At the beginning of each school year, Rosecrance provided educators and parents with valuable resources for the coming year. These Back to School Kits, which included tips and resources to help school staff navigate the challenges of substance use and mental health issues, shifted to virtual materials this year.
“We knew educators were incredibly busy and had to make adjustments to help kids this year,” said Director of Outreach and Marketing Mary Egan. “Rosecrance wanted to provide resources that school staff could access quickly when they needed it.”
This year’s kit included helpful information about signs and symptoms of mental health struggles and vaping. There also was a roadmap to guide counselors from Rosecrance’s assessment to all the treatment options available in each region.
In addition, the kit can be used by parents and other adults who may be spending more time with youth this year as many schools continued online learning that began last spring.
“Teens are more vulnerable to mental health and substance use issues in times like these when they are missing out on many of their supports and big school events like homecoming, so we wanted to make sure their adults can access supports as well,” Egan said. “The toolkit helped everyone–teachers, parents, and youth alike–navigate what could be a challenging year for some.”
To view the toolkit, visit https://rosecrance.org/backtoschool/