Mental Health Virtual Class

I provide Psychology: Mental Health classes, virtually, because I believe it is an important subject that Christian families need to address both biblically and scientifically. We want our children to express themselves while giving them the language and the tools to navigate their mental health. So often children, and even adults, will say they have mental health problems without fully understanding or attending to the complexity of the brain and how it is affected by not only medication, but also by our thought-lives. With this current world trying to tell our children who they are, and with social media playing such a huge number on their minds, I believe it is important for children and parents to learn and have discussions just as they would about drugs and sex – since these two things also stem from the thoughts coming in from social media, friends, television, and natural changes in the body. This means that a Mental Health class is not just for individuals with a diagnosis, it is to equip us to navigate healthy self-image and healthier lives. I have created my own curriculum using Dr. Caroline Leaf and Peter Scazzero materials. Since teaching this I have also seen how students have learned to pace themselves with social media, to listen to the advice of friends with more wisdom, to have more mental clarity through practicing meditation, not to mention to have better focus.

What a Virtual Lesson Looks Like: We will choose a day and time that works for our adult or our middle school – high school aged students. We will meet as a small Zoom Class on a weekly basis. I will do a teaching and we will have a discussion on the teaching – process the information through hearing, expressing ourselves verbally, and through facial expression. There is a lot of repetition so that the information can be retained. Then I will give the assignment which may sometimes include helpful pre-screened videos. There is a midterm on the 8th week, and a final on the 16th week.