It deals with the importance of children's immunity amidst a pandemic

1. CHILDREN’S MENTAL IMMUNITY DURING AND AFTER THE PANDEMIC
Dr. KAMALUDHEEN K.T.
MA (Eng), M.Ed (Edu), LLB, NET (Edu), M.Phil (Edu), PhD (Edu)
Post Doctoral Fellow
 0091 9656498980  drkamalkt@gmail.com

2.  Human History will record this time as the Era of
unparalleled separation, loss and crisis
 Children being most vulnerable are the worst affected;
nobody is mentally immune to the pandemic
 Every country expects post covid symptomatic or
asymptomatic mental immunity problems among school
children
 As 41% of India’s population is less than 18 years of age,
the school system demand professional logistics to ace
these problems
 Childhood is a critical period of foundations of personality
and emotional resilience, prolonged mental disturbances
during this time may leave lasting damages
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 2

3. COVID-TIME and POST-COVID Intervention PROGRAMS
Psycho-Education Program for Parents
Mental-Immunity Booster Programs for Students
Resilient Education System for Schools
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 3

4. Children’s Both Physical Well-being and Psychological Well-being are equally important
A strong Immune System in the Head
Through psychological fuel –
Good Mood
WEIGHTLESSNESS
A strong Immune System in the Body
Through nutritious diet -
Good Food
WIEGHTFULNESS
PHYSICAL IMMUNITY
MENTAL IMMUNITY
A SOUND MIND IN A SOUND BODY

5. Accelerated Factors
(Mental Problems)
Lost Social
Interaction
Lack of
Structured
Routines
Restricted
Movements
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 5
 Children express psychological disturbances
through Silence, Anger and Hyperactivity
 The more disturbed children are, the more out
of control they are
 Their actions speak louder than their words
 Mental struggles that every student carries is
extremely unique – No ready-made solution
 They remain unknown sickly victims of the
pandemic due to prolonged school closure and
home confinement
 Taking the audit of the ramification of the
pandemic on school students’ mental health is
almost impossible

6. Flipping Responsibility of Teachers & Parents
Alertness of
a
Therapist
Precision of
a
Psychologist
Motivator
Counselor
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules

7. Problem 1
Emotional Fragility
Excessive Feeling, Emotions and
Reactions
• No pleasures but pressures
• No enablers but disablers
Mitigating Mechanism
• Perusal of Passions
• Hunting of Hobbies
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules
7

8. Problem 2
Shattered Aspirations
 Fastidious Students and
Perspicacious Aspirations
 Attitude of progress to
perfection
 Hurting the aspirations leads
to disruption of dreams
 Immunize themselves
against prejudice and re-
seeding of dreams to reach
aspirational destination
Mitigating Mechanism
 Feeling Diary
 Worry Jar
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 8

9. Problem 3
Abandonment Feeling
 Parents express their frustration through
going numb and keep distance emotionally
from children
 Abandonment feeling impairs child’s ability to
trust others
 It makes harder for a child to feel worthy or
be intimate
 Negligence is the worst punishment -
 Fear of being left alone increases in sibling
rivalry
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 9
Mitigating Mechanism
 Quality Time n Play
 Peer-support Groups

10. Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 10
There is no such thing as a
PERFECT PARENT

11. Problem No 4
Anxiety Tussles
 Prolonged uncertainty
about future leads to
continuum of anxieties
 Epidemic anxiety
Separation anxiety
Social anxiety Specific
anxiety
 Poor academic
performance and
tantrums (outbursts)
 Calming anxiety needs
constructive interaction
Mitigating Mechanism
 Curative News Feeding
 Hectic Home Schedule
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 11

12. Problem No 5
Substitution Trauma
 Cooping up together in homes
accelerated family burn-outs
 Covid-added pressures are
released through verbal or
physical violence towards family
members
 The pumped up frustrations are
substituted on the powerless
 The cost of substitution is chronic
aggression, yelling and insecurity
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 12
Mitigating Mechanism
 Brain Registers
 Love Triggers

13. Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 13
Substitutions

14. Problem No 6
Mediation Struggle
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 14
• Need for comfort and immediate help
in case of troubles
• Mediation makes children feel loved,
secure and they are important
Mitigating Mechanism
 Friends Circle Activation
 Teacher Attachment Activation

15. Problem No 7
Exacerbation Anticipation
(acute increase in the severity of the situation)
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 15
Mitigating Mechanism
 Credible Personnel Meet
 Credible Positive Talks
Hopelessness from scarcity

16. Problem No 8
Exaggerated Fears
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 16
 Unconscious or unrealistic fears their
nature
 Problems can become so big that the pain
of avoiding them is overwhelming
 Physical or Mental Absence
Mitigating Mechanism
 Home Meetings
 Participatory Discussions

17. Problem No 9
Maladaptive Coping
 Maladaptive behaviour ease
the pain of not being willing
to adjust to new situations
 Failure to deal with new
situation
 Redundancy (Idleness)
 Use of drugs and alcohol
 Cyber Games
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 17
Mitigating Mechanism
 Counselling
 Medication

18. Problem 10
Psychological Disability
 Psychological injuries and scars
 Zero Confidence and Low self-
esteem
 No concentration and memory
 Lack of strenuous relationships
 Escape from fun and play
 Unconscious physical problems
Mitigating Mechanism
 Communication
 Collaboration
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 18

19. Covid time will leave a
spectrum of mental effects on
children…..
We have a galaxy of sincere
teachers to preserve them in
safe mode
“Break the Brain” is our Slogan
We will make our students
with “a sound mind in sound
body”
Dr. Kamal's Training Modules 19

20. Mental Immunity Boosters
Mentally-immune Children
01 02 03 04 05
Mental
Immunity
Make-ups
Emotional
Anchoring
Techniques
Anxiety
Mitigating
Mechanisms
Convincing
Activities
Distraction
&
Relationship
Activities

21. References
1. UNICEF (2020) Psychological Support for Children during COVID 19: A manual for Parents and Care Givers.
2. Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS OF COVID-19 OUTBREAK. F
ebruary 2020
3. The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action; Technical Note: Protection of Children during the Coronavirus Pandemic
4. Talking With Children: Tips for Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers During Infectious Disease Outbreaks,https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Talki
ng-With-Children-Tips-for-Caregivers-Parents-and-Teachers-During-Infectious-DiseaseOutbreaks/SMA14-4886
5. Coping With Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks,https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Coping-with-Stress-During-Infectious-DiseaseOut
breaks/sma14-4885C 5. CDC, WHO, UNICEF, MoHFW (Government of India) official websites and open source communication collateral
6. UNFPA technical brief on Covid-19: A Gender lens: https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/COVID19_A_Gender_Lens_Guidan
ce_Note.pdf
7. Counseling Activities and Sheets for Children of this toolkit have been curated with aids or adapted from Make Believe, Zimmerman et al (http
s://www.makebeliefscomix.com/about-creator-illustrator/), Literacy in Focus (https://www.litinfocus.com) with Protsahan India Foundation’s (ht
tps://protsahan.co.in) experience of what works best when working with children in difficult circumstances.
8. Freepik Premium (www.freepik.com) for illustrations and creative resources
9. https://www.end-violence.org/protecting-children-during-covid-19-outbreak#children
10. https://childmind.org/article/supporting-kids-during-the-covid-19-crisis/
11. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-do-i-practice-progressive-muscle-relaxation-3024400
12. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/129478558018942571/
13. https://www.polk-fl.net/community/volunteers/documents/ymConfidenceActivities.pdf