Elementary School principal as they put together new intervention materials for the new year.
School psychologist Taryn Ecker says, “There are some tips for teachers to build positive relationships with their students and how to process and incorporate positive interventions for behavior in the classroom.
The addition of social workers and psychologists has increased that intervention in Pinellas County schools this year.
Sarah Schutz, a social worker new to the Cypress Woods campus, said she was concerned about what her students might have missed while she was out of the classroom during the pandemic.
“The more we use student services, the more we’re able to bridge the gap and piece together what they were missing at the time, creating friendships and bridging the circle that can bounce back after things. You can do things like resilience,” says Schutz.
Additional support means school psychologist Taryn Ecker, previously split between the two schools, will remain at Cypress. She says it can give her more time to focus on individual student time and interventions.
“After the pandemic, with increased student anxiety and depression and changes in family financial resources, we were able to dedicate more time to supporting students and families and building those connections and relationships. ” said Ecker.
Connect and communicate — when school is scary.
“Communication is very important. If parents are sharing it with their students, they need to communicate with teachers in the classroom and with the school,” says Ecker.
Counselor Laura Trudell says the team works together to support students.
“We all play unique roles and have different supportive skills that help the child as a whole and foster a holistic view of learning and development,” Trudell said.
This support allows children to focus on learning knowing they have a place to turn when they need it.
