The School Social Worker
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission.
I am not a dietician, a nutritionist or anything remotely related. However, I have educated myself on diet (not diets!) and what foods I put into my body. I became a vegetarian shortly after having my first child. I never really liked meat, especially red meat and the dreaded pork chops (apparently a St. Louis/midwest thing?) so I phased it out. After watching documentaries on food, I attempted a vegan diet but boy is that difficult!!! I have replaced many dairy items with non-dairy products like milk, butter, ice cream, etc. But cheese exists soooooooo I have failed at being 100% vegan. I'm sharing this because my knowledge of what I eat and the affects of it on my body (or my kids bodies) and even a person's mental health has spilled over into my practice. I never rule out that what they're putting into their body doesn't have an affect on their daily functioning and mental health.
My experience: Last year, a student was referred to me for "excessive crying" and leaving the classroom for extended periods of time due to this behavior, spending most of their time in a particular classroom. After further assessment I diagnosed them with Panic Disorder. They came to me during their panic attacks and we'd work through them together. It took a toll on the both of us! It took them 45-90 minutes to return to a regulated state and this was happening about 2 times a week. Summer interrupted our sessions but come August, they were experiencing the same attacks and just as frequent. We worked on breathing and other coping skills (use of sensory items like these) to help work through the symptoms. Symptoms displayed were crying, shaking, rapid breathing, and most times they had to sit on the floor. The student was always engaged but the skills we worked on during sessions were not generalizing into the academic setting or beyond. Talk about feeling defeated!
I was determined to find strategies that would work! One day, during a regularly scheduled session I observed a large tumbler with a straw. I commented that it was nice to see them drinking water. The student paused, then said it was iced tea!! A light bulb went off in my head! I had so many questions!! And I asked them. Ask all the questions!
"Is it completely full of tea?"
"Do you drink tea everyday?"
"Does it have sugar in it?"
"Do you even drink water???"
If I had not asked these questions, this student would not have progressed as they have. The answers made me go all mom mode on them! I'm pretty laid back and open with my students so I stepped outside of typical psychotherapy mode and educated them on the importance of water, not only for organs and such but for your brain! When a person is dehydrated, their bodies and brain don't function as well as they should. It's difficult to focus, regulate your emotions and much more. I then talked about how that high amount of sugar and caffeine can affect a person. They were not sleeping well, some nights only a couple hours and as noted earlier, unable to regulate their emotions. It all came together and made sense! Their symptoms were exacerbated by the large amount of caffeine and sugar they were ingesting! I instructed them to put water in this huge tumbler instead and see what happens. After a couple of weeks the student reported that they had slept through consecutive nights and they felt better overall. They reported being able to problem solve better and evaluate friendships (one of which they ended), which was also contributing to their panic attacks. The frequency and intensity of their panic attacks immediately decreased!!! I was in awe! They were too!! We took time to acknowledge these huge strides and experiencing progress they were able to see that change can happen and were motivated to keep working on themselves (their words). Our sessions continue weekly, with a focus on continual assessment of friendships and exploring new coping skills and strengths. Even when they experience panic it is significantly less intense and they're able to manage it within the classroom or a quick visit to me. This progress also strengthened our therapeutic relationship. This student has thanked me multiple times and I thanked them in return for their trust in me helping them along their high school journey.
Items that helped this student in their journey listed below!
Genogram - We created a genogram for their family but also for their friends! Instead of using different lines, I use colors! I have the student choose a color for the following emotions: happy, sad, scared/fearful, annoyed, frustrated, angry, joyful. The student can add emotions as needed. Then they use those emotions to describe their relationships. Here's a great guide on Genograms for Psychotherapy
Another recommendation comes from one of my amazing coworkers so the credit goes to her!! I just began listening to Good Morning Monster and I'm hooked! I really enjoy books from a therapists perspective! Enjoy! Get the audio here! Get the paperback here!
Comments
Post a Comment