Beckley nursing student focuses on middle school mental health for capstone project
BECKLEY, W. Va. — Jessica Cresong, a WVU School of Nursing Beckley Campus senior, recently taught mental health coping skills to local fifth grade students as part of her capstone project.
“I knew this year that Pediatrics is where my heart belongs,” Cresong said. “I asked my professor to place me somewhere with pediatrics for my clinical and she was able to get me in at Ansted Elementary with the school nurse.”
As part of her NSG 411 capstone, Cresong conducted key informant interviews and learned the need for pediatric mental health in the area.
“Southern West Virginia lacks the resources that these kids desperately need for mental health, and I wanted to give them some low-cost options to help them cope with their mental health issues.”
Once she identified the issue, she researched evidence-based solutions for her project. She decided to focus on breathing techniques to help with anxiety, along with an art-based intervention called Paint-n-Sip. Students were invited to paint turkeys during the November event and sip juice while they painted.
“The kids can use these skills throughout their lives to deal with emotions such as sadness, anger and anxiety,” Cresong said. “The fifth graders really enjoyed this activity and had fun while learning. I had 100% participation from the students in the class.”
Cresong said her project showed her how desperately additional resources are needed for children in southern West Virginia.
“Even activities as simple as mine can tremendously help these kids. Our kids in West Virginia go through so much at a young age and have little to no support to help them live through these events.”
Cresong, a Wyoming County native, currently works as a nurse extern in the pediatric intensive care unit at Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Charleston. She hopes to continue working there as a registered nurse after graduating in May with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
“My teachers at the School of Nursing have gone above and beyond to prepare me for my career,” Cresong said. “They are there to help in any way and truly want to see us all succeed. They are not afraid to give constructive criticism and push us to do our best. WVU gives us great resources as well to aid our learning.”
-WVU-
CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu