Building Resilience
TUSD Mental Health Services Newsletter 1:6
Celebrating Women's History!
EMPOWERING GIRLS
Written by Christina Sun, ACSW, PPSC
Beckman High School
In the past decade, we have seen a rise in empowering and supporting women. Female superheroes have top bill in their own hit films, such as Wonder Woman (2017) and Captain Marvel (2019). We as a nation even celebrated women empowerment for International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021. However through this great movement, it’s easy to overlook that empowering women starts with the way we empower girls.
There has been a historical gap between girls and boys in education and opportunities. According to the United Nations: worldwide, nearly 1 in 4 girls aged 15–19 years is neither employed nor in education or training compared to 1 in 10 boys of the same age. By 2021 around 435 million women and girls will be living on less than $1.90 a day — including 47 million pushed into poverty as a result of COVID-19.
The field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is one of the most rapidly growing sectors of the workforce, however the gender gap remains. A study by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) looked at the under-representation of women in STEM compared to men. According to PISA, while girls could perform as well as boys in standardized scores in math and science, “students may choose their field of study based on their comparative strengths, rather than on their absolute strengths.”
While taking a snapshot of how gender differences can give us insight to how it contributes to gender gaps, we can look at ways to empower girls and teens through our day to day routine.
This Washington Post article lays out great tips for parents to help middle-school girls build up their confidence and begin to develop career work-life skills. This can include reframing the meaning of perfectionism, acknowledging your own success, and recognizing intrinsic self-worth.
The #Likeagirl campaign, from Always, helps us think about the meaning of the expression “like a girl.”
As the famous last words of Coco Chanel, “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.”
Mindfulness and Self-Care
Written by: Jessica Erickson, M.S., P.P.S., L.P.C.C. (8033)
Columbus Tustin MS and Estock Elementary
Mindfulness can be summed up in a quote by Elenore Roosevelt who said, “Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” As simple and as corny as this quote sounds, there is a revealing explanation about the simplicity of mindfulness and how it connects to self-care. As we celebrate Women’s Health month I am inspired by all the extraordinary contributions from women all over the world and those within our world who collectively strive to make it a better place to live. The hustle and bustle of everyday life, and caretaking responsibilities can often feel overwhelming. Mindfulness and self-care are the keys to managing it. Women can use the practice of mindfulness to refuel, breathe, and focus on what life is asking from you. This simple practice is a superpower you can use to navigate through the many challenges life unapologetically throws our way.
Mindfulness and self-care are similar to that moment when you are on a plane right before you take off to your destination. The flight attendant goes on the intercom providing instruction to everyone, adults with small children. The flight attendant asks the adults to put the oxygen on the oxygen mask first before putting it on their child. The oxygen mask as you might have already guessed is mindfulness and self care. If you put the oxygen mask on your child first, both you and your child’s likelihood of survival is pretty slim. A better strategy would be to first put the oxygen mask on yourself first then your child. This act of selflessness although at first seems selfish increases the survivability of both you and your child should there be an emergency. Similarly in life, when you can pause and take a breath, you give yourself space from the situation to respond regardless of the pressure you may feel in the moment. Mindfulness allows you to drop into your zone and navigate from a place of wisdom, intuition, and strength.
Inspiring Girls To Achieve Great Things
Jaqueline Larios, ACSW
Loma Vista, Beswick and Heideman Elementary
In continuous celebration of Women’s History Month, we’ve compiled a list of children’s books that empower girls and set a new standard for equality. A collection of picture books ranging in reading levels, these works are equally darling and educational, not to mention inclusive of breathtaking illustrations.
From real-life women like Maya Angelou and Anne Frank to fictional heroines like Rosie Revere and Ada Twist, these books encourage respect, passion, kindness, and empathy. Most importantly, they remind children that every person is wonderful and capable of great things. So, whether you’re a teacher or a parent, a relative or friend, take a look at these fantastic books for gifts, classroom additions, and bedtime tales.
By Vashti Harrison
By Kelly DiPucchio
By Kate Pankhurst
By Andrea Beaty
By Yangsook Choi
By Karen Beaumont
A Condensed History of Women's Mental Health
Hillview HS, Tustin Connect, Benson Elementary
Perspective is everything when looking at history. Most of the surviving evidence of women’s mental health history was recorded by those who could write it, carve it, paint it, or tell it. Considering this, we have only so much information about women’s mental health throughout the centuries. And as we dissect the information, we can see the direct European influence on the evolution of women's psychology. Most of which paint a grim picture of the treatment of women up until recently.
