Mental Health

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Recent Newsletter Articles

Healing-Centered Learning Environments in Adult Education

Healing-Centered Learning Environments in Adult Education

MN Adult Education teachers joined Lucille Rosario, MSW, LICSW, to learn strategies for supporting themselves and learners who are experiencing the impact of trauma and stress on their mental and physical health, well-being, and classroom performance. These webinars were excellent, and extremely timely for burned-out teachers at the end of the year. Definitely worth a watch! Read More

PANDA Offers Free Online Relicensure Courses

PANDA Offers Free Online Relicensure Courses

PANDA provides free disability training and support for teachers. In collaboration with Literacy Minnesota, these are FREE online courses, available to take at your own pace. Check out the newest course, "The 3 L’s: The Difference Between Learning Disability, Low Ability, and Low Literacy", or any of the other courses on PTSD/traumas, suicide prevention, reducing the stigma of mental illness, and teaching about mental health. Read More

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

COVID-19 has caused distractions and worry for many people due to the uncertainties in our world. But is it Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? Many adults have trouble sitting still, getting distracted, paying attention, or being impulsive on occasion. It becomes troublesome when lack of concentration is consistently occurring and significantly impacting student learning. Read More

October 10 – World Mental Health Day

October 10 – World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day was October 10th. With all the changes and uncertainties in our world, it is a good time to review methods to improve mental health. Read More

Updates from PANDA

Updates from PANDA

Updates from PANDA! We’ve changed our tagline from “Minnesota ABE Disability Specialists” to the acronym for PANDA: Physical And Nonapparent Disability Assistance. Same services, same website. Just a different tagline! Read More

Suicide Prevention and Awareness

Suicide Prevention and Awareness

As we grieve the loss of our colleague and previous MDE State Director of ABE, Todd Wagner, this is a time to raise awareness about suicide, become knowledgeable about mental health resources, and reduce stigma about this topic that is often seen as taboo by many. Read More

How Can We Process Trauma and Tragedy with Our Students?

How Can We Process Trauma and Tragedy with Our Students?

How could this happen again? Are you or your students asking this question? Another tragic and traumatic event in Minneapolis, during a time already fraught with heightened community trauma. How can you process through this tragic event and how do you open discussion with your students? Read More

Suicide Prevention Awareness

Suicide Prevention Awareness

Fear, worry, and isolation from the COVID pandemic has increased depression, anxiety and the suicide rate in Minnesota. Suicide is the 8th leading cause of death in our state. Find out how to recognize potential warning signs of suicide and what you can do as an ABE practitioner. Read More

How Memory Works

How Memory Works

Many disabilities can impact memory, such as brain injury, ADHD, dyslexia, or mental health challenges. However, many ABE students struggle with retention for a variety of reasons. Learn how memory works and how to help your students retain information. Read More

I’m tired!

I’m tired!

How can you and your students manage constantly evolving change in our COVID world? We are grieving loss in our lives as the pandemic continues to threaten people’s lives and we are uncertain about when it will end.  You may feel fatigue, disappointment, sadness, or fear about your district’s decision to teach students virtually, in-person or in a hybrid model.  Your students may be having similar feelings. Read More