Idaho State University INCLUDE Mental Health Support for Rural School District Staff

Individual Counseling and consultation

MSW students are trained to provide:

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: a therapy that focuses on changing the perception of problems and committing to living our best lives with those problems
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: a therapy that points out the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and how to understand them
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: a therapy that focuses on understanding and regulating emotions, effectively interacting with others, and tolerating distress
• Intergenerational Trauma: understanding how traumatic events impact you and your family
• Motivational Interviewing: understanding what the stages of change look like and how they can help nurture growth and wellbeing
• Strength Based: discovering strengths and using them to find solutions to challenges

Group presentations and trainings over Zoom created through the MSW program on the following: 

• Conflict resolution and interpersonal effectiveness: have productive conversations with students, parents, and coworkers
• Grit and Resilience: understand the power of these traits and how to apply them
• Mindfulness and meditation: definitions, techniques (grounding, breathing, etc.) and how to practice them, including demonstrations
• Motivational Interviewing: understand the stages of change and how to work with students to foster change
• Secondary trauma: identify symptoms of secondary trauma and healthy ways to cope
• Self-care: create a healthy work/life balance through boundaries, and creating healthy habits

Information on student issues including:

• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): learn about ACEs, and how they influence children in the classroom, including conversations about intergenerational trauma and how that influences minority students
• Puberty, Hygiene, and Body Positivity: have appropriate and effective conversations about changing bodies
• Social media: understand students’ social media usage as it relates to their mental health, developing healthy relationships with technology
• Suicidal Behavior: learn about the warning signs and how to have appropriate and effective conversations about suicide
• Universal design and neurodiversity: learn about universal design and how it can benefit both neurotypical and neurodivergent students
• Violence Prevention: learn about the warning signs and evidence-based prevention methods

Resources:

• Self-help and informational videos: There will be videos either on YouTube or the INCLUDE website about mental health and resources for skills and tools to use. 
• Social Media: Look for us on YouTube and Instagram 

Staff/faculty members can also receive help with…

• Cultural considerations
• Referral to local mental health resources
• Students with cognitive and/or behavioral deficits
• Suicidality among student populations

Contact Fredi Giesler, MSW Ph.D, for more information: includesw@isu.edu | 208-282-1236. All services are provided remotely via Zoom.