CURRENT ISSUES

OF GIFTED
STUDENTS MENTAL
HEALTH
Dr. Eka Sakti Yudha, M.Pd.
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Gifted Population

3-7%
300.406 students

× In theory population of Gifted children about 3-7% (Tanenbaum, 2002)

× In Indonesia total population student are 4.292.288 (Dapodik, 2019)
× Gifted population about 300.406
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Being Gifted…

× Being gifted is often described as a “mixed blessing” (Streznewski,

1999), where the ability to understand complex issues and the
potential to excel academically is accompanied by various
challenges.
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Being Gifted…

Not all gifted students get As.

Not all straight-A students are gifted.
Gifted students are not always gifted in everything.
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Nine Gripes of Gifted Children

1. The work we do at school is too easy, and it’s boring,
2. Parents, teachers, friends expect us to be perfect, to ‘do your best’
ALL the time,
3. Friends who really understand us are few and far between;
4. Lots of schoolwork is irrelevant;
5. Classmates often tease us about being smart
6. We feel overwhelmed by the number of things we can do in life.
7. we feel too different and too alienated
8. We worry a lot about world problems
9. Perfectionist
(Galbraith & Neihart 1992, p. 13).
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Gifted and Pandemic

Physical distancing, quarantine, home isolation
and school closure are some of the measures
undertaken by many countries to prevent or
minimize the spread of coronavirus infectious
disease 2019.
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School closure, as part of the

COVID-19 measures to prevent
the spread of the virus, is
estimated to have impacted 67%
of the world’s student population
(UNESCO 2020).
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LEARNING
INSTRUCTIONS

“ Radio Classes mode in Africa

TV Broadcasting mode in
Balkan State

Online Platform in European,

western state incuding Asia
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× While all children are vulnerable to the effects of school

“
closure, social isolation, and quarantine, those that are
gifted seem to have certain characteristics that might
predispose them to experience intense emotions or
anxiety as a response to the COVID-19 (Amend et al.
2020).
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“
Student Suicide
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Counseling with
Gifted…
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Five Role of Counselor

1. Have a basic understanding of giftedness so that she does not
misinterpret typical aspects of gifted behaviors or allow herself
to be manipulated by the student
2. Uses vocabulary and concepts appropriate to the student’s
intellectual reasoning capabilities (‘talking down” to these
students won’t work).
3. Uses a dynamic approach (Don’t give many advice)
4. Is honest, realistic, and not overly optimistic – these students
can see through a “fake” response
5. Be patient, Listening more and more
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Thanks!
Any questions?