A Message From Ms. Reeser About Additional Counseling Resources

Dear Families, Thinking of all of you and sending well-wishes as we travel uncharted territory together (at least in spirit, since we are social distancing). While a rise in anxiety levels are normal at a time like this there are strategies for reducing our stress level and those of the children in our care. Resources are plentiful and a few of them are provided on this counseling webpage. During the week, I will be posting additional resources. If your child experiences a behavioral health crisis which creates an unsafe situation for themselves or others in the home, parents/guardians should:·

• Call 9-1-1 if there is an immediate danger to self or others.
• Contact Arlington Emergency Services at 703-228-5160 (link here).
• Go to the nearest Emergency Room.

For non-urgent, but concerning behavior: Please visit the Child Behavioral Healthcare on Arlington County’s Child and Family Services website.

Resources for parents and students with basic information about the virus:

1. Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource
2. The Brain POP website is offering free access for families at this time. Coronavirus – www.brainpop.com. https://www.brainpop.com/health/diseasesinjuriesandconditions/coronavirus/
3. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/28/809580453/just-for-kids-a-comicexploring-the-new-coronavirus | What Kids Want To Know About Coronavirus: An OriginalComic : Goats and Soda : NPR
4. Students learn about various ways to maintain mental wellness, such as https://confidentparentsconfidentkids.org/2020/03/13/my-kids-school-is-closed-so-now-what/getting

Strategy for reducing “What-if?” anxiety:

One strategy that I taught in small groups and in some of the whole group lessons in LEM and UEM can be useful in the particular circumstance we find ourselves in. If your child is asking the “What-if” questions, then ask them to make a chart and complete it in the following sequence:

Getting those anxious feelings out and written on paper helps to diffuse some of the anxiety.Starting out with the extremes and ending with what is most likely to happen helps to identify extreme thinking and become more rational in self-talk. This could be used in any “What-If-ing”situation that causes anxiety to rise. Once completed, have your child keep it in a place, not necessarily in view, but someplace accessible to be used as a reminder when negative self-talk kicks in. Source: GoZen website: https://gozen.com