Helping Iowans with free mental health support during the pandemic

Helping
                                           Iowans
                                             with
                                        free mental
                                            health
                                          support
                                         during the
                                         pandemic

   Children’s services: one of the main goals of the child and
  family team is to give children and their caregivers the tools
   they need to be able to ask questions about the pandemic
                 and get support when needed.

ASjullie@heartlandfamilyservice.org –            Angela -domestic violence team
Michael-lightbody@uiowa.edu –           Michael –developmental disabilities team
RSchulte@heartlandfmailyservice.org –                    Renee - workforce team
ARoberts@heartlandfailyservie.org –                   Ashley - older adults team
JHaglund@heartlandfamilyservice.org –                    Jason - agriculture team
mandy.gesme@pathwaysb.org –                       Mandy - child and family team
MDaye@heartlandfamilyservice.org –                      Meghan - veterans team

*Counseling*
*Education                              *Support

         *Connection/Referral
         to existing supports
              as needed

COVID Recovery Iowa is a FEMA/SAMSHA Disaster Response
administered by the Iowa Department of Human Services
with local agencies providing virtual one-on-one outreach
counseling as well as interactive virtual groups and activities,
educational webinars, workplace self-care and grief support.

This pandemic is different from previous
 disaster responses. The work of supporting the
  emotional rebuilding, developing resiliency in
     those impacted, and moving forward will
 continue for some time. Our grant ends June 8
    and we hope to do what we can to help all
   Iowans gain tools to cope as well as possible
        during the pandemic and beyond.

    Partners include:

• Heartland Family Service-Council Bluffs
       • ABBE Center-Cedar Rapids
  • Iowa State University Extension and
             Outreach-Ames
      • University of Iowa-Iowa City
 • Pathways Behavioral Health-Waterloo

Pre COVID 11% of US adults reported
symptoms of Anxiety and Depressive
disorder. Since July 2020 33%-44%
of Iowans have consistently reported
symptoms of Anxiety and Depressive
disorder.
(Source: The US census bureau household pulse survey 2020 )

Children’s mental
  health needs can look
  different and require
    different support.
  Look for changes in behavior – not
wanting to go to school, declining their
favorite food, isolating themselves, or
           more meltdowns.

Routines

 Kids thrive when they know what to expect.
 Pandemic affects the day-to-day life of many – sports, work, family gatherings
 Try and keep some things consistent to keep that sense of stability – bedtime
  stories, breakfast, getting dressed, a hug every morning.
 Limit news exposure. Can traumatize and retraumatize.
 If you are a concerned parent or caregiver – talk to someone about your
  concerns – ask a friend, consult the child’s teacher, join a support group,
  connect with a counselor.
 COVID Recovery Iowa has developed some activities to provide a sense of
  routine, easy access to peer-to-peer counselors, and tools to help children
  develop communications skills to talk about the pandemic if and when they
  need to.

Website
   https://www.covidrecoveryiowa.org/
Here you can get connected to a free virtual counselor by submitting a
 request for assistance. You can note needs for financial resources,
             personal support, activities for children etc.

 You can also get linked to our Facebook page, our You Tube channel,
                    Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/covidreco
              veryIowa
   Many different groups to suite your needs – request to
                    join a group today.

• Parenting in a Pandemic                          group on Facebook –
watch interactive Facebook Live discussions with experts in fields such as
Occupational Therapy, Play Therapy, ER Doctor, Budgeting, Shelter and
Financial Resources, catch the Question of the Day to ground and connect
parents and children, plus fun activities, and homework tips.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/937325153412822

• Tell Me a Story on Facebook – a new story read by COVID
Recovery Iowa Staff and celebrities are brought to you each day at 10am.
Playing the story for your child can be a way for parents and children to
connect or it can give a parent a few minutes to themselves to finish the task
at hand. Themed weeks including an upcoming week of books focusing on
diversity, love, bedtimes stories, Disney and more. You can go back in time
and check out some of our most popular readings by Miss Iowa and Ashton
Kutcher – “The Book With No Pictures” by BJ Novak gets a lot of giggles if
you are in need.

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/1581970971987124

• You do have to ask to join this group and all of our other groups on
Facebook.

Workforce Resources on
        Facebook
Positive support for essential workers like teachers and childcare
                            providers.

                  • Mindfulness Mondays
                  • Teacher Tips Tuesdays
                  • Workforce Wednesday
              • Thankful for Childcare Thursdays
                       • Fun Fridays

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/261569204943086

Locate useful
                                       books &
                                       activities on our
                                       You Tube
                                       Channel
• “Good Morning Zoom” by Lindsay
Rechler

• “Not Forever But for Now” by
Heather Malley

• “Paula and the Pandemic” by
Dorothea Laurence

• “I Was Born During a Global
Pandemic” by Elyse Gualotuna

• “Invisible String” by Joanne Lew-
Vriethoff

• “Pandemic for Babies” by Chris
Ferrie, Neal Goldsein & Joanna Suder

• Got to youtube.com – search for
COVID Recovery Iowa or copy and
paste the below into your browser.
Subscribe and you will get notified
each time we add a new book.

https://youtu.be/Xffc1bH6fSA

Feeling depleted of
creative energy? We can help
with that too – each book has
an activity to go with it – just
click “show more” under the
book description for details.
• Good Morning Zoom”
https://youtu.be/Xffc1bH6fSA
Draw or write what you miss the most
versus enjoy the most about this
virtual world.

• “Not Forever But for Now” by
Heather Malley
https://youtu.be/cpB6Xs_fBnY
Use a squirt bottle of water to test out
6 feet.

• “Paula and the Pandemic”
https://youtu.be/2N6-_oaL3RU
Draw a door- where does it take you?

• “I Was Born During a Global
Pandemic”
• https://youtu.be/yTqqPoOaodg
Create a time capsule.

• “Invisible String”
https://youtu.be/yTqqPoOaodg
Play a good old fashion game of
telephone.

• “Pandemic for Babies”
https://youtu.be/UAleIpRJJ1I
Draw a picture of your family doing
something together.

55 books in our library with a goal of
adding 2 a week until the completion
of the project!

mandy.gesme@pathwaysb.org

                                        You can also watch this video to
                                        learn how to provide the
                                        program yourself:

                                        https://youtu.be/WhcL9xMSV3w

Children’s Story
Hour
Invite us into your space via zoom or
we can send a pre-recorded video.
We will read two of the books,
provide a coloring activity book that
we can mail or email. And play a
Pictionary game with the children
asking about what they have seen,
heard and felt during the pandemic.

We can email it to you for you to print or we can mail them to you.

          Work with the children on the activity. Ask them about a particular
          page - you can talk about the different names for COVID-19. You can
          ask about activities that have been cancelled. Maybe what they look
          forward to doing the most when the pandemic is over.

A kid-friendly coloring book                  COVI
about COVID-19 | Spring2020
                                              D-19

                  chrichmond.or
                                          *Clinical information as
                  g/covid-19
                                          of: April 22,2020

Zoom Support Groups