Special Program! A Conversation with Survivors and COVID-19 Long-Haulers: Implications for School and Mental Health
Part II: Where Are We Now? Checking in Six Months Later & Looking Ahead to the Holiday Season
Six months ago in June 2021, we gathered to listen to COVID-19 survivors and long haulers and learn about their experience to inform how we as school mental health providers and leaders prepared for the needs of staff and students for the coming school year.
Graphic illustration by Rio Holaday
Dr. Kira Mauseth returned to provide a more in-depth share about Long COVID behavioral health and what we have learned in our research. Derek, Karla, Mieka, and Jessica (four survivors of COVID-19, all of whom identify as long-haulers) returned to share where they are now and offered recommendations for school providers.
Together in our main room, Kira Derek, Karla, Mieka, and Jessica discussed and shared considerations for the holiday season: how to support Long Haulers, those secondarily impacted by COVID-19, and school communities.
The breakout sections (up to participant choice) include:
1. Resilience research: How might research inform our practice? Led by Dr. Kira Mauseth
2. Compounded experiences: How might we support those with Long Haul and are COVID survivors who also have lived experience with other forms of loss and grief? Led by Jessica Gonzalez
3. Workplace leadership considerations: How might we as managers, principals, administrators, and supervisors create trauma informed, long-hauler attuned workplaces? Led by Karla Monterroso
4. Student and family partnerships: How might we, as school leaders, partner with students and families to hear and listen to their experience with Long Haul and COVID-19 to inform our policies and practices? Led by Derek Canty
5. Self-care and identity: How might the experience of COVID-19 calibrate with our sense of who we are? Led by Mieka Tennant
Please note:
We did not center the conversation on death related to COVID-19; rather, we came together to discuss and share the losses and grief related to surviving COVID and being a long-hauler.
While this conversation focused on young people and the context of schools, we welcome all to listen in.
This program was led by MHTTC Regions 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and U.S. Pacific Islands of American Samoa, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau) & 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington). We strongly encouraged members of the school mental health workforce from our regional areas to attend; outside workforce was welcome as well.
Resources
Northwest MHTTC
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (206) 744-9327
Pacific Southwest MHTTC
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (844) 856-1749
