Lodi, WI   |   “Bright Futures Start Here”

Lodi, WI   |   “Bright Futures Start Here”

Counseling

My name is Ceanna Caelwaerts and I am the Lodi Middle School Social Worker. The 2023-2024 school year will be my 3rd year working in this district. I received my Master's degree in Social Work from UW-Madison in 2020.

As the School Social Worker, my role includes: 

-Short-term counseling related to anxiety, stress management, friendship skills, bullying, self-harm, and conflict resolution skills. 

-Small group counseling about various topics including increasing self-esteem, stress management, impulse control skills, managing big emotions, building teamwork skills, positive friendships skills, and leadership skills. 

-Providing Lunch Bunches to give students a chance to work through any concerns they may have and providing students with a quieter space to each lunch and build relationships. 

-Creating and managing the Tier 1  Advisory lessons that are taught by our classroom teachers school-wide four days a week. 

-Assisting on our Attendance Team with our school-wide attendance efforts including celebrating positive trends in one's attendance. 

-Assisting with our Student Success Team to collaborate with our school staff to identify and work with any student needs that may interfere with their learning by building intervention systems to provide more layers of support to the student and their classroom teachers. 

-Managing Lodi Middle School's referrals with our district Partnership with the Psychotherapy Center of Waunakee. This is a longer term therapy option where students can be seen by a licensed clinical therapist during the school day. (See below for more information)

-Co-leading Lodi Middle Schools' Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club to provide all students a safe, welcoming environment to learn more about themselves and their school community.

Mental Health Resources: 

  • Lodi Parent Trifold on PCOW: This is information regarding a new partnership between the Psychotherapy Center of Waunakee and the school district of Lodi which offers integrated therapy services in our school buildings. This trifold includes more about what this program looks like, the referral process, which insurances are accepted, and who the therapists are. Here is the release of information. 
  • LMS Family Resources: This is a living document that the Middle School Social Worker updates regularly with resources that are available to the families here in Lodi School District. 
  • Mental Health Resources and Hotline: This is a document that provides important mental health hotline information. 
  • Depression Trifold: This provides information on depression and options to help!

Important Quick-Read Articles: (From the 2022-2023 School year)

This is a thought-provoking article published by the Department of Public Institutions this past December. This article details a few signs of mental health concerns, how to approach them on starting conversations related to their mental health, and offers supportive strategies to get your teens the help they need and support your own relationship with your teen! 

Tired of the gray skies and ready for things to just warm up already? Feeling restless and like you are tired all the time? Have you noticed any changes in your middle schoolers’ mood or sleep schedule? Check out this short article on ways to beat the winter blues for your middle schooler and your whole family! 

This is an infographic to raise awareness about caffeine consumption and it answers the big questions for middle schoolers: how much caffeine they can (not should) drink and the negative effects of too much caffeine consumption. 

Everyone uses social media, right? Your children/teens are still learning how to use social media. Make sure you know the benefits of social media and the negative effects, including the increase in cyberbullying, the negative effects on their mental health, and age-inappropriate content they are exposing themselves to on a daily basis. As parents, it is important that you monitor all of your children’s social media accounts (including Snapchat, Tik Tok, Facebook Messenger, What’s App, Discord, Instagram, etc.) to make sure your child is using them appropriately and not harming others, giving away personal information, or exposing themselves to unnecessary content. 

Studies show that depression among teenagers and young adults has gotten more common over the past decade. Social media use has also increased during the same time. It’s hard to say for sure that social media causes depression. Still, there are several ways that using social media could harm kids. Some experts think that connecting with peers online is less emotionally fulfilling than connecting in person. Research shows that teenagers who spend more time on social media also feel more isolated. It could be that kids who already feel isolated use social media more. But it could be that using social media actually makes kids feel isolated. Another theory is that social media is bad for teenagers’ self-esteem. Seeing lots of perfect pictures online might make kids (especially girls) view themselves negatively. Feeling bad about themselves can lead to depression. Read on to learn more about how YOU as a parent can help your children build healthy social media habits!

This is an infographic highlighting the importance of getting your kids mental health help NOW, especially if you notice big changes in their mood, behavior, and demeanor. It also gives an overview of potential upcoming legislation that would support the increase in mental health challenges we have seen since the pandemic began. Educate your family and make sure you take care of your childs’ mental wellbeing now more than ever before! 

LGBTQ+ kids often face factors like rejection, bullying, discrimination, and violence, they are at a higher risk of challenges including depression, anxiety, and attempting suicide. Directly experiencing bullying or discrimination is also a major risk factor, and so is lacking support at home and/or at school. Not having access to supportive mental health care and being addressed by the wrong name or pronouns are risk factors as well. The biggest protective factor for LGBTQ+ kids is having unconditional love and support at home. Other supportive adults can also make a big difference, and so can getting good health care, attending a school with supportive policies, and being able to safely use the name and pronouns that match their identity. Parents of LGBTQ+ kids can support them by making home a safe space and advocating for them at school when necessary. It also helps to connect them to health care (both physical health and mental health) that respects their gender identity and sexual orientation. This kind of support can make the difference between a child who develops mental health issues and one who thrives as they get older. Read on to learn more!

Sometimes, anxiety takes the form of physical problems. Kids with anxiety get headaches and stomach aches a lot. Sometimes when they get really anxious, they have trouble breathing or feel their heart racing. Anxious kids end up in the nurse’s office a lot. Anxiety makes school hard for kids. It might also be hard to notice. Anxiety can be confused with upset stomachs, acting out, ADHD or even learning disorders. And there are different kinds of anxiety that might come up at school. Kids may worry about everything from separating from parents at drop-off to speaking up in class to feeling like their work has to be perfect. Read on to learn more about how anxiety may present with your child!