Distance learning, which students across Fresno County will resume when their new school year starts this month, has created anxiety, depression, and other emotional responses from kids, leaving many parents searching for help.

A webinar hosted by Community Medical Centers’ Health Watch in partnership with ABC30 will answer parents’ questions and provide suggestions on how they can help their kids succeed.

The webinar, scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, will be led by Dr. Patrick Shea, an assistant clinical professor at UCSF Fresno. Parents can register here for the webinar, which will be on Zoom.

Shea, who is board certified in pediatrics, psychiatry, and child and adolescent psychiatry, said parents and caregivers need resources to help them guide students as they embark on a new school year that will be online, at least at the beginning.

Learning How to Help Kids Cope

Students engaged in distance learning are challenged by the separation from their teachers and peers, and by the isolation, Shea said. Parents can help them navigate these difficult times by being positive role models, he said.

“We really don’t know the mental health impact of COVID-19 because we’ve never seen anything like this before,” Shea said. “We’ve been through natural disasters and the like, but a large-scale shutdown from an invisible menace like this is something new entirely.”

Health Quest began as a free lecture series that was launched in 2013 and that up until May, when coronavirus restrictions were instituted, was held on the campus of Clovis Community Hospital. Health topics covered in the past included women and heart disease, strokes, and Alzheimer’s.

The lectures, which were converted to webinars because of bans on large-group gatherings, are held the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m.