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MADISON CO., Ala. (WAF) – Madison City Schools leaders hosted a mental health resource fair on Monday to show parents and students just how common mental health issues are.
Lindsey Doolittle, who has two children at MCS, decided to bring them to the districtwide fair to learn more about their mental health.
“I feel like mental health is a huge issue, especially with her coming through her teenage years to learn about herself and emotions,” Doolittle said.
Stephanie Allen, the district’s mental health services coordinator, said she’s seen a gradual increase in mental health concerns among students over the past decade.
“It’s just dealing with stress and managing emotions and knowing what to do when you have those big emotions as a child, as a teenager or as an adult,” Allen said.
According to the CDC, nearly 1 in 5 children had a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder before the outbreak.
Doolittle said she was aware of the results.
“My kids’ mental health hasn’t gotten any worse since the pandemic,” Doolittle said. “I’ve noticed that as they get older, they are exploring their emotions. I know that they were isolated from their friends and bored with things because they were at home and far away during the epidemic. It’s great to be back out there and have some normalcy at school.
The district now has Barney the dog at Midtown Elementary to keep students on campus.
Madison Elementary School Counselor Stephanie Cook said she noticed a change when students were able to show empathy and compassion when Barney was around.
“Barney is trained to detect adrenaline cortisol in changes in the child,” Cook said. “So if he sees that chemical change, it signals to an adult that this child is in distress.”
For additional resources that the district provides to students Click here.
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