OHEL provides a breadth of school-based services, which include teacher workshops and training seminars, that address bullying prevention, the challenges of trauma and mental health awareness, and optimizing the school environment so that children of divorce can better thrive, in addition to other issues.
On August 31, Dr. Norman Blumenthal presented a “Bullying Awareness and Prevention” workshop to the faculty of the Moriah School in Englewood.
Dr. Blumenthal shared his collective insights—identifying what is/is not bullying, while providing proactive steps to early intervention and prevention.
Analyzing the major impact that technology has had in the realm of bullying, Dr. Blumenthal shared practical examples in demonstrating that while bullying yesteryear was largely only school centered, today with social media, students are far more vulnerable to a bullying culture that is ever more intrusive and 24/7. This change alone has major implications for the resiliency of today’s students.
The lecture was followed by a number of productive breakout sessions in which teachers were able to talk about their own teaching experiences with each other, together with Dr. Blumenthal.
The following day at The Frisch School, Dr. Blumenthal presented a staff training session entitled “Identifying Emotional Distress in the Classroom.”
Dr. Blumenthal covered a range of issues, from the impact of divorce on students, to the changing nature of adolescence, as we are seeing kids “getting older…earlier,” to the evolving role of teachers as the first line of defense in detecting mental and emotional distress.
Deborah Herzog, Frisch’s director of general studies, said the event was very valuable. “Our staff walked away with a better sense of the mental health issues every day students may face, how to proactively identify problems and understand what their effects can be.”
Dr. Blumenthal commented how in general the Bergen County community is making significant strides at de-stigmatizing mental illness, while remarking that “we can always make further progress in this area.”
By JLNJ Staff
