[3MIN READ]
To educate the community about the importance of mental health and to help parents talk to their kids about it, this recent Facebook Live event joins together Olympic Gold Medalist, Kikkan Randall, Nadine Baker, Ph.D., and Brandy Stratman, LCSW for a thoughtful conversation on:
- How trauma influences a teen’s mental health
- Certain risk factors to recognize
- Teen mental health in the community during the pandemic
- What self-care means
- What to do or say to someone that says that is afraid of getting help
Our goal is to increase knowledge and resources for teens and college-age young adults and encourage them to access the resources themselves or their friends.
Watch the video below:
Or listen to the podcast while you’re on the go:
Key takeaways:
- It is important to normalize teen experiences and support them in developing internal and external resources to help them move through challenging times.
- Risk factors to recognize depend on the teen's personality, but can include: when teens stop engaging as usual, when feelings are so big that they do not know how to move through them, and when you start to feel disconnected as a parent.
- Actions parents can take when they notice that something is "off": address it in a safe and private space, let them know that it is okay to have difficult conversations and trust their capacity to do so, reach out to safe adults such as teachers or healthcare professionals to provide support, engage in family therapy to build skills and facilitate healthy communication.
- Providence is committed to supporting the physical and mental health of teens and families on every level. Systems of support include hospital care, psychiatric emergency room, inpatient treatment, a residential girls program and extensive outpatient programming.
- Since the onset of COVID-19, telehealth has become a key development to allow people with barriers to access care, and there has also been a decrease in stigma around mental health.
Get help now
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, there are free mental health resources and tools at work2bewell.org.
For our audience in Alaska, you can always reach out to The Alaska Careline 1-877-266-4357 or text 4help to 839863 3-11 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.
For crisis support anywhere, please reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Available 24 hours in English and Spanish. 800-273-8255
For text support Text HOME to 741741 for free, 24/7 crisis counseling.
This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional's ins
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