Lesson Tag: Mental health

We hope our children will make healthy choices, form lasting, meaningful connections, and develop a strong, positive sense of self. In other words, we want them to thrive! LGBTQ+ youth face more risks to their well-being than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. Risks are even greater for people with low income and for people of color. The good news is that with the right information you can support your child through these obstacles.

After this class you will be able to:

• Identify the increased risks faced by LGBTQ+ youth
• Build a strong positive connection with your child that will help keep them safe 
• Recognize signs of peer pressure and bullying
• Recognize warning signs that your child needs more help

School refusal, also known as school avoidance, is a misunderstood and complex challenge. While school refusal is often viewed as misbehavior, in most cases students are simply too anxious to enter the school environment and, in the cases of some students, have trouble leaving their homes at all. Often,children with school refusal behaviors may complain of physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach aches before school, or repeatedly ask to visit the school nurse.

In this class you will learn:

• The ways in which your own emotions and anxiety about truancy affect your child’s recovery or escalation
• How to frame the problem for yourself and child in a way that encourages confidence, patience, and compassion
• Ways to work with the school to support your child through this difficult time

Sometimes children don’t outgrow fears that are typical in younger children like being apart from parents or extreme fears about specific things or situations like dogs or going to the doctor’s office. Sometimes fears or worries may interfere with home, school or play activities. Sometimes children may seem irritable and angry or experience physical symptoms like stomach aches, and still other kids turn their symptoms inward causing us to miss them. In any of these cases, your child may be experiencing anxiety and will benefit from focused support and sometimes professional services. As parents, we may sometimes be inclined to help in ways that actually make symptoms worse like allowing children to avoid certain situations or getting worried about our children’s worries. After this class you will be able to:

• Recognize symptoms of anxiety, types of anxiety and related family stressors
• Identify ways that your child manages anxiety and how to help them do so more effectively
• Apply strategies to balance between challenging your child to tolerate anxiety and letting them decide when they are overloaded.
• Define and apply self-regulation and co-regulation as effective support strategies
• Identify treatment options when needed

Your child’s brain is in a process of intense physical, cognitive and social development. They are becoming more aware of themselves and forming identity. As their brain changes and struggles to adapt to their social environment, they may be vulnerable to depression. Risk factors for depression include depression in the family, psycho-social, and environmental stressors.

In this class you will:

• Recognize the risk factors for depression
• Identify red flags
• Learn strategies to support your child and foster resilience

Bullying is a topic of concern in schools across the country. With convenient access to digital devices and social media, hurtful messages are easily spread. Adding to the distress, kids can post harmful messages with anonymity, ease and without a real-time reaction from the victim. In addition, children increasingly look to peers for direction including values, identity and codes of behavior. In this class you will learn:

• The importance of emotional intelligence and how to help your child develop it
• Strategies to help your child form positive peer relationships
• The role of brain development in peer pressure
• How to recognize bullying in its many forms
• What you can do to protect your child

Strong, positive parent-child relationships are the foundation of good mental health. This class will help you focus on practical strategies to build those relationships whether you grew up in families with those kinds of connections or not. After this class you will be able to:

• Recognize the connection between relationships and mental health
• Define attachment and recognize its importance for your child’s development
• Identify and apply 10 practical steps to build a strong positive relationship with your child

Parents play an important role in children’s psychotherapy. It is important that you share concerns with the therapist and with your child, participate in creating goals for treatment. Ideally child therapists work with parents to support their child’s healthy development and address symptoms in ways that help. After this class you will be able to:

• Recognize the nature of your role in your child’s therapy and how to effectively carry out that role including changing your beliefs and parenting approaches
• Identify ways to participate in goal setting with your child and their therapist
• Identify indicators of progress and when to consider ending therapy or changing therapists

Children develop in different ways. There are a wide range of behaviors that may be “normal” for your child. But you may be wondering if your child needs an assessment or added support from a professional. After this class you will be able to:

• Identify indicators that your child may benefit from meeting with a therapist or other kind of clinical professional
• Apply strategies to choose a therapist who is a good match for your child including specific questions to ask 
• Apply effective ways to communicate with your child about therapy
• Recognize what to expect from the therapist at the start of the process

Mental Health Literacy is the ability to prevent, recognize and cope with mental health conditions. Parents with Mental Health Literacy recognize that their own mental health affects their children’s well-being and that children’s behavior is sometimes a call for help. Because mental health disorders are the most common diseases of childhood, our children need us to understand the ways that we can help. After this class you will be able to:

• Define mental health literacy
• Apply approaches that support good mental health
• Define and recognize the importance of  self-regulation and co-regulation
• Recognize yellow and red flags with regard to mental health issues
• Recognize and apply health habits that impact mental health

Parents are vulnerable to passing on to their children unhealthy patterns of the past. Understanding your own childhood - both the positive and difficult experiences - can prevent us from recreating the harm to our children that was done to us. After this class you will be able to:

• Define Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
• Recognize the effects of your childhood on your adult thoughts, feelings and behaviors
• Identify ways your childhood may be impacting your relationship(s) with your child(ren)