Johannesburg- The SA College of Applied Psychology (Sacap) has committed to helping educators manage Covid-19 burnout and stress by hosting a free mental health toolkit webinar for all South African teachers.
Sacap said today that for most teachers, with their learners’ futures at stake, trying to teach effectively during this health crisis was a constant, heart-wrenching battle.
As a result, Sacap has invited all teachers to join a free mental health toolkit webinar this weekend, highlighting the unique challenges teachers are facing and presenting solutions to help them improve their learners’ and their own emotional well-being.
The webinar, which takes place on Saturday, will include a panel discussion with registered counselling psychologist and Sacap educator Clare Chester, educational psychologist Dr Anne Govender and educational and research psychologist and Sacap’s head of teaching and learning, Dr Diana de Sousa.
Govender said the school community had been expected to function normally in an abnormal situation.
“Teachers are under enormous pressure to deliver the curriculum as well as to catch up as much as possible, but their modes of operation are completely disrupted,” she said.
Support structures that took into account the “intense, mixed emotions” of both teachers and learners needed to be in place, Govender said.
“Solutions-focused conversations and discussions around mental health play an important role in fostering resilience in the face of ongoing adversities,” she said.
Sacap said as the leaders in their classrooms, a key element for teachers was their ability to recognise signs of mental health disorders in their learners.
During the webinar, Chester aims to help teachers understand the range of mental health disorders and to identify the signs that a learner needs additional support.
“The strategies we will unpack during the webinar are aimed at equipping teachers to know the warning signs of distress in learners, understand how to connect learners with resources to help them and assist them in building supportive social connections with peers,” Chester said.
An important component of the webinar will be the mental health toolkit, which will be shared with all participants.
De Sousa said teachers were carrying a difficult burden in that they had to manage their own stress while supporting and guiding pupils.
“Secondary traumatic stress or compassionate fatigue can impact all areas of a teacher’s life, and the effects can range from mild to debilitating. It’s important for teachers to understand the risks, be aware of signs and symptoms and take action to protect their mental health,” she said.
She said the mental health toolkit for teachers provided them with simple, usable ways to practise daily selfcare and model these positive behaviours for their learners.
“Teachers need to embrace that when they take good care of themselves, they are also taking good care of their learners,” De Sousa said.
The Star