This online course features Vickie Beckwith, an outstanding school nurse with over 20 years of experience, as well as a national trainer. The course begins with an outline and introduction to mental health in schools, by going over recent research, relevant statistics, and updated definitions. Then, the course delves into best practice for common mental health concerns like anxiety and depression by addressing the following: early intervention strategies, warning signs, what's normal behavior for different age groups, deescalating tools, prevention activities, and provides a plethora of crisis resource. Vickie continues by providing extensive resources to address bullying and suicide prevention in your schools. A large portion of the course focuses on motivational interview, a communication tool to better support students making healthy choices. Lastly, the course addresses the importance of self-care and how to find support when the responsibilities of a 21st century school nurse are stressful and demanding. The course includes access to an extensive digital handbook, action plan form, note-taking guide, and Vickie's updated Google drive that links to countless resources and further education around mental health support.

You will learn how to:

• Educate students and school staff to minimize stigma around mental health and asking for help for mental health problems
• Recognize warning signs of bullying and how to best respond
• Provide support students going through a mental health crisis
• Enhance your communication to better reach and care for all students
• Utilize evidence-based models, programs and strategies to better students living with mental health illness
• Better support students experiencing depression, anxiety, and other common mental health issues in your schools
• Provide mental health first aid, specifically recognize, and refer
• Talk to families when their students are experiencing mental health issues
• Better take care of yourself when dealing with stressful and highly demanding responsibilities of a school nurse

Watch an excerpt from this course:

EDDU 9536

BER is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #CEP 15144, to offer four (4) Contact Hours for RNs and LPNs.

*APRNs in all states need to check with their credentialing agency to determine if this course meets the additional CEU requirements for their specialty area.

Click here for more information.

"The course was thorough and I appreciated the instructor's personal shared experiences."

              - P. Thomas

"I really loves this presentation! Thank you. School nursing and mental health go hand in hand."

              - E. Brumm

"Very thoughtful and informative, useful information to keep motivated and designed to be proactive. Enjoyed"

              - M. Neeser

"This was a very informative course. I'm planning on sharing much of the content with my staff."

              - J. Greiner

"This was a great course. I feel more confident in providing support to my high school students."

              - L. Nahale