How local Catholic schools help anxious kids

By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald

Pediatricians and hospitals nationwide are reporting a significant decline in children’s mental health since COVID-19 hit.


The decline is so alarming that the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Children’s Hospital Association and other groups have declared a national emergency in children’s mental health, said Dr. Brian Credo, American Academy of Pediatrics fellow and medical ethics mentor at the Tulane School of Medicine.

Dr. Credo recently addressed Cabrini High School parents in his discussion, “Teens and Mental Health: Lessons from the Pandemic.”
 
“You are the most important link in the chain,” Dr. Credo told parents, helping them understand their power to help their children. “Parents are the first teachers of their children.”

Dr. Credo, a graduate of Archbishop Rummel High School who also directs Rummel’s biomedicine track in its pre-professional program, explained how the pandemic played havoc on normal teen connectedness such as outings with friends and daily school interactions with friends, teachers and counselors, which offered reassurance that someone cared about them.


High percentage ‘sad’
By 2021, the CDC reported 43% of teens said they were sad, and 33% of female students felt helpless and sad, Credo said, resulting in suicide being the second-leading cause of death for teens, only behind accidents.

Parents can make a difference in their child’s mental health by keeping communication open and responding when teens approach. Dr. Credo urged parents to pay attention to warning signs in a teen’s behavior, and he encouraged parents to love their children, “especially when they don’t deserve it.”

Cabrini parents participated in a “get on your feet” balloon activity to better understand how many things teens juggle.

“It’s hard to concentrate when there are many things going on in your life,” he said.

Dr. Credo noted the following mental health red flags: excessive sleeping or isolation; loss of self-esteem or interest in a favorite past-time; dramatic decline in academic performance; weight loss or loss of appetite; personality shifts, such as aggressive behavior or anger; hopelessness; paranoia; substance abuse or prescription drug use; and self-mutilation.

“There were several hundreds-fold increases in ER visits of teens cutting themselves during the pandemic,” Dr. Credo said. “We want our children to have a way to fly … in a healthy way. You have the power to make the situations surrounding your children help them fly to new heights.”

He quoted popular singer Taylor Swift, who said there were times in her life when she was friendless, “but my mom was my friend. Always.”

“I learned a lot,” said Margie Brown, the mother of Cabrini 10th grader Madison Brown. “The visuals of the statistics hit home the reality of what COVID did. Dr. Credo’s tips about parents made me more aware that we have to reset, sometimes, as parents. You know what to do, but his words encouraged me to put things in perspective.”Several Catholic high schools have not only hosted Dr. Credo for parents’ club meetings but also have added resources or strengthened existing measures to address student issues.
Yvonne Hrapmann, Cabrini principal, said her school’s three full-time counselors and teachers complete annual, in-house training to recognize students who might be struggling. Cabrini also conducts an intense suicide workshop with ninth graders using Jason Foundation resources.


“If we get a referral from a teacher or a student, we do a quick assessment, contact the parents and require a follow-up with a counselor or psychiatrist,” Hrapmann said.

Even though Cabrini has returned to pre-COVID schedules and activities, Hrapmann isn’t confident that normal teen social development has returned. In response, Cabrini has implemented the “SMARTS Executive Function” curriculum in which students self-assess and set goals and priorities. It’s been shared with other schools.

“We are still seeing heightened anxiety from students being in isolation for so long (and relying on a virtual community),” Hrapmann said. “Executive-understanding skills that students develop during high school haven’t been developed. It affects everything.”

Emotional well-being
The panel discussion for parents March 28 at De La Salle High School was “Adolescent Emotional Well-Being and Mental Health.” The panel included Dr. Credo; Patricia Clesi, a University Medical Center Level 1 Trauma Center registered nurse; Dr. Christiane Creveling, a dual-licensed clinical and school psychologist; and Sarah Krennerich, a licensed professional counselor at the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD in Houston.

