Hello there! This month I would like to highlight the importance of mental health in families, students, and educators who are entering the fall school year with much uncertainty. As you may have seen in our recent newsletter, Simply Bee Classroom has adjusted its' mission to serve educators. We believe that the health and happiness in caregivers is the best way to protect students in vulnerable times. It is for that reason that this month's newsletter takes a deeper dive into what Simply Bee Classroom is doing right now to prepare and inspire others. I ask that you share with your local school and contact us if we can be helpful in your back to school planning.
Bee Well!
Audrey Grunst, LCSW CCM
Owner & President
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As schools share their plans to return to the classroom for the 2020-21 school year, we recognize the stress and uncertainty that students, parents and educators face. In response to the needs of our community, we have elected to put our resources into an online program dedicated to educator's health and wellness. Research has shown that caregivers who are healthy and well, can promote a positive attitude in their environment and increase the resilience of those in their care.
Below is a sneak peek at what's coming up for Simply Bee Classroom. If you would like more information on how to bring this program to your school or district please email Kate Kelley, Manager of Community Education at
kate@simplybee.net
to learn more or fill out our inquiry form
here
.
We appreciate your time and as always, we are here to help. To learn more, please visit our webpage
Simply Bee Classroom
.
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Happy Healthy Educators Facebook Group
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We wanted to create a resource for educators to come together in community with one another - enter the Happy Healthy Educator's Facebook group. This group is led by our team of Simply Bee Classroom experts and was designed for educators who want to maintain or improve their happiness and health. They provide daily inspiration, resources and guides to live a happy and healthy life + go LIVE every Wednesday!
If you are an educator (or know an educator who would find this group valuable), please submit your request* to join us
here
!
*Note: This is a closed/private group for educators only*
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Happy & Health Educators E-Workbook Release
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Authors Audrey Grunst, LCSW, Stephanie Smith, M.A., M.Ed. and Stephanie Bersh, RYT200 are so excited to launch this labor of love into existence!
Here's how it all began...we were talking with educators and got some feedback about the tension points and frustrations they were feeling in their life. During those conversations, we found some trends that were not altogether surprising when we really thought about it. Unanimously, their responses included feeling things like, a lack of time, energy, positivity and self-care - especially when it came to their personal lives. This inspired us to develop a program to provide solutions to those pain points.
The first resource we want to offer is this interactive e-workbook. It was developed to help educators meet their own personal physical, mental and wellness goals or introduce them to new ones. The unique thing about this is that it is focused on the overall well-being of educators, not on methodologies, technology, or curriculum. It hits the intersection of mental & physical health and stress points for educators.
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District 28 Professional Development Workshops
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Audrey Grunst, LCSW and Stephanie Smith, M.A., M.Ed. are providing professional learning to teaching staff in District 28 on July 22nd. Their co-session
Mindfulness and Anxiety Reducing Techniques for the Classroom
will explore how to build mindfulness routines into the classroom and foster self-advocacy and resiliency in students in the face of anxiety.
In a second professional learning session Stephanie will work with a group of teachers on Nutrition and Wellness. Taught from the lens of holistic wellness, teachers will explore components of overall health, set goals, and learn strategies to improve their personal well-being.
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We are so proud to announce that Audrey Grunst, LCSW and Stephanie Smith, M.A., M.Ed. have been accepted as presenters for the November 2020 American Middle Level Education conference (AMLE).
The AMLE conference is the largest national conference for educators who specialize in working with students in grades 6-8. Audrey and Stephanie will offer two presentations at the conference in November,
Practice Failure: Training teachers how to foster resiliency through experiential SEL exercises
and
The Wellness Effect: Live happier and healthier and create a culture of wellness in your classroom.
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Simply Bee Services & Resources
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Our new Northbrook location officially opened in June and we are accepting new clients! Simply Bee's mission is to educate, inspire and empower the whole person to acheive personal success and well-being. Our purpose is to help being simply 'bee' themselves. We are known for our out-of-the-box thinking on mental health. We are thrilled to have an incredible team of providers and to expand our services to this community.
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Dr. Kitcharoen is dedicated to providing compassionate and comprehensive psychiatric care in a safe and confidential environment. Her philosophy is to focus on the individual psychiatric needs and to offer the most effective means of treatment in a caring manner. She places a great emphasis on working closely with patients and other healthcare providers to develop a dynamic and individualized treatment plan.
Her areas of expertise not only include those listed below, but she has a special interest in working with women on affective issues involving the menstrual cycle, pre-conception counseling while with affective issues, psychiatric medications during pregnancy and peri/postpartum depression and/or anxiety.
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- Affective disorders
- Anxiety/anxiety attacks
- Bipolar Disorder
- Depression
- Eating Disorders
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- Mood Disorders
- Obsessive Compulsive
- Panic attacks
- Post-traumatic Stress
- Women's Issues
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Did you know that the American Art Therapy Association states that art therapy can be an effective mental health treatment for individuals who have experienced depression, trauma, medical illness, and
s
ocial difficulties? Whether through expressive writing, music, movement or visual media, all the arts are able to change people’s perspectives, moods, relationships and overall health. Art therapy is rooted in the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight.
Our child & adolescent therapist, Elizabeth Markman, LCPC sees children ages 5+ and specializes in art therapy. If you feel your child would benefit from this service, call us at (224) 424-0432 to schedule an appointment. Elizabeth is taking new clients in both our Vernon Hills and Northbrook offices.
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Performance Coaching Services
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We know what a challenge the last few months has been for athletes due to many sports being cancelled. For so many athletes their sport is not only a part of their identity, but their social circle and daily structure. Whether you're an athlete struggling with the loss of your season due to COVID-19, an injury, graduation or, you're at your peak physical performance but want to make sure to stay on top of your mental game too - Simply Bee has got you covered!
Call us today at (224) 424-0432 to set up an appointment with Eric Stevenson, LPC who has
earned his Master’s degree in Counseling with a Specialization in Sport and Health Psychology, as well as being certified in mental performance coach with the Association for Applied Sports Psychology (AASP).
Eric specializes in working with athletes and performers of all ages and levels to help them overcome a lack of confidence, fear, anxiety, perfectionism and more. By using proven evidenced-based therapeutic
techniques Eric has found success helping individuals reach their goals and live happier and healthier lives.
In addition to individual coaching, Eric has also presented to and worked with many high school and collegiate sports teams. He can assist in introducing various mental performance strategies and techniques that can be implemented to improve performance.
If you are a coach and would like more information on how to set up a workshop with Eric for your team, please contact Kate Kelley at kate@simplybee.net.
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Do you see an event you like?
Contact us and we will help bring mental wellness to you!
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For more information on workshops and public speaking engagements or more... contact kate@simplybee.net or 224-408-8687
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