Dear Parents,
This message is to remind you about the workshop opportunity tomorrow night with Dr. Martha Merchant (‘doc Martha’) on Thursday, March 18 @ 19:00.
Please visit the password-protected Parents section of the website for the link to the video conference call (see ‘Upcoming Events for Parents’).
Many of our Elementary School families had the opportunity to attend a session with doc Martha last month that focused on the emotional impact of school closure on children, and how parents can minimize the stress affecting our children during the pandemic. She spoke about self-care for adults and ways parents can keep a calm environment.
For HS families (grades 7-12), doc Martha will offer a workshop Thursday, March 18 @ 19:00. This workshop will be similar to the ES offering, yet targeted towards supporting our older students.
Stress affects all of us – including children. Consider the stressors of the pandemic: social distancing, virtual school, changes in the way we socialize, all of this lasting for months. These added to the stressors of everyday life are having an impact on all of us. Chronic stress interferes with children’s learning readiness, but each one of us can have an impact! Come hear about skills and strategies that any one of us can do to help every one of us do better during these difficult times.
Dr. Martha Merchant is a national expert on trauma and a licensed clinical psychologist. In addition to her clinical practice, she provides training and consultations with school staff, teachers and administrators in order to create more trauma-informed schools. She is currently the Program Director of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) Healthy Environments and Response to Trauma in Schools (HEARTS) Extended grant. HEARTS is a multi-level, whole-school approach that aims to promote school success and resilience for trauma-impacted children and youth by creating more safe, supportive, equitable, and engaging learning and teaching environments that benefit everyone in the school community.
Dr. Merchant has presented at numerous local and national conferences and events and is a published author. She earned her MA in Marriage and Family Therapy and her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology at the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology.
Warm regards,
Ms. Caravaca
(School Counselor 10-12)
