Mental Health Resources & Information

What is Mental Health? 

Mental Health is defined as how a person thinks, feels, and acts in regards to their emotional, psychological, and social well-being.  It helps determine how we will handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.  Having good mental health is important at every stage of our lives.  Ways that may help you maintain good mental health include: getting professional help when you need it, connecting with others, getting physically active, getting enough sleep, helping others, and developing positive coping skills. Throughout your life if you experience mental health concerns, your thinking, emotions, and behavior could be affected. Mental health problems are common and help is available. People with mental health problems can get better and many people recover completely with the right support. (mentalhealth.gov)

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms talk to a parent or trusted adult, and consider seeking professional help:

  • Can't eat or sleep
  • Can't perform daily tasks like going to school
  • Don't want to hang out with your friends or family
  • Don't want to do things you usually enjoy
  • Fight a lot with family and friends
  • Feel like you can't control your emotions and it's affecting your relationships with your family and friends
  • Have low or no energy
  • Feel hopeless
  • Feel numb or like nothing matters
  • Can't stop thinking about certain things or memories
  • Feel confused, forgetful, edgy, angry, upset, worried, or scared
  • Want to harm yourself or others
  • Have random aches and pains
  • Smoke, drink, or use drugs
  • Hear voices

(mentalhealth.gov)

Addressing News and Current Events: Parenting Tips

Tips for Families: Managing Stress & Anxiety During Covid 19

Everyone reacts differently.  How we respond to the pandemic can depend on our culture, background, the things that make us different from other people, and the community we live in.  Finding healthy ways to cope with stress will make us, the people we care about, and our community stronger.

Support yourself and others
  • Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting.
  • Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and avoid alcohol and drugs.
  • Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy, and do something that fits for you spiritually or religiously. Connect with others, talk with people you trust about concerns and how you are feeling.
  • Call your healthcare provider if stress gets in the way of your daily activities for several days in a row.
  • Deal with your own anxiety, talk with your kids, ask how they are feeling, share relevant information, limit screen time, and let your child know we’re using social distancing so fewer people get sick.
 

Grief and Loss

Essentia Health Videos: 

Essentia Health Grief Support Website: 

 

Mental Health Services Across Duluth Public Schools

The mental health of children and adolescents is important to Duluth Public Schools.  

As part of state licensing, each educator completes training regarding the Signs and Symptoms of Early Onset Child and Adolescent Mental Illness.    

We employ School Counselors at our secondary schools and have School Psychologists and School Social Workers that provide services to all of our schools.  

We also partner with community organizations to provide "co-located" mental health services. Schools provide space within the schools and local mental health agencies provide therapists.  

Social-Emotional Learning       

Social-Emotional Learning or SEL has become an integral part of the education process.  As much as we value academic skills such as literacy and math skills, it is SEL that provides the humanistic teaching to assist raising our kids into successful adults and community members.  

According to CASEL, a leader in SEL research and work, "define(s) social and emotional learning (SEL) as an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities."

At Duluth Public Schools we are in our 2nd year of district-wide implementation of Second Step, a leading curriculum for social-emotional learning that impacts our kids pre-k through 8th grade.  Through Second Step we are able to give tools to our teachers and provide a space for all kids to learn SEL skills. Second Step gives us a common language to use and consistent practices to support students. Research shows SEL can improve test scores, while lowering exclusionary discipline such as office referrals and suspensions.  As a district we are grateful to have Second Step for our staff and kids.  We are also grateful for our teachers and many support staff that deliver social emotional learning each day.  

Additional Resources:

SEL Day      Second Step     CASEL      

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