Marshall University’s Department of Social Work has teamed up with elementary schools in Cabell and Wayne counties to provide a valuable in-school behavioral health intervention for children. The Trauma-Informed Mindfulness Engagement for Kids (TIME4K) program uses activities and movement exercises to help students cope with nervous energy or other uncomfortable feelings.
TIME4K was initially funded by a federal grant through the U.S. Department of Justice/Office of Victims of Crime. When funding ended, Marshall University Research Corporation (MURC) approached the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington about a partnership to continue the program in Cabell and Wayne counties. In the spring of 2023, the Foundation awarded MURC a $15,000 Healthy Communities Initiative grant to offer TIME4K at elementary schools in Lavalette, Prichard, Guyandotte, and Davis Creek during the 2023-24 school year.
The TIME4K program is made possible by partnerships with the elementary schools and graduate students from Marshall’s Department of Social Work and Department of School Psychology. The graduate students receive specialized training on age-appropriate mindfulness activities for kids in individual, group, and classroom settings, as well as training on ethics in social and behavioral research. When the school year begins, social work students are assigned to an elementary school where they spend 16 to 20 hours per week providing interventions like yoga, breathing exercises, sensory activities, and exercises. Graduate school psychology students then evaluate objective data regarding the interventions being used in the TIME4K program. Collaboration between the social work and school psychology students provides a heightened learning opportunity for everyone involved and builds working relationships that are poised to continue in the school systems.
During the 2023-2024 school year, TIME4K graduate students worked with nearly 500 children across Cabell and Wayne counties.
“TIME4K can be particularly helpful to children who have experienced trauma and may be ‘triggered’ by something in their environment,” said Robin Looney, TIME4K treatment coordinator. “Our graduate social work students are trained to use a variety of mindful interventions to engage the senses and help kids identify or express feelings. Any child can benefit from ‘brain breaks’ in order to better manage big feelings, become more relaxed, or simply dispel nervous energy.”
Hannah Dorsey, a graduate student who led the program at Guyandotte Elementary School in Cabell County, said many young kids have trouble with self-regulation and aren’t sure how to cope with stressful situations.
“We help them learn positive coping strategies,” she said. “I have taken children out of class when they need a moment to self-reflect. I ask them questions leading up to the event so they can see what happened and if there was a natural consequence. My favorite part is building relationships with the kids. I love seeing them smile when I come in the room and getting all the hugs!”
Kids and parents alike have reflected positively on the TIME4K program. One parent of a participant said: “I’ve already seen such a significant change in my son’s mood in just a few sessions. He tells me about the things you guys work on like the five-finger breathing technique and how he uses them during class when he can. Also, he’s recovering much quicker when he gets upset at home. I’m so proud of him!” Kids in the program have responded with statements like “I love yoga. I have even taught my mom some poses.”
TIME4K provides an important opportunity for graduate students to build strong clinical skills and gain experience working closely with children and educators. Each student receives six hours of training from a registered play therapist and certified trauma therapist, as well as training in the Yoga EQ curriculum by a certified yoga instructor.
Looney said TIME4K not only provides a learning experience, but it also gives students valuable skills they can take with them as they enter the work force. After participating in the program, one graduate student accepted a position in higher education and has used the skills she developed in TIME4K to provide mindfulness activities to college-age students who struggle with anxiety. Another student became employed by the Youth Services Division of the West Virginia Department of Human Services and said she felt like her experience with TIME4K increased her skillset in that role.
The program benefits schools by placing an additional behavioral health professional on campus every week during the school year. Graduate students stay at the same school and can customize the amount of individual, group, and classroom intervention based on each school’s needs.
Educators have given positive feedback regarding the effects of the TIME4K program on kids in their classrooms. They said:
“Students were excited, eager, and could hardly wait to participate. They are more engaged and have taken moments of breathing to calm themselves. I also see random yoga poses as they are provided time for movement.”
“It is a great brain break and they think it’s fun. I have noticed they refer to their yoga moves in conversation at times, so their knowledge has increased.”
“As an educator, I have found these few minutes to be calming to my well-being – maybe more than the students!”
“They learned how to self-regulate their breathing and their emotions.”
While kids in schools participated in TIME4K, the program also reached children at Huntington City Mission. Graduate students paired up to provide weekly youth group programming on site that included sensory and mindfulness activities, as well as special events like a fall carnival. Families from Project Hope, a residential treatment program in Huntington for women in recovery and their children, also participated in the program.
“It is incredibly important to provide programming for the Mission,” Looney said. “The residents benefit from support to improve their life situations. Children are especially at risk due to their experiences and respond very well to caring, consistent adults. For most of us, relationships make the difference between struggling or overcoming adversity.”
Dorsey added that TIME4K brings a unique experience to children at the Mission and helps those who have experienced trauma to identify emotions and self-regulate. She said parents have also benefitted by learning new coping skills while participating in activities.
To learn more about TIME4K, click here.