New York Teacher articles and resources

Find articles published in the New York Teacher by the Member Assistance Program and resources to improve your well-being.

Dementia care

• Alzheimer's Association
• Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias family support program from NYU Langone
• CaringKindNYC

Domestic violence

• Domestic violence and abuse
  Learn to recognize the signs of domestic abuse
• Safe Horizon
  Empowering victims to find safety, support and hope
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
  Call or live chat for help and support
• Family Justice Centers
  Guidance on safety planning, shelter assistance and community resources 
• Her Justice
  Legal helpline provides free legal counsel to survivors of domestic violence so they can achieve safety and self-sufficiency.

Weathering the storm

• Dual diagnosis
  Learn about co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions.
• Integrated Treatment for Mental Illness and Substance Use
  If you or someone you care about experiences a drug or alcohol issue, there’s a good chance that a mental health condition is present as well.
• SmartRecovery
  Free mutual support meetings for dealing with substance use.

Managing transitions

• How teachers can make the most of summer break
  Savor the range of possibilities, recharge and get ready for next year! 
• Mastering life's transitions
  As one chapter closes, another begins. Guidelines for navigating changes.
• Successful end-of-the-year transitions
  Planning helps end of year transitions for teachers, children and parents. 
• How to Finish the School Year Strong -
  You only have a few more days to impact your students. Don’t waste that time. Don’t give up yet. These last few days can make all the difference!

 Creating schools that welcome LGBTQ kids

• 5 ways to make classrooms more inclusive
  Learn how to prevent bias and bullying and create a welcoming, inclusive classroom. 
• Making school a safe place for LGBTQ students
  Resources and ideas for teachers to help them be allies to their LGBTQ students.  
• Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network
  Educator guides, safe space kits and inclusive curriculum from the organization that's been doing this work for nearly 20 years. 
• Create inclusive, affirming schools for LGBTQ students
  Scholastic provides information, resources and recommended books for all grade levels.

Resolving workplace issues

• What are problem-solving skills and why are they important?
  Learn about the 4 stages of problem-solving and how to hone these essential skills.
• Ten keys to handling unreasonable people
  Useful tips for dealing with aggressive and problem personalities.
• Don't fear conflict: embrace it, it’s your job!
  View conflict as an opportunity and address it in a healthy, productive fashion.
• How to resolve workplace conflicts
  Workplace conflicts happen everywhere, understanding the underlying issues helps.

Mental health support groups

• 5 benefits of group therapy - For many people, group therapy can be more powerful than individual therapy.
• Understanding group therapy - What to expect and the benefits of group therapy.

Managing your time

• 5 simple mindfulness practices - How to breathe space into your daily routines.
• 15 time management tips for achieving your goals - One of the most effective skills you can have in life is powerful and effective time management.
• 10 ways to declutter your day - Learn how to clear space in your day for your priorities.

Cultivating mental health

• Mental health conditions, recovery and wellness - Learn about a range of conditions and how to get support from the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
• Transforming the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses. - The National Institute of Mental Health provides information, research and tips.

Creating fulfilling relationships at work

• Deepen your connections with others - 10 simple ways to deepen your connections with others
• Create healthy workplace boundaries - Learn ways to create boundaries without being rude!

Suicide prevention

Helpful Resources that are available 24/7:

• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800 273-TALK (8255)
• NYC Mental Health Hotline/NYC WELL: 1-800-LIFENET (543-3638)
• Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-212-673-3000

Additional resources:

• The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - Learn about warning signs and risk factors, statistics and treatment.
• The National Institute of Mental Health - Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. and it is often preventable. Find out more.
• Why spring suicides are more common - From the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds.
• K-12 Toolkit for Mental Health Promotion & Suicide Prevention- From the HEARD Alliance.

Setting boundaries at home and at work

• How to create healthy boundaries. - Protect your self-esteem, maintain self-respect, and enjoy healthy relationships.
• 10 ways to build and preserve boundaries - Tips from the experts.
• Should you keep your home life separate from your work life? - Segmenters vs. integrators: know yourself to determine your best balance.

Good workplace habits

• A good night’s sleep is essential. - Information from the Sleep Foundation.
• Self care - Understand how to take care of yourself to maintain optimal emotional and physical health.
• Understanding healthy relationships - The first step in having healthy relationships is understanding what they are.

