Mental Health Minute with Meaghan (School Counselor)

Hi Center School Community! Over the past few weeks, in my role as School Counselor, my days have been spent: 

• playing pirates with the Dancing Primes

• playing in the yard with the Super Primes and Puzzle Primes

• learning how to stay warm and build forts while out in the Forest with the Lumber and Forest Primes

• learning about friendship and boundaries in the MUPS

• playing Fishy fishy with the Middles

• playing Gaga and learning about the amazing projects that the Uppers are working on, 

• building relationships with students, staff, parents, and the greater Center School Community. 

Additionally, I have been meeting with groups of students to connect around emergent mental health topics. This month, there have been requests from students to explore symptoms of Anxiety and to create menus of strategies that can aid in reducing symptoms that do not feel helpful. Groups of students in the MUPS, Middles and Uppers have explored the function of the autonomic nervous system in the body’s flight-freeze-fight response. A strategy that has been shared this month with students is a grounding activity called, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. This strategy can be used with people of all ages. When utilizing this with a student in the Dancing or Puzzle primes I would ask them to name 1 thing that they see, hear, smell, touch, taste to simplify the exercise and make it more accessible. I encourage you to try this strategy at home with your family when anxious parts are not heightened so that this strategy is able to be employed when anxious parts are heightened and higher order thinking is not as accessible!

Please reach out to me directly (m.carr@centerschool.net) with any questions or comments. I look forward to connecting!