Dear Michael D. Eisner College of Education Community,
Recent surveys indicate that college students are under great stress due to the combined crises of the pandemic and anti-black racism. And students in Deaf Studies have additional stressors, such as the challenge of ASL communication virtually. Surveys also indicate that faculty and staff worry about student well-being, especially for those students from low-income communities with limited living and educational resources. A recent article by Stephanie Pappas in the American Psychological Association Online states that “programs don’t usually teach their students how to make time for self-care, despite evidence that self-care behaviors make for happier, healthier trainees.” Her article offers strategies for graduate students' well-being, which also can easily apply to credential and undergraduate students. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/07/student-self-care These strategies are summarized below.
Strategies for faculty to promote self-care in students
Know the stressors and barriers. Financial stressors and time pressures repeatedly top the list of challenges that students face. Program or class culture can be a barrier to self-care, too.
Check in. The first step is to make self-care a welcome topic of conversation in class.
Incorporate self-care in coursework that students are already doing, suggests Robyn Gobin, PhD, an assistant professor of clinical psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “During class time, they’re invested in learning, they’re invested in getting good grades,” Gobin says. “So, I make it part of their grade.” She encourages self-care through extra-credit assignments such as asking students to reflect on their own self-care practices.
Encourage small steps. Another key strategy is to encourage students to start small. Part of helping students identify small steps they can make involves identifying how self-care fits into their values systems. Focusing on what a student most wants to get out of self-care—an energy boost? A mental break?—can help them identify activities that will get them what they need.
Sponsor a wellness committee. Launch a student wellness committee to work toward making self-care a part of the education culture.
Model self-care. The most important way to encourage self-care is to take care of yourself—and let your students know you’re doing it.
Self-care Tools for students and others who are deaf and hard of hearing
https://nationaldeafcenter.org/news-items/self-care-part-mental-health/ Beatrice Bachleda, National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes, The University of Texas at Austin
NDC has put together a tip sheet with basic but powerful tools that can benefit everyone, including deaf youth, families, educators and service providers. These tools – breathing, mindfulness, connection – aligned with appropriate mental health services may improve coping skills and allow individuals to eventually shift from reacting to responding to crises as they arise.
Self-care counseling and related resources for students and community are available through our CSUN COE centers
- Teaching, Learning, and Counseling Consortium https://www.csun.edu/teaching-learning-counseling-consortium
- Mitchell Family Counseling Clinic https://www.csun.edu/teaching-learning-counseling-consortium/mitchell-family-counseling-clinic
- Strength United https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/strength-united
- Family Focus Resource Center https://www.csun.edu/family-focus-resource-center/
- Center for Teaching and Learning https://www.csun.edu/center-teaching-learning
Self-care resources to talk with students about anti-Black racism and other racism
• Systemic Inequities: Dismantling systemic inequities in our schools and building schools that work for all students Webcast recording YouTube link: https://youtu.be/6bIXQZAcess
- CSU Diversity toolkit website for instructors- https://educatorpreptoolkit.calstate.edu/
- COE SUN self-care website has been expanded to include resources to support students with empathy and compassion. Check out links for our entire COE community on topics including “coping with the coronavirus” and “resources to address racism and inequity” at https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/self-care/articles-information-self-care
Other self-care resources for students at CSUN
- CSUN COVID information is available at the CSUN as One Website: https://www.csun.edu/csunasone
- Associated Students is offering a host of Fall 2020 Virtual Events to enhance student engagement: https://www.csun.edu/as/virtual-events
- CSUN with a Heart continues to provide valuable information that connects students to various resources supporting basic needs
- CSUN Act Now (CAN) presents a series of virtual events to engage the CSUN community in the 2020 Election
- Student technology loaner program https://www.csun.edu/it/device-loaner-program
- student training video https://www.csun.edu/csunasone/health-and-safety.
For a list of self-care options available to students and anyone, please see our COE self-care website for resources for faculty, staff, and COE students at:
https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/self-care/articles-information-self-care
Thank you for your care and concern in guiding our students during these challenging times.
Warmly,
Shari and Josh