Tackling addiction

• Alcohol use disorder - Information from the Mayo clinic.
• Drug addiction - Information from the Mayo clinic.
• Drug guide - Partnership for Drug-Free Kids has a guide to find out more about drugs and alcohol.
• 10 most common signs of drug use - Information and treatment options.
• Improving your self-esteem after drug rehab - Twenty tips for helping with the transition after rehab.
• Drug Guide - Recognize and understand a wide variety of substances that are commonly abused.
• Drug and Alcohol Fact Sheet - Learn about adolescents and alcohol and drug abuse from this fact sheet from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.

Seasonal affective disorder

• An overview of seasonal affective disorder from the Mayo Clinic - Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year.
• Beating the winter blues - Tips from the doctor who helped define the condition.
• 10 Signs of Seasonal Depression (and 6 Ways to Fight It) - When the days get shorter, people often experience a drop in mood. Here are 10 common symptoms of SAD.
• Seasonal Affective Disorder - Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a depression that normally occurs in winter months, in response to changes in the natural day/night cycle. Artificial light therapy is an effective treatment.
• Seasonal Affective Disorder - Seasonal Affective Disorder is a form of depression that follows a seasonal pattern. People with SAD usually have symptoms of depression as winter approaches and daylight hours become shorter. When spring returns and the days become longer again, they experience relief from the symptoms and a return to a normal mood and energy level.
• Seasonal affective disorder treatment: Choosing a light box - Light therapy boxes can offer an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder.
• What is Seasonal Affective Disorder? - Answers from the doctor who first described the condition.
• Seasonal Affective Disorder: Beating the Winter Blues - Simple suggestions to combat seasonal affective disorder.

• Battling the stress of living with a chronic illness - In addition to the everyday challenges that most people face, chronic illness adds new layers of stressors.
• Coping with a diagnosis of chronic illness - The American Psychological Association offers coping strategies and pointers.
• Living with a chronic illness - — dealing with feelings Expect to feel overwhelmed — and remember to be gentle with yourself when learning of a chronic illness.

Help for caregivers

• Caregiver Stress - Caregiving can be rewarding, but it can also be challenging. Stress from caregiving is common.
• Caring for Elderly Parents: Managing Role-Reversal - According to Seattle geriatric internist Dr. Elizabeth Kiyasu, watching our parents lose their independence is one of the most challenging realities we face as our parents age.
• Teacher Wellness - Explore self-care strategies to battle teacher burnout, and rediscover your inner superhero to bring excitement and creativity back into your classroom.
• Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving - The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving builds support for caregivers nationwide.

Stress, fear and anxiety

• 5 Ways to Overcome Fear and Anxiety - If you find yourself becoming overly anxious, use the following steps to help you calm down and start to regain control.
• 10 ways to fight your fears - These tips are for people who are coping with everyday fears.
• Breathing exercises for stress - This calming breathing technique for stress, anxiety and panic takes just a few minutes and can be done anywhere.
• 10 stress-busting secrets of great teachers - As we sail our classroom ship on this maelstrom of hormones, stress, conflicting priorities, and distractions, it takes rock-solid habits of mind and life to be the kind of self-assured captain who can weather the storm.
• Teacher stress brochure - Teachers face new challenges every day and these challenges can be stressful.
• How teachers should cope with school terrorist fears - The advice schools are receiving, experts say, starts with this: Keep the adults calm.
• Are you stressed? Take the quiz - These questions are intended to help you judge how you are doing. If you score as stressed, you should take steps to reduce the amount of stress in your life.
• Understanding stress - When managed successfully, stress can help you be your best. Unresolved stress can lead to emotional and physical problems.
• Controlling stress - See some suggestions for managing your stress.

