Livingston Students Connect With Counselors Over Summer

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Let’s face it: getting ready for a new school year was never stress-free for kids and teens. But the added pressures of the coronavirus pandemic are new and unwelcome twists in districts across New Jersey, including Livingston.

Many Garden State school districts have been running counseling and mental health programs to help their students cope with pandemic pressure. And that’s true in Livingston, where counselors have been running a “connection program” this summer to keep in touch with students.

According to the district website:

“The Livingston Public Schools recognizes that our students are experiencing many different levels of stress as well as anticipation as they transition back to school after fully remote or hybrid learning schedules. We have an exciting summer line up of opportunities to connect or reconnect with their counselors and their schools. We know connection is especially important during the transition years from one building to another and are paying special attention to those students this summer. Each of our schools will be offering opportunities for students to connect, in their school buildings, with their school counselors, administrators, and other essential staff members throughout the summer. These will be planned at the building level. Each event will be advertised here on this website as well as through the regular communication from our school administrators.”

Livingston students who may be experiencing unique challenges surrounding a return to school, will have the opportunity to work directly with counseling staff throughout the summer in smaller groups or even as an individual, administrators said.

"Should you have specific concerns for your child and their ability to transition back to school in September, smoothly, please reach out to your child’s school counselor, our district director of school counseling, or their principal to discuss plans for assisting your child," the district website states.

The ongoing uncertainty around when things will return to “normal” — and what that normal will look like — can create raise anxiety levels for teens, an associate professor at the Rutgers School of Health Professions recently said.

“For those whose family well-being has been negatively affected by COVID infection or death, unemployment and financial instability, there's a greater risk for adverse mental health outcomes,” Ann Murphy said, adding that there is also an enhanced risk for youth who live in homes with abuse and neglect during the quarantine.

• See related article: Addressing Teen Mental Health During the Pandemic

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