Helping Students with Traumatic History
Josh Varner is a creative professional with excellent experience in helping people of all ages reach their goals. Background includes counseling, mentoring, leading teams, program planning, implementation, and evaluation. Areas of expertise include counseling youth in the individual and group setting, assessing youth needs, and developing comprehensive treatment plans and assessments. Experienced working with children, families, educators, children’s division, juvenile offices, and with other mental health providers. Josh is the JAG Coordinator for Eldon High School.
Warning Signs of mental health issues:
- Feeling very sad or withdrawn for more than 2 weeks (e.g., crying regularly, feeling fatigued, feeling unmotivated).
- Trying to harm or kill oneself or making plans to do so.
- Out-of-control, risk-taking behaviors that can cause harm to self or others.
- Sudden overwhelming fear for no reason, sometimes with a racing heart, physical discomfort or fast breathing.
- Not eating, throwing up or using laxatives to lose weight; significant weight loss or gain.
- Severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships. Repeated use of drugs or alcohol.
- Drastic changes in behavior, personality or sleeping habits (e.g., waking up early and acting agitated).
- Extreme difficulty in concentrating or staying still that can lead to failure in school.
- Intense worries or fears that get in the way of daily activities like hanging out with friends or going to classes.