A guide to mental health resources for students
CapitalAug 30, 2020
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to carry on nationally, its impact has reached the 2020-21 academic school year in
The absence of physical school and all of the normal classes, clubs and other social activities students are used to, coupled with the loss of the last few months of the previous school year, poses a heavy emotional and mental threat to students' mental health.
For all of these things,
As director of student services for AACPS, Voegtlin oversees school counseling, psychological resources, school social work and pupil personnel, and said all related staff have been working diligently to support students who come with concerns over their mental health. This includes tele-mental health sessions, teaching social and emotional learning and skills in digital classrooms and sending the following resources to parents.
Everyone, Voegtlin said, is in the same storm, but on different boats. All handling it differently. He suggested students find things to calm their minds, whether that be exercise or reading or going outside. Student services at
"In order to soothe mental anxiety, it is important to make time to do things that make you feel happy and calm," Voegtlin wrote in an email. "This can be difficult in today's world, but creating self-care routines is an important life lesson that will help our students now, and as they become adults."
Back in April, the
Wrote the authors of the KFF report, "Existing mental illness among adolescents may be exacerbated by the pandemic, and with school closures, they will not have the same access to key mental health services."
Suicide is the second leading cause of deaths among teenagers in that age group. And now, students have been cut off from seeing sources of mental reprieve in school in person, such as guidance counselors.
Should the mental health needs of a student surpass what Voegtlin and his teams can provide, they can refer the student through the "expanded school-based mental health" program, where, during the pandemic, students can attain more mental health work.
Voegtlin suggested his own list of resources students can turn to, such as:
* Call 911 for immediate assistance in an emergency
* Anne Arundel County Crisis Response Warm Line - 410-768-5522
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* Maryland Youth Crisis Hotline - 1-800-422-0009
* National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 1-800-273-8255
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* AACPS Crisis Resources Webpage
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* Systems of Care -
* 2-1-1
* Food Access Warmline - 410-222-FOOD (3663)
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"The advice that I would give to a student who is fretting about the state of their immediate future is to try to realize that these feelings are very difficult, but completely normal. During this time, it is important to identify what you're feeling and to focus on what is within your control," Voegtlin wrote.
Caption: Student services at
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