December 5, 2023

Dear Columbus Academy Families,

Please join Columbus Academy in welcoming international speaker and psychotherapist Lynn Lyons for a parent-only evening in our dining hall this upcoming Monday, December 11. Lynn will present concrete and immediately accessible strategies that parents and guardians can use to support their children. As described by Lynn, her strategies can be taught to anyone looking to overcome anxiety and manage the challenges of daily life. She will also speak with all students in grades 4-12 at assemblies the following day.

Lynn’s work has influenced our work as school counselors. She has a fresh take on how anxiety manifests in children and teens, and she provides practical tools to utilize when our youth are struggling. She is widely known for her podcast Flusterclux: Fix Anxiety with Lynn Lyons where she offers advice to caregivers on how to manage children’s symptoms and thoughts around anxiety, which helps to build resilience. Lynn believes that we need to change our language around how we think and talk about mental health with our children by normalizing stressful situations and anxieties without pathologizing. Her goal is to demystify the symptoms of anxiety in order to take away its power while illuminating the impact that patterns of behavior have on our children.

The event will begin with light refreshments and community time at 6:30 p.m. before the program starts at 7:00 p.m. This Parent Academy Series gathering is sure to be an informative and lively evening, so please click here to register.

Free childcare for this event will be provided by our CASE staff if you click here to sign up. Also, the Viking Corner store will be offering a special spiritwear sale from 6:00-7:00 p.m. and again after the program concludes to help you make the holiday season a little brighter.

We hope to see you Monday night!

Suzanne Ritter, Ph.D., Chair for Student Support Services

Taylor Dillon, Upper School Counselor

Amy Brooks, Middle School Counselor

Danielle Gibbs, Lower School Counselor