Supporting Children’s Mental Health: Resources for Parents and Teens

Every parent knows what it takes to keep their child physically healthy. We meticulously choose the right immunizations, the right vitamins, the right sports lessons, and then the right orthopedic footwear for those lessons. But do we take the right measures to support our children’s mental health? The basics for our kids’ mental health are never as clear as their physical wellness, which makes it twice as hard for parents to find the right approach to it. To make this process easier for both parents and kids, we put together a list of helpful resources that will teach you how to take care of your children’s mental health and when to seek professional help.

Resources for Families and Kids:

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
The AACAP offers resources for both families and youth. On their website, parents will find information about most of the mental issues that affect small children and teenagers. This resource also has helpful guides for immigrant, multiracial, and LGBTQ parents to help them learn how to address concerns about their kids’ mental health. aacap.org

American Psychiatric Association
This is a great resource for parents who want to learn more about mental disorders in kids as well as their symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options. The website offers advice from America’s leading psychiatrists regarding a number of kids’ psychological issues such as Specific Learning Disorder, Intellectual Disability, ADHD, and Internet Gaming. psychiatry.org

American Psychological Association
The APA established the Raising Safe Kids Program, aimed to help parents raise children in a safe, stable, and healthy environment. The program offers classes on prevention and intervention of mental issues in children as well as useful materials for parents who want to know how to deal with kids’ challenging behavior. apa.org

Association for Children’s Mental Health
The ACMH is a wonderful resource that has information and support for families and kids who have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder. The website offers a variety of family stories, online discussions, useful advice from other parents, and guides on how to find support in your local community. acmh-mi.org

Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
The FFCMH offers guides and webinars on how to address children’s mental health disorders, as well as such issues as bullying, social media, online lives, substance abuse, stress, and illness. ffcmh.org

National Alliance on Mental Illness
NAMI put up a list of books that explain the nature of mental health issues to children and teens. Written in a kid-friendly manner, the books explore such disorders as ADHD, Impulse Control, Anxiety, Autism, Depression, and many others. nami.org

The Child Mind Institute
The Child Mind Institute is a national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health. The website has helpful information on mental health disorders and personal stories of the parents whose kids struggle with mental issues. Among the institute’s resources, you will find information on eating disorders and body image, media and tech, growing up in a military family, siblings, speech and language, and many other issues. childmind.org

Resources for Teens:

Teen Mental Health
Teen Mental Health is a youth publication that provides students with information on topics such as relationships, money, schoolwork, sexuality, addiction, and self-harm. The website offers training programs and resources that are designed to help teenagers understand and manage their mental health and disorders. teenmentalhealth.org

Love Is Respect
This resource offers education, support, and advocacy to teens and young adults who have questions or concerns about their dating relationships. The website gives information on dating basics, healthy relationships, consent, abuse, dating in the digital age and other topics relevant to young people. loveisrespect.org

Teen Help
Teen Help covers many topics in adolescent mental health, including stress, depression, nutrition, pregnancy, social life, violence, and anger. The website is designed for teenagers who are going through common adolescent development issues and the platform’s goal is to educate and bring awareness to those teens and their parents. teenhelp.com

OK2TALK
This is a platform for teens and young adults who struggle with mental health conditions. This online community is a safe place for teenagers to talk about what they’re experiencing and to share their personal narratives in a form of stories, poems, inspirational quotes, photos, videos, song lyrics, and messages. ok2talk.org

Young Women’s Health and Young Men’s Health
Both offer a series of guides that explore teens’ emotional and sexual health, as well as mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, bullying, and eating disorders. youngwomenshealth.org; youngmenshealthsite.org

Buck's Rock Performing and Creative Arts Camp

Buck&rsquo;s Rock Camp is a freedom-of-choice creative and performing arts camp for teenagers ages 10 to 17. Every summer at Buck&rsquo;s Rock is completely different. The campers who join us each year make the summer their own adventure, and the camp constantly evolves and changes to meet the needs of that year&rsquo;s campers. So to answer the question &ldquo;What is Buck&rsquo;s Rock?&rdquo; is simple: it is a safe space where young people can grow into whatever they want and need to be.&nbsp; The day at Buck&rsquo;s Rock starts at 7:30am and ends at 10:15pm. What happens in between is as varied as our campers and as friendly as our beautiful campus. Every day at Buck&rsquo;s Rock is different. What doesn&rsquo;t change: our stunning pastoral setting, committed, professional counselors, and a camper-to-counselor ratio of 2:1.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Every day at Buck&rsquo;s Rock is a new opportunity for self-discovery and creative expression. From the professionally-equipped studios and exciting performance spaces, to the state-of-the-art recording facilities and pool, campers are free to try anything and everything! Over 30 world-class programs await our artists every day, including everything from glassblowing to dance to painting to sketch comedy to radio to weaving to gardening and so much more! &nbsp; Many generations of Buck&rsquo;s Rockers, including campers, their parents, and decades of dedicated staff make up our unique community. Just one summer at Buck&rsquo;s Rock will make you a life-long member of our big, creative family. We can&rsquo;t wait for you to join us! &nbsp; Tiered Tuition System based on gross annual income and household size; $0-$12,000 &nbsp; Age: 10-17 years old &nbsp; &nbsp;

ESF Summer Camp

This camp season promises many exciting opportunities for children to learn new skills, form and nurture friendships and create lifelong memories. &nbsp; Our goal for our 41st&nbsp;camp season, through best-in-class curriculum, is for boys and girls, ages 3-15, to grow up ESF - whether it&rsquo;s sports, science, technology, the arts, or all of the above. Our experienced, all-adult staff knows that the most important role we play in our campers&rsquo; lives is to provide a safe place where they can develop the tools to become independent, confident, lifelong learners. Our 2022 program line-up includes 60+ award-winning activities, uniquely designed to encourage exploration and personal growth.&nbsp; &nbsp; Friends Happen at ESF! We guarantee that your camper will enjoy a summer with no-limits, where they can be themselves and try new things while their friends cheer them on. The memories they will make and the feeling of having a summer home to call their own is all part of the ESF experience. Enroll now, spots are limited. &nbsp; Locations: Riverdale Country School in Bronx, NY and Greenwich Catholic School in Greenwich, CT

Broadway Dance Center Children and Teens

With more than 35 years of experience, Broadway Dance Center Children &amp; Teens provides young movers ages 3-18 with exceptional training. BDC delivers the finest all-around dance experience for students by offering a wide variety of styles and levels, performance opportunities, and the highest caliber dance instruction that only New York City and BDC Children &amp; Teens can provide. This studio is so much more than a training course for young dancers; it is a diverse, family-friendly community for budding creatives. It has an exemplary faculty who follow the vision to not only develop a dancer&rsquo;s love and ability in dance, but to do so in a nurturing and supportive way.