Grief and loss

• Coping with the loss of a loved one due to addiction or alcohol
• Coping with Grief and Loss - While there is no right or wrong way to grieve, there are healthy ways to cope with the pain that, in time, can renew you and help you move on.
• What is Normal Grieving, and What Are the Stages of Grief? - Everyone grieves differently. But if you understand your emotions, take care of yourself, and seek support, you can heal.
• 5 Tips for Supporting Grieving Students - Teachers don't require extensive training to prepare them for making a positive difference in the lives of their grieving students.
• When death impacts your school - The following steps help support the grieving students as well as prepare your class for making the grieving student feel comfortable and supported.
• Helpful Information for School Administrators and Staff When a School Has Been Impacted by a Death - As adults, we often mistakenly believe we can protect children by withholding information from them. The reality is that children and teens need and want the truth as much as adults do.
• Grief over the holidays: Educators can help students cope - Educators spend a lot of time with students and are uniquely poised to observe grief responses over time.

Handling holiday stress

• Holiday stress for kids - It is wise to spend some class time discussing the pressures and stress the holidays can bring.
• Copying with the holidays - The holidays start a few weeks of stress and constant motion for many, as well as feelings of being overwhelmed, depression and even loneliness for others.
• Home for the holidays: Tips for overcoming holiday anxiety and stress - For many, the biggest source of holiday stress is family.

Cultural competence

• Communicating Cross-Culturally: What Teachers Should Know - A brief and effective look at the opportunities for communicating with diverse students and their families that goes beyond bridging language differences to truly understanding where students are coming from.
• Preparing for Cultural Diversity: Resources for Teachers - How can teachers effectively engage students from diverse backgrounds?
• Classroom resources from Tolerance.org -
• Diversity Toolkit: Cultural Competence for Educators - Cultural competence is the key to thriving in culturally diverse classrooms and schools — and it can be learned, practiced, and institutionalized to better serve diverse students, their families, and their communities.
• How important is cultural diversity at your school? - Attending a school with a diverse student body can help prepare your child for citizenship in a multicultural democracy.
• How Diverse (or Not) is Your Kid's Public School? - Overall, New York City's public school system is a model of diversity.
• Young Students Call for More School Diversity - The goal would be to distribute students more evenly among the schools by setting aside seats for low-income students.
• Diversity in the classroom - The goal: to more equitably distribute low-income and minority students throughout the city's elementary schools and, in the process, eliminate a yawning achievement gap among the schools.

Handling difficult people

• Ten Keys to Handling Unreasonable or Difficult People - It’s easy to let a challenging person affect us and ruin our day. What are some of the keys to empowering yourself in such situations?

Taming the chaos of September

• 5 Ways to Ease Back into School - Here are some strategies to manage feelings, focus on the possibilities, and ease back into the rhythm of teaching.
• Teacher well-being: how to mentally prepare for a new school year - To help you get ready for a new school year, a psychologist offers advice on how to prepare and how to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
• Back to School for Teachers - Going back to school after the summer break can be exciting, nerve racking, and hectic for teachers.
• Living with too much anxiety? - We provide my anxiety plans (MAPs) to help you understand and manage anxiety.

Sleep and your health

• Coping with excessive sleepiness - Sleepiness can damage your judgment, work performance, mood, and safety.
• Causes of Excessive Sleepiness - Do you struggle to stay awake during work and other activities and you don't know why?
• How to Get a Good Night's Sleep: The Ultimate Guide - In this comprehensive guide, we attempt to explain the reasons behind the current sleeplessness epidemic, the extent to which it can affect your health and well-being, and specific steps you can take to get a better night's sleep starting tonight.

Eating disorders

• National Eating Disorders - NEDA supports individuals and families affected by eating disorders, and serves as a catalyst for prevention, cures and access to quality care.
• Eating Disorders Online - Learn about the different types of eating disorders.
• Mayo Clinic: Eating disorders - Eating disorders are serious conditions related to persistent eating behaviors that negatively impact your health, your emotions and your ability to function in important areas of life.
• Eating Disorders: About More Than Food - The eating disorders anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder, and their variants, all feature serious disturbances in eating behavior and weight regulation.

Poor eating habits

• 6 Steps to Changing Bad Eating Habits - If you're serious about eating healthier and losing weight, you need to shake it up, change those bad eating habits, and start thinking differently about your diet and lifestyle.
• Avoid Unhealthy Eating Habits - Anyone who struggles with food and eating can fall into habits that may lead to what professionals call disordered eating.
• 9 Bad Eating Habits and How to Break Them - It’s not just willpower, or a lack thereof, that makes us overeat and gain weight.