| Teachers and Counselors: Does it seem to you | | | | assist the student, family, teacher, counselor or |
| that you are seeing more and more seriously | | | | anyone involved in the child's life to help that child |
| emotionally disturbed kids than ever before? The | | | | succeed in school, community, family and life. |
| problem may not be with your perceptions. The | | | | Sadly, most of us lack a Family Resource Center |
| problem may be that in fact, you are seeing | | | | worker or an IYI to turn to. Your challenge |
| more disturbed children and youth than at any | | | | becomes, how do I provide my service to a child |
| time before. | | | | with serious emotional problems? Here are a few |
| This article covers some of the updated mental | | | | key do's and don't's, but be sure to also upgrade |
| health information we give out in our popular | | | | your basic mental health skills if needed. |
| Problem-Kid Problem-Solver Workshop ( It's data | | | | ** Strike the Balance |
| that all teachers and counselors can use. | | | | Especially in this age of widespread, mandated |
| There are a few explanations for what you may | | | | education performance testing, teachers can feel |
| already have noticed. First, many settings such as | | | | pressured to get students to perform and |
| schools and Job Corps, are accepting youth with | | | | produce. But tests don't "understand" that a child |
| increasingly serious emotional problems. Second, | | | | has a serious emotional disturbance and make |
| mainstreaming has shifted many kids from | | | | allowances, but you can. Strive to balance your |
| sheltered or specialized settings, into mainstream | | | | school or agency's mission with the child's special |
| classrooms, sports teams and scouting troops. | | | | needs. Keep the goals, but don't accomplish them |
| Third, and perhaps most important, there may | | | | at any cost. |
| be, in fact, more and earlier serious emotional | | | | ** When I'm Not Sure What to Do |
| disturbances developing in children. Or, perhaps we | | | | A good general guideline for anytime that you |
| are just getting better at identifying these | | | | just don't know for sure how to work with a |
| problems. | | | | child, is ro ask the child. That child is the expert on |
| Late last year, you may have read in your local | | | | that child. If you get no useful response, a |
| newspaper a summary of the US Surgeon | | | | fall-back plan is to consider what would work or |
| General's report that noted that an amazing 1 in | | | | not work with you if you were in that situation. |
| 10 children may have a serious mental health | | | | ** But I Have to Be Fair |
| disorder. This report noted that the typical wait | | | | You may worry that if you give a troubled child |
| for troubled children to gain an appointment with a | | | | extra time to complete a task, for example, that |
| mental health professional was 3 to 4 months. | | | | the other kids will complain that it is unfair. In the |
| Some communities lack children's mental health | | | | work world, bosses are required to accommodate |
| services entirely, the report also noted. This | | | | employees' special needs from providing a ramp |
| report quotes a study that indicated that many | | | | for a wheel chair to a sign language interpreter. |
| children with severe emotional problems don't gain | | | | The ultimate mission of most youth-serving sites |
| proper school services until age 10. The report | | | | is to prepare the child for the real world. In the |
| emphasizes that many of these troubled children | | | | real world, providing some accommodation is |
| will wind up in jail, in part because their problems | | | | either legally mandated or a common courtesy. |
| went unnoticed, or were addressed way too late. | | | | Most schools even attempt to give a bigger desk |
| The report advocates for more mental health | | | | to a bigger student. Simple human courtesy and |
| resources for children, and better training in | | | | common sense should never be viewed as unfair. |
| children's mental health for everyone who works | | | | ** They Can Take It |
| with youth. | | | | Some youth professionals will tell you that the |
| The Bottom Line: If you are not a mental health | | | | child can "take it." The truth is that you have no |
| professional, but you work with kids, you may | | | | way of looking into a child and accurately gauging |
| need to acquire a basic mental health background | | | | their resilience. Since kids do not generally |
| in order to fully understand your changing | | | | announce that they were beaten last night, or |
| population, and to best serve their changing needs. | | | | that they haven't eaten for two days, you don't |
| This background will also help you know when to | | | | know how fragile or strong a child actually is. You |
| access help from a mental health professional. | | | | don't know whether or not a child can "take it." |
| There is no substitute for the expertise of a | | | | There is a risk that a harsh, embarrassing, |
| mental health worker, and if budget cuts have | | | | aggressive act could harm or undermine a child. |
| reduced this option at your site, that is quite | | | | While it is never okay to yell, demean or humiliate |
| serious. A class like our Breakthrough Strategies | | | | any child for any reason, it is especially true with |
| Workshop ( can help you get the basics, but with | | | | children who are severely troubled. |
| the incidence of severe childhood emotional | | | | ** These Children Are Manipulating the Adults |
| problems apparently on the rise, it makes relying | | | | While some emotionally disturbed children are |
| on that counselor, social worker, or psychologist | | | | very adept at manipulation, many emotionally |
| perhaps more important than ever before. | | | | disturbed children do not manipulate at all. There |
| If you are a mental health professional you may | | | | are many types of emotional disturbances, and |
| also want to check your skills too. We are always | | | | each has its own unique dynamics. Because an |
| surprised at our workshop how many mental | | | | adult works differently with different types of |
| health professionals confuse conduct disorders and | | | | students, tailoring their methods to fit each child |
| thought disorders, for example, two basic and | | | | and that child's unique circumstances, does not |
| essential mental health concepts. | | | | mean the adult has been manipulated. It means |
| We also need more groups like IYI in Indiana, and | | | | that the adult has a sophisticated understanding of |
| the Family Resource Centers in Kentucky IYI, the | | | | different types of youth and they choose the |
| Indiana Youth Institute, brings hands- on training to | | | | correct tools for each type. |
| everyone involved with youth including scout | | | | For more specific techniques to use with troubled |
| troop leaders, faith-based professionals, after | | | | youth, consider our "Child's Guide to Surviving in a |
| school workers and everyone else involved with | | | | Troubled Family." Find out more about it via our |
| kids. Kentucky's Family Resource Centers are in | | | | web site (link below). |
| just about every school in the state, ready to | | | | |