“Anyone who knows anything about trauma knows it manifests itself in a variety of ways at any time. So, if anybody needs anything at all, all they need to do is reach out to a trusted adult.” From @mcps
I want to unpack this a bit. @mcps is asking students to ask for help. Adults struggle to ask for help, and yet we are asking teenagers to self advocate for help after a series of significant stressors?
Instead of putting this on the kids, why don’t the adults step up? I know the teachers are checking in on students, but they can’t do it all. Get more adults in buildings who are available throughout the school day.
There are many parents, including those with mental health training, who will be glad to take a few days off and be a presence for the students to drop in and talk to confidentially.
Like Dads on Duty, but for Mental Health
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Never assume someone is coping well because they have not asked for help.
🧵/rant follows
In much of the US, asking for help is seen as a sign of weakness. There’s a reason we, as mental health professionals, tend not to see people when the depression is just starting or people are a little anxious. We are the last resort.
Add onto this the stigma of being seen as “weak.” Asking for help is erroneously viewed as a sign of weakness, when in reality it is a sign of significant strength.
No one needs to handle everything on their own. But the message we are consistently given is we should be able to
I promised a discussion of some of the anxiety (and denial of anxiety) I’ve be seeing in practice. This definitely isn’t everything. Here’s a thread:
1- Fear of getting sick. It’s not just Covid. For some, the fear has generalized to any illness. I’ve seen people go to extremes to avoid illness and have developed agoraphobic type symptoms as a result. If the don’t leave their house or interact with anyone, they can’t get sick
2- Guilt with getting sick: I’ve had clients express guilt over getting sick (not just Covid) because it meant they did something wrong.