PARENT RESOURCES
As a result of COVID, we are seeing unprecedented mental illness caused by isolation and fear of the unknown. We hope these resources can help you better understand youth mental health and how you can support your children during this time.
Helping Your Child
Online Resources:
- The Parent Guide to Resilience
- Parent’s Guide to Teen Depression: Here’s How You can Recognize the Signs and Symptoms and Best Help Your Child
- Are you worried about your child?
- Answering questions about kids & Coronavirus
- Feeling Anxious About Our Troubled Times? This App May Help
- Child Mind Institute: Supporting Families During COVID-19
- How to Access and Afford Mental Health Treatment During the Coronavirus
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center: Resources to support mental health and coping with COVID-19
- NAMI: Coronavirus mental health coping strategies
- Child Mind Institute: How to avoid passing anxiety on to your kids
- Recommendations for Children and Parents: Managing Anxiety and OCD During COVID-19
- Child Mind Institute: Managing anger and frustration
- Child Mind Institute: Supporting teenagers and young adults during the Coronavirus crisis
- The Trevor Project: Implications of COVID-19 for LGBTQ youth mental health and suicide prevention
- Firearm suicide and COVID-19: Mitigating risk during a pandemic
Activities:
- Hope Squad: 30-Day Family Challenge (PDF)
- Hope Squad: Self-Care Bingo (PDF)
- Hope Squad: Gratitude Journal (PDF)
- Hope Squad: Learn more about teletherapy (PDF)
- Project YES – Coping skills training for teens
- Practice yoga at home
- Practice guided meditation
- Improve kids’ self-love
- Show kids how mindfulness works
- Make a calming box
- De-stress through sound
Videos:
- Anxiety and Tips for Parents
- Coping with catastrophic thinking when things do seem kind of bad
- Modeling healthy management of parent emotions while social distancing
Maintaining Your Health
Exercise:
- Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle from the American Heart Association
- Recommendations from the Society of Health and Physical Educators
- Towel Fitness
- Paper Plate Tabata
- Follow Along Dances
- Free workout videos
- Down Dog App (Yoga, HIIT, Barre, and 7-minute workout apps)
- Free online fitness streams and YouTube channels, etc.
- 100 Mile Club – 26 Day Challenge
Sleep:
Mindfulness:
National Mental Health Resources
- Betterhelp.com – Be matched with a professional, licensed, vetted counselor that you can trust and pay less than typical fees.
- Parentguidance.org
- Complete NAMI guide for dealing with the Coronavirus: https://www.nami.org/getattachment/Press-Media/Press-Releases/2020/COVID-19-and-Mental-Illness-NAMI-Releases-Importan/COVID-19-Updated-Guide-1.pdf?lang=en-US
- NIMH Covid resources: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/education-awareness/shareable-resources-on-coping-with-covid-19.shtml
Helpful Tips:
- Eat 1 meal a day as a family
- Schedule set times to get up and go to bed (keep a consistent routine/schedule) regardless of whether you are face to face or virtual student
- Limit times on electronic devices
- Encourage daily connection with friends
- Physical touch/contact – kids need at least 6 hugs a day
- In an age-appropriate way, share your struggles with your kids (lets them know that they are not alone and that everyone finds this time challenging)
- Make outside activities a priority every day, even if the weather is less than perfect
