The Union College psychology department is heading into local schools
this fall with the “Heads Up for Kids: Secrets of the Mind-Body
Connection” program.
The program was created by the Kentucky Psychological Association and
is sponsored locally by Union’s department of psychology. The goal of
“Heads Up for Kids” is to help children understand how behavior and
emotions are connected to overall health.
It is a timely initiative, given the recent “Health of Kentucky” report
by the Kentucky Institute of Medicine. The report examines the health of
each Kentucky county, and finds that nine of the ten unhealthiest are
located in the state’s Appalachian region.
Knox County is ranked eighty-first out of 120 counties, placing it out
of reach of the ten unhealthiest but still in the bottom third of the
list. The report says Knox County “faces some serious health challenges,”
registering “very high rates” on smoking, diabetes, cardiovascular deaths,
and lack of physical activity, among other variables.
The report emphasizes that these “serious health challenges” are
related to personal choices and behaviors, which Union’s “Heads Up”
program addresses. Ten Union volunteers, coordinated by graduate assistant
Brianna Boles, as well as Dr. Joni Caldwell, chair of the psychology
department, will visit four elementary schools once weekly over a
five-week period. Each week, “Heads Up” will cover units on choices
related to healthy living: adequate sleep, coping with stress, exercise,
self-esteem and resiliency are all planned.
The “Heads Up” group will also host a parents’ night for each school. A
psychologist will speak with parents about the material covered in the
units, and reinforce the positive role behaviors and emotions have in
health.
This fall, “Heads Up” will work with Artemus, Boone, Flat Lick and
Dewitt elementary schools. According to Dr. Caldwell, “principals and
teachers have embraced the program enthusiastically.” She says she “looks
forward to visiting all the schools in the region” at some point, but had
to keep the number to four this semester due to time constraints.
In addition to “Heads Up for Kids,” Union’s psychology department
offers Saturday workshop sessions on chemical dependency for professionals
in the field. The department offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
psychology. For more information, visit
www.unionky.edu.
