Teachers are Mental Health Champions
Teachers are Mental Health Champions Mental health is perhaps one of the most important yet severely overlooked obstacles to children’s ability to learn. For children and teens, signs of mental illness often manifest first in their performance and behavior at school. Teachers may observe a student’s difficulty concentrating, chronic absence, low achievement, disruptive behavior, mood […]
Create a Culture of Bullying Prevention
Create a Culture of Bullying Prevention October is Bullying Prevention Month, a good time to remember that bullying happens every day and in many different places. We all MUST keep our eyes and ears open for various types of bullying behavior and how they are impacting the young people in our lives. The first step […]
Stop the Silence and Stigma of Suicide
Stop the Silence and Stigma of Suicide The most powerful tool that we have in preventing suicide is showing care, compassion, and empathy to those contemplating it. Stop the Stigma of Suicide Take, for example, the raw and real stories shared on the website Live Through This which contains a collection of portraits and stories […]
13 Reasons Why We MUST Talk About Teen Mental Health
13 Reasons Why We MUST Talk About Teen Mental Health Last year, the New York Times reported that the suicide rate in the United States had hit a 30 year high, particularly affecting adolescent girls. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young adults ages 15-24, and reports state that most teens who […]
Coping with Going Back to School
Coping with Going Back to School The events leading up to the back to school season can trigger a prior adverse childhood experience. Behavioral or mental health challenges are not a “phase” or “stage” to be outgrown; for many children and teens they are very real. Trauma Experts say that these events are not singular instances […]
9 Ways to Build Resiliency this Summer
9 Ways to Build Resiliency this Summer Summer is in full swing and many children, teens, and families enjoy leaving the structure of the school year behind them and leaping right into the fun and carefree days of Summer. For some, the change presents a challenge. Structure Feels Safe The wide-open space of Summer can […]
13 Reasons Why – Actions for a Positive Outcome
13 Reasons Why – Actions for a Positive Outcome The Netflix original series entitled, 13 Reasons Why is trending on social media, in schools, and at the dinner table. The popular series is based on the bestselling young adult book written by Jay Asher in 2007. Perhaps you or a teen you know watched it. […]
Mental Health Champion – Gene Lyons
Mental Health Champion – Gene Lyons “Sometimes one person can make all the difference in the life of another. One man more than any other made such a difference to me, both personally and professionally, and he positively affected the course of my life in too many ways to enumerate. That man was Eugene Michael […]
The Cost of Child Abuse
The Cost of Child Abuse April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. The Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families released the 26th edition of the 2015 Child Maltreatment Report in January 2017. As a parent, mental health professional, and human being, child abuse and the lasting […]
Cutting to the Core
Cutting to the Core Nonsuicidal Self-Injury or self-harm, shows up in the form of intentional self-mutilation, often cutting. According to research compiled by The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine the numbers are staggering, 15% of adolescents in the US are afflicted, and the number increases from 17% to 35% to college-aged students. […]