Camden Fairview offers variety of mental health resources

Editor's note: This is the Camden News' second story in a series on mental health. This week will focus on the Camden Fairview School District's efforts to educate staff and students on mental health and provide resources to the community.

By Bradly Gill

News Editor

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 37% of students at public and private high schools reported that their mental health was not good most or all of the time during the pandemic in the Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, which was fielded from January to June 2021.

Tina Embry is the mental health coordinator for Camden Fairview School District and spoke with the Camden News about the district's overall plan for mental health guidance.

Embry spent 14 years at the South Arkansas Regional Health Center.

"While I was there, I was coming into Camden Fairview School District to do counseling with clients that were students. Sixteen years ago, when Mr. Ainsworth (former CFSD mental health coordinator) retired, I got his spot. I've been here ever since," Embry said.

Embry said Camden Fairview employs two licensed mental health therapists full-time to provide counseling to students and staff. The district is currently in the the process of expanding in this area, she said.

Camden Fairview also has adult mentors in every building who work with students in small groups and individually on social skills, coping skills and conflict resolution skills.

Embry said that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the mental health of students.

"We are seeing a lot of anxiety. We're seeing a lot of stress and a lot of their social skills are lacking. The ability to communicate and interact with each other. I hate to keep bringing up COVID, but when we went home that spring break and didn't come back and then we had an entire school year where 50% of our kids -- and a lot of those kids were elementary -- were virtual, they missed out on learning how to interact and communicate with each other. So I think we're having to teach those skills," she said.

Camden Fairview currently uses Sanford Harmony in K-5th classrooms to teach social emotional skills. This curriculum provides lessons that develop students' self-awareness, self-control and the interpersonal social skills that are important for school and life success. Students with strong social-emotional skills are better able to cope with everyday challenges and benefit academically and socially, Embry said.

The district is also using Kognito, a web based digital learning program that utilizes role play simulations to improve mental health and well being in schools. The software quizzes students on social situations and has modules involving the social emotional model, substance use awareness and emotional and mental wellness which aims to build awareness, knowledge and skills related to mental health, while reducing the stigma. Students create a log in and work through the role play simulations, responding to questions in conversation style, then they are taken through a possible outcome based on their response.

To further educate students about substance use, Teresa Roarke, of the Ouachita County Medical Center Chemical Dependency unit, visits schools in the district to teach about the dangers of substance abuse and provide professional development for staff on drug trends and signs and symptoms of drug and alcohol use.

CFSD staff and faculty have also had training in Mental Health First Aid, training which gives participants the skills needed to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis.

Embry said,"It's a course, in person or online. It teaches the participants how to identify, understand and respond to symptoms. We sent staff over the summer for training and we plan to expand on that and get all our staff trained."

Embry added, "Students' mental health and coping skill have always been important at Camden Fairview, going all the way back to (former superintendent) Dr. Guess. As far as I know, he was the one that originally brought someone to handle mental health issues for the district. We've always felt like it was important and we try to bring that. We have school counselors that do an amazing job."

Camden Fairview has also set up a tip line to report bullying or worrying behavior which can be accessed anonymously at https://cfhs.cfsd.k12.ar.us/331755_2

The site states that this anonymous reporting tip line is not monitored 24/7. Concerns involving an immediate threat or danger to any student, staff member or the school community should be told directly to a school administrator or 911.

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