Anxiety is a common human condition and just like most adults, any child can feel worried or anxious at certain times in their lives. For example, examinations are an expected cause of anxiety in children and it is completely natural for a student to feel anxious about facing situations that are more demanding than day to day life.

However if your child is experiencing high levels of anxiety, and their general daily well being is being affected, ISHCMC-American Academy can help you manage and support their concerns and feelings. Our school’s goal is to create a positive, caring, and engaging environment, and we have implemented specific programs to help both you and your child deal with issues like anxiety and stress.

ISHCMC-American Academy programs to help manage and support anxiety

Positive Emotions

During November 2020, we organized a Positive Emotions campaign where our students were encouraged to talk about emotions in Advisories and Assemblies. This ISHCMC-AA initiative has helped the children in our care to understand that all emotions, from the sad and angry negative emotions to positive emotions like happiness or excitement, are simply natural feelings. The task was then for us to highlight what the benefits are of concentrating on the positive emotions, and how this will help them achieve more at school and in their home life. 

“Positive emotions can undo the harm caused by negative emotions and help children to feel connected to others, have more energy, increase awareness and be more mindful.” 

Ms. Diane Sisson – Middle School Counselor & Designated Safeguarding Lead 

More information on Positive Emotions available here.

Counselor’s Corner 

The ISHCMC-AA Weekly Parent Memo features a regular section called Counselor’s Corner that offers guidance on issues that might be a cause of stress and anxiety for your child at school. Subjects recently covered include our Positive Emotions initiative and how to embark on life at High School.

Be Well Newsletter

The Be Well Newsletter is an online newsletter published every month that focuses on subjects related to the well-being of our students. Each month the publication covers a mix of news articles on school events and programs, and helpful external reports and videos that offer great advice. It’s helpful but it’s also a lot of fun!

What you as a parent can do:

• Be aware of the warning signs for anxiety in your child
• Speak calmly with your child about how they are feeling
• Contact ISHCMC-American Academy to speak to one of our counselors or teachers for advice
• Don’t be afraid to seek professional help outside of school
• Be supportive, be by your child’s side and engage them in fun activities

What are the signs of anxiety?

Your child is likely to be suffering from anxiety if they are experiencing a number of the following issues:

• Irritability
• Insufficient sleep
• Bed wetting & bad dreams
• Excessive anger
• A lack of confidence
• Poor concentration
• Constant negative thinking
• An inability to face normal social situations and friends
• Unwillingness to go to school

How you can support your child

• encourage them to share their feelings
• ensure they take exercise and eat a healthy diet
• tell them it’s ok to be sad and cry

And finally…

By caring about mental health you will become an important part of erasing the stigma attached to mental health issues in our community. Every child deserves to have a happy and healthy life, and together, we can make this happen.

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” — Martin Luther King