Behavioral health experts address back-to-school fears

MIDDLETOWN — With Connecticut schools going back in session soon, many families and students are grappling with anxiety related to the many unknowns arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Community Health Center of Middletown is state’s largest provider of school-based health care, with behavioral health clinicians serving more than 180 schools, according to a press release.

When schools closed in March, sessions with students shifted to telehealth. In-person visits will resume when schools reopen, with telehealth available as needed, the release said.

CHC’s behavioral health leaders are offering information to families and students finding it difficult to cope at this time of year.

Tim Kearney, chief behavioral health officer and president of behavioral health staff, said in a prepared statement that parents and youth are worried and grappling with many unknowns: Will they be safe, will their teachers, friends or family members get sick if school reopens, will they return for a few days or weeks, only to have to go back to a virtual setting?

“You know your child and their needs better than anyone else. Collect your best information about your school’s plans, learn the most recent information about the virus and risks associated with returning to the social setting of school, talk to people you trust for input, and consider your child’s opinion and their specific needs,” Kearney said.

“Then make the best decision can make and go forward in the safest way you can to reduce risks,” he said in his statement.

This is a frightening time for children, he said. “You don’t need to pretend to be brave — if you are scared, talk to someone you trust,” Kearney tells young people. He also advises parents to make plans for school safety and practice new challenges, such as wearing a mask all day, keeping at a distance from friends, having revamped rules and routines.

Some will do fine with changes, he said. Others will show signs of increased anxiety or depression, which can manifest as trouble sleeping, increased fighting with siblings or parents, talking about fears or worries, eating more or less than usual, withdrawing from activities they used to enjoy, or talking about hurting themselves.

Dr. Tichianaa Armah, CHC medical director and vice president of behavioral health is also a mother of schoolaged children, who practices open dialogues with her kids.

“We learn a lot when we take the time to listen to children. Find out what they know and how they feel about returning to school in the midst of the ongoing pandemic and cries for racial equity. Remember, if you are anxious they can see and feel that, model what it means to cope well with those feelings and engage in activities that help the whole family find some peace, from a game of charades to a walk on the beach,” she said in the release.

“Parents should not just be honest about their own challenges dealing with all the uncertainty, but be honest about not having all the answers and recognizing that things remain in flux,” Armah said.

She counsels parents to regularly talk about school issues, and set up practices that will help children maintain a sense of “normalcy,” if school learning models change in the future.

For information, visit chc1.com.

“Parents should not just be honest about their own challenges dealing with all the uncertainty, but be honest about not having all the answers and recognizing that things remain in flux.”

Dr. Tichianaa Armah, CHC medical director and vice president of behavioral health

Armah

Kearney