Mental Health and YOUR Day Camp Staff

As you prepare for your staff training, you no doubt have heard everyone and their aunt talking about mental health and maybe even mental health issues with camp staff.

If you haven’t, one stat should perk your ears up. About 32 percent of American teens between the ages of 13 and 18 have an anxiety disorder at some point.

Our Gen Z staff are growing up in an anxiety-driven world, with not many coping skills and then are put in to a hugely stressful environment at camp.

We need to help our staff this summer and the Day Camp Pod is here to help you, help your staff have the best summer they can.

We’re bringing out the big guns for this episode. The man, the legend, Bob Ditter, and the woman behind the mentally well staff at Liberty Lake, Cathi Fischer are here alongside Ehren, Sam and Andy to bring you the some very practical tips and training ideas.

Tune in to hear about:

• Where this mental health crisis comes from?

• Why camp seems to trigger anxiety and high stress in staff

• How to educate staff to be able to be normalize stress and learn from stressful moments

• Specific techniques on how to help a staff member in crisis

• How to build in mental health supports into your staffing, training and camp routines

What are you doing this summer to help your staff be the mentally best they can be?

Want more ideas and inspiration on how to handle staff and mental health? - Dr. G is here to help!

• Episode 5 of First Class Counsellors - Mental Health, Breaks and Self Care for Camp Staff with guest Dr. G!

• Travis Allison’s interview with Dr. G

• Check out Dr. G’s “Prescription for Preventing Stressed out Staff. Camp staff, talk to your directors about this and send them these links to check it out.

  Watch the video here

  Find out more here

YOUR HOSTS:

• Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director - Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president ACA NY/NJ, partner/founder Everwood Day Camp, founder/past president NJ Camps Government Affairs Project

• Ehren Gluckstein, Assistant Director - Camp Robin Hood, Director - Robin Hood Leadership Centre & Corporate Rentals, Volunteer Ontario Camps Association (OCA) annual conference/accreditation visitor

• Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor - Crystal Lake Park District, Vice president ACA Illinois

• Bob Ditter, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and camp author

• Cathi Fischer, Family Therapist Camp Mental Health Professional

Sponsors:

Thanks to our wonderful sponsors who help make this Go Camp Pro podcast possible:

• American Camp Association, NY & NJ   http://www.acanynj.org/

• AM Skier Insurance    http://www.amskier.com/

• Commercial Recreation Specialists (CRS)   https://crs4rec.com/