Glenn Counseling Weekly
May 18- May 22, 2020
Weekly Theme- Building Healthy Relationships
This week we focus on building healthy relationships, these relationships could be from parent to son/daughter, siblings to siblings, or friendships. There are so many different types of relationships we encounter during our life time. Having healthy relationships are important to our health and well being.
We hope these resource are helpful and you are able to take away valuable information that could be put into practice.
Be well!
John Glenn Counseling Dept.
A Note to Parents- How to Build a Good Relationship with your Child
Coping with Quarantine: A Guide for Families
Source: https://www.thevillagefamily.org/content/coping-quarantine-guide-families
Many families are spending more time at home – together – than they likely ever have. While the COVID-19 pandemic and the related stay-at-home orders create the opportunity for more quality time (Monopoly, anyone?), they also present challenges. With the stress that comes with social distancing and being cooped up together, we may find ourselves easily frustrated and in conflict more frequently.
It’s important that we be mindful of the challenges we are facing, and carve out dedicated time to respectfully express our feelings, thoughts, and concerns; practice apologizing; and, most importantly, try to understand one another, whether we agree or disagree with the other person’s perspective. (Two differing perspectives can co-exist, right?) As Brené Brown teaches us about empathy, what matters is trying to connect.
There are things you can do, individually and as a family, to get along better in the current circumstance. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Mary Uong-Kaale with The Village Family Service Center offered these suggestions:
Incorporate as much of your typical routine as possible into your day. Get dressed for work even when you’re working at home, or stop by Starbucks drive-thru for your coffee and come back home to start your workday if that's what you typically do each morning. Continue with your usual physical exercise, hobbies, or faith and spirituality practices. Schedule virtual playdates for your kids and online coffee meet-ups with your friends. Plan an at-home date night with your partner. Create a schedule for e-learning while school is shutdown. Having things in our schedule to look forward to is important as weekdays and weekends can feel mixed up and blend together when we’re quarantined.
Practice good sleep hygiene. It may be easy to let our kids stay up longer with schools being shut down, but sleep is important for overall wellbeing. Studies show that going to bed later and waking up later can affect mood and long-term health compared to children who go to bed early on a regular basis.
Talk about your “high” and “low” for the day or week. This practice can help you decompress and provides a time to connect on what’s going well and what has been challenging. Celebrate each other’s wins and support each other through the downs. This is a good activity for mealtimes. Shuffle in themed questions that promote couple or family bonding; you can find these online.
Be patient and have an empathetic ear. Children and teenagers who want to see their friends or relatives may think that they can be super careful and that you are being unreasonable for not trusting them. Let your kids know that you totally understand their pain and would let them hang out with their friends if their lives wouldn’t be at risk. Tell your kids it is also painful for us parents to be in this position and to see our kids hurting. Repetitive empathetic responses can go a long way with our children, rather than getting into a debate or power struggle, to drive home the fact that we’re trying to keep them safe. You may find yourself having to stay in repetitive empathic response mode for a while. The main point is to connect with our children and let them know how much we understand in order to not let the conflict get the best of us during this pandemic.
Practice gratitude. There’s a lot to be thankful for and doing so can impact our wellbeing. Be intentional about expressing your gratitude to your family members. Try focusing on gratitude while doing this time capsule activity and capturing memories of this difficult time we’re living through.
Stay connected to friends and family through technology. Apps like Marco Polo, WhatsApp, and Messenger Kids fill our needs for socializing while staying safe.
Go outside for walks while being mindful of social distancing to get fresh air and not be so cooped up in the house.
Carve out alone time. Find a corner of your home or a room to yourself and do some self-care. It’s important to take care of yourself and fill your cup with joys.
Look into telehealth options for individual, couples, or family counseling. Counselors are still available to help you, and now might be a good time to prioritize your mental health and build new coping skills.
Source: https://www.thevillagefamily.org/content/coping-quarantine-guide-families
Don't forget!
What was taught in Guidance Lessons (May 11-- May 15)
"Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do": Students will explore different careers
Check out the pictures they drew!
“Iggy Peck Architect”: Students will learn about various careers and jobs.
Check out the tower built by a student with stacked cups!
Transitioning from Elementary to Middle School: 10 key skills for success
Mindfulness & Social Emotional Learning @ Home
- Improves self-regulation in children.
- Helps to reduce anxiety symptoms in kids with anxiety.
- Helps them to better understand, express, and navigate their emotions, improving overall emotional wellbeing.
- Enhance children’s abilities to focus and to concentrate.
Children exposed to mindfulness practice have been found to show greater empathy, enhanced social skills, and decreased peer-rated aggression.
Mindfulness boosts self-esteem and self-compassion.
Mindfulness meditation promotes a healthy brain, boosting cognitive control, memory, and cognitive flexibility.
Virtual Calming Space in Google Classroom- It's Interactive, check it out!
Relaxation Station In Google Classroom, It's Interactive, check it out!
New Resource Available
ALL girls are welcome to GirlPad grab & go!!!!
With schools closed, limited trips to the store, lost wages, and supply chain disruptions – girls and women are adversely affected when it comes to period products. Many don’t have resources to stock up or even access the products. Girls Inc. of San Antonio wants to meet this essential need for girls in our community during COVID-19 by providing one months’ worth of FREE period products.
Girls are invited to pick up FREE products at our distribution Fridays:
Friday, May 22 12pm-1pm & 3pm-4pm
Friday, June 26 12pm-1pm & 3pm-4pm
We will be handling these out discreetly while maintaining social distance guidelines.
Request to see the Counselor Form
If you'd like to speak with your counselor, just simply complete the form on this link (or have an adult) complete it for you.
Can't wait to hear from you!
Ms. Diaz & Ms. Day, Professional School Counselors
Email: carmen-e.diaz@nisd.net
Website: https://www.nisd.net/glenn
Location: John Glenn Elementary School, Horal Drive, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 210-397-2250
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/John-Glenn-Elementary-103566564636593/
Twitter: @Carmen_E_Diaz