Well-Being in Academia: Promoting Awareness and Developing Skills for Managing Mental Health with Students and Faculty

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Handouts/Brochure

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Jennifer Wilke-Deaton, MA, LPA Related seminars and products

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Jennifer Wilke-Deaton, MA, LPA, is a licensed behavioral health therapist working in a private practice setting in Richmond and Lexington, KY, and a nationally recognized school consultant. Jen has 25 years of experience working with crisis management, psychological testing, inpatient/outpatient treatment, groups, families, and the court system. A tireless and passionate advocate for children and families, she developed a parent training program recognized by the Governor’s Commission for the Treatment of Children & Families and Kentucky’s Child Protective Services. Jen helped create a regional children’s crisis stabilization unit, children’s advocacy center, and an intensive after-school program for behaviorally challenged youth. She has published the Creative Parenting Handbook, Parenting Better Children, CD Awareness in Focus: Modern Guided Imagery Techniques for Immediate Practice, CD Awareness in Focus by Kids for Kids, and The Mandela Workbook: Activities Across the Lifespan.

In addition to delivering her nationally recognized training programs for PESI and keynote presentations, Jen regularly speaks on mental health issues and child abuse for Morehead State University, Eastern Kentucky University, KY Child Protective Services, and National Public Radio; as well as serving as the psychometrician for the Center for Academic and Tutoring Services (CATS) – University of Kentucky, and providing psychological evaluations and therapeutic support services for the Department of Disability Determinations and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. Jennifer consults regularly for private/state foster care organizations, social services, schools, psychiatric hospitals, Head Start programs, in-home therapy programs, and case management services. Her specialties are in the areas of child abuse, PTSD, DBT, behavioral disorders, anxiety, autistic spectrum, and attachment. Jen shares time-tested, real approaches from the trenches, using humor, energy and passion for helping others.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Jennifer Wilke-Deaton has employment relationships with the University of Kentucky and Hundley Psychological Services. She receives compensation as a guest speaker and royalties as a published author. Jennifer Wilke-Deaton receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Jennifer Wilke-Deaton has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Outline

1. How can we be aware of mental health Issues that can impact performance and attendance in training facilities and post-training placement?
2. Common mental health issues in our populations, and when we should be asking for outside support.
   1. Anxiety
      1. Social Anxiety in adults
         1. 1. Symptoms
            2. What it looks like in real life.
            3. What types of interactions can make it worse?
            4. What we can do to improve their ability to be successful in a variety of social settings.
      2. Separation Anxiety
         1. 1. Symptoms
            2. What does it look life in training and work settings?
            3. How commonly does this occur with adults?
            4. Small changes can improve success quickly.
      3. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
         1. 1. Symptoms and severity
            2. What does GAD sound like in every day interactions?
            3. What types of physical symptoms can we look for to prevent escape and attrition?
            4. How often is this mistaken for ADHD?
            5. How can we advise and promote choices for employment that are best fits for individuals with GAD symptoms?
      4. Discussion and problem solving to address the impact of long-term Covid restrictions and virtual learning.
         1. 1. The value of social skills building and coping mechanisms after isolation with specific examples of daily use tools.
            2. Creating skill sets for working in large groups.
            3. Recognizing that learning styles and endurance for training may have changed with direct schedule planning.
            4. Recognizing that these individuals may be coping with loss in your learning space (death of family members and friends, income/housing changes, etc.)
            5. How to teach students to self-advocate when feeling overwhelmed, rather than quitting.
            6. Common mistakes made in interacting with students with anxiety presentation, and how to best approach and interact for success.
   2. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
      1. Symptoms.
      2. Subtypes that can impair training and new skills practice (i.e. compulsive counting, organization, concerns about contamination, etc.).
      3. Types of interactions in training environments that increase Obsessions and compulsions, and how to fix it.
   3. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
      1. 1. Symptoms.
         2. Likelihood of having exposure to trauma.
         3. What can be perceived as trauma that you may have never considered before?
         4. What can it look like in your setting?
         5. Are they being difficult, or are they showing you fight/flight responses?
         6. How to create perceived safety in teaching/training/practice environments with practical skills to address:
            1. Tone.
            2. Space.
            3. Unexpected change.
            4. Eye contact.
            5. Objects of perceived aggression.
            6. Posture.
   4. ADHD
      1. 1. Symptoms.
         2. Types.
         3. Comparison and change between child and adult presentation.
         4. Errors we make, and solutions for change, as teachers and trainers that increase difficulties with:
            1. Limited executive functioning and organizational skills.
            2. Fostering dependency that cannot be sustained in the work force.
            3. Fortune-telling failure because of attentional deficit.
            4. Considering low frustration tolerance and irritability a behavioral issue with students.
   5. Depressive Disorders
      1. Major Depressive Disorder
         1. 1. Symptoms.
            2. Thoughts shown as behaviors.
            3. Combatting the “I can’t do it” narrative.
            4. Preventing hopelessness and worthlessness.
            5. Awareness of suicidal ideation.
      2. Persistent Depressive Disorder
         1. 1. Symptoms.
            2. Issues with passivity and decision making.
            3. Issues with self-confidence and the impact on effort.
      3. Being aware of how we respond and interact with symptoms, and practical techniques for long-term change:
         1. 1. The danger of invalidation, and how to transform it into validation opportunities.
            2. Being aware, responsive, and preventative with seasonal changes in depression.
            3. Checking on those students that have “disappeared” from training or seem “checked out.”
            4. Improving student independence and self-advocacy.
   6. Personality Disorders
      1. Types/Clusters
         1. 1. Cluster A
            2. Cluster B
            3. Cluster C
      2. How they look in the real world.
      3.  How symptoms can impact training and practical success.
   7. Substance Abuse and Dependency
      1. What does this include?
         1. 1. Not only illicit drugs, but tobacco, caffeine, energy drinks, etc.
            2. How to address intoxication in the training setting.
            3. How to structure daily training to decrease the negative impact of withdrawal and irritability.