Practice Expertise Applied:
Calming the Chaos Around Us: A Resource for Caregivers
Hosted by Dr. Dianna Inman, College of Nursing
COVID-19 has brought significant challenges for families across America and globally. Increasingly, the stress of the pandemic has been a catalyst for family stressors of all types. With the mounting demands on parents and caregivers, professionals at the University of South Carolina offer guidance and support you in your parenting and caregiver journey.
View Series
This session focuses on recognizing the early signs and symptoms of anxiety in children. Dr. Robin Welsh, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, discusses strategies for supporting anxious children, along with tips for managing their stress, and when you should consider seeking professional help. Attendees will learn relaxation techniques and coping strategies to share with their children and family.
Part II of this series gives an insight into important topics that will help viewers focus as they seek to establish healthy family coping skills. Dr. Carlson from the UofSC College of Education will share data on recent research projects aimed at learning more about how families cope during a pandemic. Various parenting/caregivers’ challenges will be addressed, such as parenting disagreements, self-care, and managing anger and frustration.
This session focuses on managing school demands for your child. Discussion with Dr. Jonathan Ohrt, program coordinator in the Counselor Education program at UofSC, includes tips for communicating with school administrators and teachers. Presenters offer suggestions for how to identify academic stress and how to address specific needs. Topics include learning disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and recommendations for overseeing your child’s 504 plan or Individualized Educational Plan (IEP).
American Academy of Pediatrics
- Separation Anxiety: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/Soothing-Your-Childs-Separation-Anxiety.aspx
- Understanding childhood fears and anxieties: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/Understanding-Childhood-Fears-and-Anxieties.aspx
- Anxiety in Teens: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/Anxiety-Disorders.aspx
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry- Additional resources for anxiety: https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Resource_Centers/Anxiety_Disorder_Resource_Center/Home.aspx
- Anxiety and the COVID 19: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/coronavirus-calm.html
- CDC Helping Children Cope: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/for-parents.html
National Institute of Mental Health:
It may be helpful for children and teens to save several emergency numbers to their cell phones. The ability to get immediate help for themselves or for a friend can make a difference.
- The phone number for a trusted friend or relative
- The non-emergency number for the local police department
- The Crisis Text Line: 741741
- The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
If you or someone you know needs immediate help, call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention LifeLine at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
- CDC Toolkit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/parental-resource-kit/index.html
- American Psychological Association: https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/parenting-caregiving#
- South Carolina Improvement Council: https://sic.sc.gov/covid-19-resources-families-educators-and-communities
- Cincinnati’s Children Hospital: https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/patients/coronavirus-information/family-resources/self-care-parents
- National Domestic Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/
About the Experts
Dr. Inman is an Associate Professor and Director of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing. Dr. Inman received her BSN from East Carolina University, a master’s degree in nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Arizona State University. Dr. Inman has been instrumental in implementing evidence-based programs to promote social and emotional competence in elementary school-aged children; her clinical practice is focused on school-aged children for mental health and developmental/behavioral pediatrics.
Dr. Welsh is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist who has been serving the children of South Carolina for the past 29 years. She graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 1988 and completed her Psychiatry residency and Child and Adolescent Fellowship in 1993, also at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is an Assistant Professor at the USC School of Medicine and the Division Director of Child Development and Behavioral Health in the Palmetto Health USC Medical group. Dr. Welsh also serves as the Director of Pediatric Palliative Care for Prisma Health Midlands Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Carlson is an Associate Professor in the Counselor Education Program at the University of South Carolina and Director for the Consortium of Family Strengthening Research. Dr. Carlson’s research focuses on vulnerable couples and families, including relationship education outcomes and implementation science, intimate partner violence, and parents of children with special needs. He currently serves as the lead evaluator for the randomized controlled trial of relationship education (Project Harmony) being implemented at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Carlson is also a licensed professional counselor in South Carolina and coordinator for the Center for Community Counseling in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina.
Dr. Ohrt is an Associate Professor in the Counselor Education Program in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of South Carolina. He earned his Ph.D. in Counselor Education at the University of Central Florida and his master’s degree in Counselor Education at the University of South Florida, and his undergraduate degree in Psychology at Florida State University. He is a certified K-12 school counselor and has previous high school, college, and residential settings experience. His research interests include adolescent and emerging adult well-being, group counseling interventions and training, school counseling, and counselor burnout.