Counseling Update - April 2022
Part 2
DCSD Extended School Year (ESY) Program
Dear DCSD Student,
Thank you so much for your interest in being a volunteer for the DCSD Extended School Year (ESY) Program for the summer of 2022.
What is ESY?:
Extended school year is a summer program for students with special education needs, K-12, who show regression (in one or more of the following areas: academics, social/emotional functioning, speech and language, and motor functioning) after long breaks from school.
Important Dates/ Times of ESY:
June 13th- 16th, 9am- 12pm
June 20th-23rd, 9am- 12pm
July 5th-7th, 9am-12pm
July 11th-14th, 9am- 12pm
Locations:
West HR Elem- Saddle Ranch Elem West HR Sec - Ranch View MS East HR Elem- Arrowwood Elem East HR Sec- Ranch View Middle Castle Rock Elem - Castle Rock Elem. Castle Rock Sec - Castle Rock MS Parker Elem - Gold Rush Elem Parker Sec - Cimarron MS
How can you help?
All student volunteers will help students in the classroom under the direct supervision of a licensed staff member. Student volunteers will support students 1:1 or in a small group setting with a variety of activities including but not limited to reading, math, motor activities, support with snack, and helping with student breaks.
I am interested in volunteering…. What are my Next steps?:
Complete google application (Due by May 13th) Volunteer Application
Recommendation from teacher, counselor, or administrator
Parent Permission is required for participation (link the permission form here)
Once determined, volunteer locations will be sent via email by 6/3/22
Have more questions or need additional information?
Please feel free to contact one of the following ESY Administrative Team
Nicole LechmanTrujillo- nlechmantrujillo@dcsdk12.org
Katie Runkel-Seewald- katie.runkelseewald@dcsdk12.org
Sean Mahan- sean.mahan@dcsdk12.org
Youth Leader Board
Do you feel youth should have a voice at the table when decisions are being made at the state, county, city and school level that impact you and your peers’ health and wellbeing? So does the Douglas County Healthy Youth Coalition. That’s why we created our Youth Leader Board: to give youth a voice in the services and support they receive from us and our partners.
The Douglas County Healthy Youth Coalition Youth Leader Board includes teens throughout Douglas County who want to build skills, access meaningful opportunities and receive recognition for their efforts. The group is open to teens ages 13-20, and participants will learn ways to promote their health and wellbeing and that of their peers across the county. Board members are deeply passionate about the following issues impacting their peers:
- Youth Mental Health Support
- Health & Wellness
- Substance Misuse Prevention
- Social Justice & Equity
- Violence Prevention
If you or your parent/guardian would like to learn more about the Youth Leader Board, call our coordinator, Curtis, at 720-682-5283 or email us at communications@dchyc.org
Additional Youth Leader Board information and member application can be found here.
Why should you join the Youth Leader Board?
- Connect with a community of teens who want to create change
- Develop leadership & life skills
- Promote health & wellbeing
- Destigmatize mental health
- Advocate for your peers
- Community service opportunities/hours
- College/resume credentials
- Collaborate with other teens
- Inform adults on issues impacting teens
Did we mention that we have a blast while doing it?
CDC released new data from the Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES) highlighting the magnitude of the challenges our nation’s youth faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a seismic effect on communities across the country, and young people have been especially impacted by the ways in which their everyday lives have been altered. The disruptions were widespread – school buildings closed, opportunities for connecting with peers were limited, communities were dealing with loss and upheaval.
While the pandemic has affected all students, the experiences of disruption and adversity have not affected all students equally.
ABES Findings
Adolescents Are Experiencing a Mental Health Crisis
- More than 1 in 3 high school students experienced poor mental health during the pandemic and nearly half of students felt persistently sad or hopeless.
- Female students and those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, other or questioning (LGBQ) are experiencing disproportionate levels of poor mental health and suicide-related behaviors. For example, in 2021, 12% of female students, more than 25% of LGB students, and 17% of other or questioning students attempted suicide during the past year compared to 5% of their male peers and 5% of their heterosexual peers, respectively.
Daily Life Was Disrupted
- The range of impacts on youth’s daily lives was broad – including difficulties, family economic impacts, hunger, and abuse in the home.
- More than half of students experienced emotional abuse in the home and more than 10% reported physical abuse in the home.
- Lesbian, gay, and bisexual students were far more likely to report physical abuse, with 20% reporting that they had been physically abused by a parent or other adult in their home, compared to 10% of heterosexual students.
- Black students were most likely to report hunger, with nearly a third reporting that there was not enough food in their home during the pandemic.
Racism Is a Public Health Problem
- More than one third of all U.S. high school students felt they had been treated badly or unfairly at school because of their race or ethnicity.
- Asian, Black, and Multiracial students reported the highest levels of experiencing racism.
- Students who reported racism were also more likely to experience poor mental health and less likely to feel connected to people at school.
The ABES data showed that youth who felt more connected to people at their schools had better mental health; however, young people who experienced racism were less likely to benefit from this protection. More must be done to ensure that schools provide a safe and supportive where all students feel connected to people who care, so that all students can fully benefit from the protections connectedness provides.
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Why Is My Teenager Crying All the Time?
For teens, everything feels more intense, whether it’s good or bad. And crying can help a teen process and move through those emotions. Teenage crying isn’t necessarily a warning sign. However, a teenager crying all the time, for no apparent reason, may be experiencing an underlying mental health disorder.
Because of harmful societal expectations about how boys and men should behave, teen girls often feel more comfortable than boys expressing their emotions through crying. But just because a parent doesn’t see their teenage son crying doesn’t mean they’re not experiencing sadness, loneliness, or other painful emotions.
