May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This month was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. ACLP is recognizing this month to increase awareness about the vital role mental health plays in our overall health and well-being.

Cultivating an Internal Locus of Control
This Child Life Learning Bite will explore the difference between an external vs. internal locus of control. You’ll then find out how to cultivate an internal locus of control to reduce stress and enhance your coping abilities.

This resource is FREE for all those in the child life community. This learning bite does not have a PDU associated with it.

Set Boundaries, Find Peace: ACLP Bulletin Book Review
“I meet so many people – especially women – who give and give so much, only to feel exhausted and even depressed as a result. This is why we live in a culture of burnout.”

-Excerpt taken from Set Boundaries, Find Peace, authored by Nedra Glover Tawwab

Child life professionals may find the discussion about burnout and self-care practices particularly relevant, especially given the additional burden of pandemic burnout that has exacerbated an already-demanding job. Tawwab offers examples of what leads to burnout that may resonate with many child life specialists, such as people-pleasing, feeling underappreciated, and prioritizing the needs of others over one’s own. Then, she discusses the emotional and relational impact of burnout and lack of boundaries that may be helpful to identify as “red flags” for ourselves and in our support of colleagues or those we supervise.

Self-Care Assessment Worksheet
Taken from the Pre-Internship Learning Modules, the Self-Care Assessment Worksheet is a tool that provides individuals with an overview of effective strategies to maintain self-care. 

ACLP Resources Related to Mental Health

FREE Mental Health Resources for child life professionals:
-ACLP Course, 1.0 PDU: Dealing with Stress, Pressure, and Burnout
-Child Life Mindfulness Webpage and Resources
 
FREE for ACLP Members, 1.0 PDU per article:
-One Cannot Pour from an Empty Cup: Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, Compassion Satisfaction, and Coping among Child Life Specialists
-Workplace Relationships and Professional Burnout Among CCLSs

ACLP Webinars:
-Sustainable Self-Care Practices for Clinicians: Utilizing Wellness Champions to Promote Holistic Wellbeing
-More than just a bad day: How CCLSs can maintain professional wellbeing and create a coping plan for burnout