Healthy Learners highlights stories of going further for children

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Tags: Healthy Learners , Outreach

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A shy, observant and straight A sixth grader in Georgetown County, was struggling to shake her anxiety. Her school nurse turned to Healthy Learners, who helped the student get the help needed to process her anxiety and develop tools to heal and overcome. The latest quarterly newsletter from Healthy Learners highlights her story and more stories about how it is going further for children.

Below is the text from an article about the student from Georgetown County. The full newsletter is available here.

Healthy Learners Quarterly Newsletter: Going Further For Melody

“I’m feeling sad, lonely, and scared” Melody confided to her teacher, Ms. Smith. “I’ve felt this way since elementary school.”

Melody* is a shy, observant, and straight A sixth grader in Georgetown County. While very smart and talented, under the surface, she was suffering. She struggled with confidence, making friends and disliked going to school. She could never seem to shake the anxiety she felt following her throughout the day.

Ms. Smith knew Melody’s challenges had to be addressed for her to thrive both in school and life. She contacted her mother, the school guidance counselor, and school nurse to discuss. Melody’s mom was greatly concerned, but had very limited ability to take her to the regular counseling appointments she knew she needed due to an inflexible job they relied on. The school nurse knew where to turn – Healthy Learners.

Melody is not alone in her challenges. The National Institute of Mental Health reported in 2019 that 1 in 5 children in the United States had a diagnosable mental health disorder. Mental health impacts a child’s education in a variety of ways, including attention and concentration, memory, social ability, behavior and school attendance.

Healthy Learners quickly scheduled Melody an appointment with Riverside Behavioral Learning Center. Once a week for the last few months Healthy Learners has been transporting Melody to her counseling appointments, giving her the opportunity to process her anxiety and develop tools to heal and overcome.

Today, Melody’s mom notes that her self-confidence has improved, she has friends, speaks more and even enjoys going to school. We are proud of her progress, and humbled that we can be a part of her journey towards a thriving life.

Whether it’s a single appointment, or ongoing services, Healthy Learners is dedicated to going further for children like Melody, removing health barriers to learning so that every child can thrive.

*Name changed for privacy.

Healthy Learners is a ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System.