Is It Normal for a Teenager to Cry Every Day?
A teenage son crying frequently or a teenage daughter crying all the time can be confusing for parents. “My teenage daughter cries every night” is a common concern parents bring to mental health professionals.
Teens crying about the hard things they go through is natural and healthy. In fact, if teens don’t allow themselves to cry, they may instead express their emotions through anger and aggression, internalize them as self-judgment and self-criticism, or numb them with substance abuse or disordered eating.
But sometimes there’s no obvious catalyst for a teenager crying. And they may be unwilling to talk about it, or may not even understand themselves what’s triggering the tears. Consequently, “Why does my teenage daughter cry for no reason?” is another question therapists often field. Let’s look at some of the reasons for a teenager crying all the time.
Causes of Teenage Crying
Why does a child cry all the time? For young children, crying is a way to express frustration, release emotional energy, and seek comfort. Kids that cry all the time often haven’t yet learned to channel their emotions into words or how to think rationally about an emotional situation.
But what makes a teenager cry? There are numerous reasons for a teenager crying: losing a game, doing badly on a test, having an unrequited crush, fighting with parents, feeling alienated from peers, worrying about what’s going on in the world, or simply releasing the everyday stress of being a teen. According to Tim Elmore, author of Generation iY: Secrets to Connecting with Today’s Teens & Young Adults in the Digital Age, disappointment, fear, and feelings of inadequacy are three of the biggest reasons why kids and teens cry.
Moreover, many teens haven’t yet developed the emotional regulation skills that support them to cope with what they’re feeling. This is particularly true during early adolescence, when teens experience higher rates of mood variability between happiness, sadness, and anger. Research shows that the parts of the brain connected to emotion (the limbic system) react more strongly in teens than in either children or older adults. Meanwhile, the frontal cortex—the rational and calming part of the brain—isn’t fully mature in adolescents.
Does a Teenager Crying All the Time Mean They’re Depressed?
Neurobiology, in addition to the many inner and outer changes adolescents are going through, helps to explain teenage crying. But that doesn’t mean parents can ignore a teenager crying all the time. Excessive crying in a teenager may indicate they are struggling with an underlying issue, such as adolescent depression. The ongoing feelings of sadness and worthlessness associated with depression can prompt frequent crying spells with no single, identifiable cause. If this is the case, a teen will typically exhibit other signs of depression as well, such as problems with sleep, social withdrawal, lethargy, self-harm, and/or suicidal thoughts.
A crying teenager could also be suffering from an anxiety disorder. Shedding tears can be a way to release the overwhelming feelings of worry and dread that often accompany anxiety. In addition, teenage crying can be a sign of bipolar disorder, which encompasses extreme highs and lows. A teenage daughter crying all the time might be suffering from premenstrual dysphoric disorder, a severe form of PMS that affects a small percentage of women.
PTSD or traumatic grief can also cause excessive crying in a teenager. A teen’s grieving process for a loved one, a breakup, or another significant loss may take time. Sometimes it takes more time than parents hope or expect. And teens may need professional support to process the loss, so they can move through it and find joy in life again.
How to Help a Crying Teenager
Witnessing a teenager crying all the time is extremely difficult for a parent. It’s natural for parents to feel frustration and helplessness along with concern for their child. Here are some ways to take supportive action.
- Give them tools to head off the stress that can lead to frequent crying spells. Stress-relief strategies, like breathing exercises, progressive relaxation, exercise, and reframing negative thoughts, can make a big positive difference.
- Make sure they get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation in teens has been shown to significantly decrease their levels of happiness and reduce their ability to manage difficult emotions.
- Let them know that crying is a natural and cathartic way to express and release emotions. Stigma and shame around crying—which particularly impacts boys—can increase a teen’s discomfort and embarrassment about their tearfulness. And trying to hold back the tears, rather than allowing themselves to cry openly, can actually increase a teen’s crying frequency and intensity.
- Encourage them to work through their emotions using creative expression, such as journaling, writing songs, dancing, or making visual art.
- If there is a specific problem, fear, or frustration triggering the tears, help your teen work toward a solution. Trying to have a rational conversation with a crying teenager may not be useful. But once they’re calmer, talk about what happened to prompt the emotions. Even if there’s nothing that can be “fixed,” simply acknowledging and validating the issue will help your teen feel supported.
- Get a mental health assessment. A high percentage of adolescents are struggling with anxiety, depression, and collective trauma right now. If you have concerns about your child’s well-being, reach out for professional support immediately.
Treatment for Teen Depression and Trauma
A clinical professional can help determine whether a teenager crying all the time is a symptom of a mental health disorder. The next step is to determine what level of care a teen and family need. Treatment can help address an adolescent’s underlying conditions while guiding them to strengthen their emotional regulation and executive functioning.
At Newport Academy, we take an integrated approach to treating teen mental health conditions, including trauma and PTSD, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and co-occurring disorders. Our treatment model is proven to reduce anxiety and depression while increasing adolescents’ well-being.
Contact us today to learn more about how our clinical model supports teens to find hope, connection, motivation, and excitement for what the future holds.
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SUMMER SCHOOL SIGN UP
Can you believe it's already APRIL! This means Summer School is right around the corner!
The summer school team wanted to share with you some information about this year's summer school program as we approach the end of the year. The following information can also be found on our DCHS website under Important Updates. Please share this information with students and parents who are in danger of failing your class and that could benefit from credit recovery this summer.
June Session will run from May 31st to June 24th
July Session will run from June 27th to July 22nd
Class offerings will be limited to core classes (Math, Social Studies, Science, ELA)
*******Registration will not open until the first week of May.*******
You can also reach out to Lon Smith for questions as well email lon.smith@dcsdk12.org