Parents asked about steps they could take if they are concerned about their child; how to keep lines of communication strong so a child feels the parent is approachable when a problem exists; and when to seek out mental health professionals.

“We know that students across the nation are dealing with issues of anxiety and depression,” said Perry Rogers, De La Salle principal.

“Our students at De La Salle have some of the same issues and struggles, and our parents are concerned. We wanted to make them aware and give them tools and practical advice so they know when and how to act when they see concerns that might develop in their children.”

Connie Dantagnan, Archbishop Chapelle’s head of school, agreed that virtual learning during COVID-19 contributed to anxiety and depression. As the girls returned to school, support from faculty, staff, administration and the counseling department seemed to console them.

‘Coffee with Counselors’
Chapelle has instituted Girl Code, Social Media Awareness Week, Drug Free Week, Anti-Bully Week, several small groups and the new Coffee with Counselors.

“We built a new counseling center with a lobby with sofas and chairs in the heart of the school so that the counselors are easily accessible to the students, and students know ‘their mental health is a priority,’” Dantagnan said.

Chapelle’s campus minister has also established a campus ministry leadership team and a discipleship team, which involves more students in campus ministry and the school’s spiritual mission.

Chapelle also works with the Jason Foundation on Suicide Prevention. The school’s Positive Psych class completed a lesson on the Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishments/Achievements (PERMA) model to help with happiness – demonstrating Chapelle’s fostering of well-being, Dantagnan said. PERMA is an evidence-based approach to increase happiness and decrease anxiety, stress and depression.

Goal: independent, strong girls
Mount Carmel Academy has long had mental health initiatives in place, said Amanda H. Pellegrin, M.Ed. in counselor education, a licensed and nationally certified professional counselor, guidance department co-chair and Carmelette moderator.

Beginning in eighth grade, Mount Carmel’s eight counselors meet individually with students to discuss suicide prevention so students know steps to take for themselves or if they are concerned about a friend. Parents have access to resources if noticeable behavioral changes occur in their daughter.

Mount Carmel counselors also have safe-environment talks with students and grade-level programs such as relational aggression and bullying for eighth graders; dangers of drugs for ninth graders; healthy relationships (with friends and boyfriends) with 10th graders; healthy   within a relationship with 11th graders (where a Bill of Rights is made) to consent, date rape, college campus safety, etc., for seniors.

Love Life Week at Mount Carmel is a fruit of the eighth-grade meetings, Pellegrin said. It’s held the same week as the suicide prevention talks and rewards students with “merits” who display acts of kindness.

In another initiative in the spring, students are given hearts with a student’s name and write something nice about their fellow classmate.

“By the end of the week, everybody has something nice that was written about them from a classmate,” she said.

“We’ve done all these things for such a long time that it has just become part of our culture that we share with the girls to help them help themselves,” Pellegrin said. “I tell my girls all the time, when you graduate from this school, I want you to be the strong, independent young woman that God has intended you to become. You’re not going to stop growing when you leave us, but I want you to be strong, knowledgeable and independent so when you get into situations, there is probably somebody you can seek help from to make the best decision. We do that from the moment they walk in.”      

A national problem
To address growing mental health concerns, the state launched a 24-hour “988” Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in July 2022, replacing the former 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and a website: https://988lifeline.org/chat/. Simply dial 988. The hotline has trained crisis counselors who listen to concerns, provide support and connect the caller to local resources. All conversations are free and confidential.

“Tragically, Louisiana experienced more than 600 suicides in 2020. Nationally, there is a death by suicide every 11 minutes,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “This is a very safe place to get that support.”  

Louisiana Department of Health secretary Dr. Courtney N. Phillips reported that 1 in 5 people above age 12 has a mental health condition in the U.S.

“I really do believe that if we equip parents and teachers properly, we might be able to save some lives,” Dr. Credo said. “If we can save just one, wouldn’t it be worth it?”

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