Lauren Mangus, assistant professor of Educational Psychology in the College of Education was quoted in the Detroit Free Press, "Missed milestones, loneliness take a toll on teens' mental health"
Detroit Free Press, 5/17
Missed milestones, loneliness take a toll on teens' mental health
By Angie Jackson
Stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic, teenagers are facing a sense of loss that adults removed from the high school experience might not fully understand: the disappointment of missing out on milestones. Senior spring break trips. Final theater performances. Spring sports seasons. Prom. Graduation ceremonies. With those concerns and other effects of the crisis in mind, school psychologists and counselors are trying to help students maintain their well-being remotely. These professionals are offering Zoom chats, phone calls, webinars, mental health help lines and, in some cases, home check-ins through a window. Lauren Mangus, director of the School and Community Psychology program at Wayne State University's College of Education, said as summer nears, districts are up against the uncertainty of what the next academic year will look like. In the meantime, school mental health professionals are trying to engage with at-risk students and encourage positive coping skills and self-care.
"We want to promote resiliency for kids," Mangus said.