Navigating the Emotional Landscape of COVID-19
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Concern over the coronavirus can make everyone, particularly youth, anxious. It is very important to remember that children look to adults for guidance on how to react to stressful events. If adults seem overly worried, children's anxiety may rise. Adults should reassure youth that health and school officials are working hard to ensure that people throughout the country stay healthy.
Children also need factual, age-appropriate information about the potential seriousness of disease risk, so the focus of conversation should be concrete instructions about how to avoid infections and the spread of disease. Teaching youth-positive measures, talking with them about their fears, and giving them a sense of some control over their risk of infections can help reduce anxiety.
As part of our commitment to wellbeing, ETHS is sharing the following links and resources. Families and students may also make a social work referral by reaching out to the student’s counselor or their assigned social worker, if known.
Helpful Links
Videos by ETHS
- Let’s Talk about It: A conversation on Mental Health and Healing (https://youtu.be/5UYJEZrgBQc)
- Preventing Youth Suicide (https://youtu.be/dutlaSb_ee8)
- Supporting Students During Covid-19 (https://youtu.be/y9Y1vs2MkqU)
- ETHS Home Access Center Instructions and Video for Parents/Guardians
- Executive Function Skills (https://youtu.be/x5qbUjWdfEo)
- Supporting Grieving Teens During COVID-19 and Beyond (https://youtu.be/WUZ_QGjt1pg)
- Teen Substance Use During a Pandemic (https://youtu.be/Ew1lyUlcUOw)
Hotlines
- National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255 or text “START” to 741-741 https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
- National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-4673 https://rainn.org
- Northwest Center Against Sexual Assault 1-888-802-8890 http://www.nwcasa.org
- Trevor Lifeline - Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention LGBTQ youth 1-866-488-7386 https://www.thetrevorproject.org
- National Teen Dating Violence Abuse Helpline 1-866-331-9474 https://youth.gov/federal-links/national-teen-dating-abuse-helpline
Call4Calm support line
The Illinois Department of Human Services has launched this support line that is reachable via text. Individuals who want to speak with a mental health professional can text the word “TALK” or “HABLAR” (for Spanish speakers) to 552-020. Within 24 hours, that individual will receive a call from a mental health professional employed by a local community health center.
People can also text other terms, like “unemployment” or “food” or “shelter” to the same number to receive information on how to navigate and access supports and services. Call4Calm is free, and individuals who use it can remain anonymous.
