Teacher Inservice Day (February 14, 2020) – Dr. Julene Nolan spoke with teachers on mental health topics. Dr. Nolan is a psychologist, author, speaker, and partner with Dr. Steve Kahn in Phoenix School Counseling LLC.  She is the president of Minnesota School Psychology Association and recently co-authored a college textbook on adolescent development: Real World, Real Challenges: Adolescent Issues in Contemporary Society . She has conducted and published research on school performance and mental/behavioral health in the USA and abroad. Dr. Nolan serves schools and families with mental/behavioral health, school performance, and social/emotional learning needs.

Some takeaways from Dr. Nolan’s presentation:

• One in four students have mental health issues
  • 38% get help
  • 80% of those who seek help, get help from schools

• Prevention
  • Teach kids how to build words around emotion

• Mindfulness
  • Help students slow down negative emotions
  • Notice external physical symptoms
  • Mindful practice shrinks the amygdala portion of the brain
  • We tell kids to pay attention; we don’t tell them how
  • If information is forgotten, it is whether or not they receive information when in the amygdala portion of the brain or are delivering information in the amygdala
• Social Media
  • Teach students about validity of social media posts
  • Have adolescents rate their emotions pre and post Instagram
  • Students lack emotional antibodies
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  • Strength finders for kids
• Brain is a muscle – the more we practice being in a calm place, the better we get at it