For centuries, any woman who would present thoughts or behaviors that did not align with social expectations were believed to suffer from Hysteria. Hysteria, Greek for wandering womb, was believed to be caused by women whose uteri were empty, or women who were basically not having sex (Jumer, 2019). Hysteria was a way of explaining extreme behaviors including, depression, anguish, anger, refusal to participate in society, not wanting to marry, psychotic symptoms, or anything that did not fit the social/cultural norm.
Ancient History: In some cultures, women who did not fit within the constructs of their society would be treated as less than human. They would be ostracized and ill-treated with physical punishments, some of which would result in death. In 1900BC Egypt, when it was believed that a woman’s uterus had “moved” from position, they used herbs and tonics near the mouth and vagina to help shift the uterus back into position.
In ancient Greece, women who did not have sex or couldn't get pregnant (virgins, widows, single, or sterile women) were believed to develop a “bad” or “sad” uterus, therefore bringing more illness and negative behavior. They recommended regular fumigation with fragrant ointments and sex as cleansing treatment. The Greeks were the first to separate hysteria from epilepsy, believing that epilepsy came from problems in the brain, and hysteria was caused with position of the womb (Tasca et.al. 2012). These beliefs went one for over a millennium!
Middle Ages: Developments in medicine and science, in addition to the greater involvement of religion in treatment of all ailments, the idea or demonization of hysteria generated new ways to explain and address women’s mental health. At this time, women were considered the cause of many problems, not just for themselves but to society. Women were inferior, weak, and “defective creatures;” easily possessed by demons (Tasca et.al. 2012). This would require exorcism as a form of treatment.
Modern Age: Religion and demonization of women as cause for hysteria remained. However, now the behaviors and thoughts were considered witchcraft. Somewhat of a choice that woman made for herself. This is most evident during the 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, where the cause of hysteria was attributed to spells carried out by women accused of being witches. Many women were imprisoned and 19 hanged (Jumer, 2019). So yes, it was believed that women who suffered from hysteria were considered witches, who were casting hysteria spells on young women.
By the 18th and 19th centuries, hysteria moved from the uterus to the brain. This allowed for diagnosing men with hysteria too. However, women were more likely to be found insane, and treatments involved anything from smelling salts to things like clitoridectomies and ovariotomies (Jumer, 2019). Perpetuating that Hysteria is predominantly related to sex.
At the turn of the 20th century, the explosion of the field of psychology would dramatically change how women’s mental health is addressed. However, discrimination and sexism is far from over. Freud and other psychologists of the time conceptualized the subconscious and theorized that lack of sex or inability to “fill the womb” were the result of Hysteria and not the cause. Physicians and psychiatrists began to “note that any function of the body can be affected by hysteria” (Tasca, 2012).
They began to realize that psychological problems could trigger psychosomatic conditions and physical conditions. By mid-century, and with the extensive research through world wars and learning about different cultures, psychologists and psychiatrists began to dissect hysteria and determine that both internal and external factors (nature and nurture) can affect the mind and body. However, for women, it continued to be about sex. It was theorized that women who wanted privacy and independence, wanted to be like men, rejecting maternal obligations (1950s). Therapeutic treatment revolved around female social norms and sexual gratification.
Hysteria was finally removed from diagnostics in the 1980s, which exposes how young the science of female psychology really is. Today, research understands that men and women are more alike than ever thought. At the same time, every person’s experience and mental health is unique in its needs. Mental health today aims at providing individual support based on the needs of each person. Thankfully, this is largely due to more women taking roles in the field of psychology. We are a long way from understanding all mental health problems, but we are at a place where women don’t have to go at it alone and don’t have to be afraid of treatment.
Tasca, Cecilia, et al. “Women and Hysteria in the History of Mental Health.” Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health : CP & EMH, Bentham Open, 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3480686/.
Jumer, Hannah. “The History of Women's Mental Health.” Study Breaks, 15 Sept. 2019, www.studybreaks.com/thoughts/history-of-womens-mental-health/.
Looking for a Mental Health Professional?
TUSD Mental Health Team
The Mental Health Services (MHS) team is made up of clinically trained therapists. Our MHS team has grown significantly over the past five years to meet the mental health needs of all TUSD students. We provide individual and group counseling to general education students. Additionally, we facilitate workshops, offer consultation, and collaborate with local community agencies. Students are referred for therapeutic services by their principal and school counselor.
As a team, we aim to be recognized as an entity of support to general education students affected by social-emotional hindrances, which prevent them from achieving their educational goals. Moreover, the Mental Health Services Team seeks to project a broad psychoeducational impact by normalizing mental health services throughout the district.
If you you feel your child could benefit from MHS services at school, reach out to your school counselor or administrator. If you have any questions about Building Resilience or would like to suggest topics for future installments, you may contact us below.