HOUSTON — Students, faculty and school staff members have shared emotional stories this school year about adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I go to sleep crying," one teacher said late last year. "I can't sleep through the night."
School counselors said they’ve heard it all.
"Counselors wear so many hats and they have so many roles," Dr. Crystal Collins, director of academic guidance and counseling for Spring ISD, said.
That's also where Suni Thompson works with sometimes anxiety-riddled middle schoolers.
"And I know it’s going to be hard," Thompson said. "But they’re building tools they never had before. We all are.”
Katy ISD counselor Remona Clark said much of the pandemic’s toll is undetected until people talk.
"Even we as counselors, sometimes we have to find that person we can kind of de-stress with as well," Clark said.
A recent study showed the number of students in need of mental health services went up 31% in 2020. Those learning remotely may suffer the most.
"You don’t realize how much that social interaction has an impact on our students," Collins said. "And how it impacts them with their academics and just their overall well-being.”
Many districts have added time for educators to get mental breaks.
"They have mindfulness activities and times where they can actually go online and do some breathing techniques,” Thompson said.
National School Counseling Week is an opportunity to recognize the work and remind campus communities they’re always available.
"Do not feel ashamed," Clark said. "Definitely don’t do it alone.”
