Episode 79: What to Do When Your NICU Kid is Bullied

Sr. Josephine Garrett, Certified School Counselor

Just when you find your rhythm, something like school bullying enters the picture and it can often feel overwhelming and frustrating. Sr. Josephine Garrett, a licensed mental health school counselor talks strategies, perspective and encouragement in dealing with bullying.

In this episode, we chat about:

• How and why did you pursue counseling?
• You serve both a school and have a private practice. What are the similarities and differences in serving those two populations?
• Some NICU babies have challenges that are easily detected once they leave the hospital, but sometimes parents find themselves encountering hard things as their babies become older and enter school. How do you advocate for students differently than other school staff?
• What’s an ideal student to counselor ratio?
• Often, a NICU baby becomes a target, if you will, for school bullies. Maybe they have a device, a physical challenge or their size makes them vulnerable. How can the family work with the school counselor to address that?
• What are some things you do with your students to help them process trauma, work through hard emotions or feel comfortable in who they are?
• When should a parent be concerned?
• What’s your best advice to a parent who has a child struggling in school, academically, socially or emotionally?

Sr. Josephine is a native Texan born and raised in Houston. She completed a BA in Politics with a Business concentration at the University of Dallas. Following graduation she began a 10-year career in banking, serving as Vice President in the Home Loans division of Bank of America. In 2011, she shifted her focus and began formation to be a Religious Sister with the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. She is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor for her local school and she also serves children in private practice.

Connect with Sr. Josephine:

Instagram: @sr_josephine 

Website: nazarethretreats.org/people/sister-josephine-garrett