Going Back to School – How Parents Can Help Their Kid’s Mental Health

Therapist Alicia Coleman sat down with CBS News Detroit to discuss the importance of prioritizing your child’s mental health as they return to school. Excerpts from that conversation follow:

Why is it so important to prioritize your student’s mental health?

“We want to promote overall well-being. We want to prioritize not only back-to-school clothes and supplies and things like that. We also want to promote mental health. Because thoughts of going back to school can be overwhelming, especially if you’re transitioning from elementary to middle school, middle to high school, high school to college, and if you’re going into your senior year.”

So many boys and girls deal with the back-to-school jitters. What should parents be doing to prepare them right now?

“It’s important for us to start the conversation. We want to be proactive and not reactive.”

Start with the positive side: What are you excited for?

What are some stressors you might face?

What are some situations that might trigger anxiety?

What are you hopeful for?”

What are some ways parents can make sure that they start that conversation and keep it going so that if students get to a place where they don’t feel okay, they are open to talking about it?

“It goes back to creating a safe space.

We tend to tell people how to feel about something.  We can’t tell people how to feel about a situation.

Acknowledge how they feel. Validate it and be supportive. Creating that safe space so they want to come and talk to us about [things].”

This time of year, so many parents are so focused on crossing off that to-do list: What do I have? What do I need? What kind of supplies do I still have to get? You lose focus on making sure your child feels emotionally ready to head back to the classroom.

“Reprioritize your list. At the top of the list we need to add mental health.

The thought about going back to school can be overwhelming. If your kid had a situation last year – say, bullying – what’s the safety plan for this year?”

Any signs to watch out for that signal something could be wrong?

“Isolation, lack of concentration, anger issues, any maladaptive behavior you start to see.”

 

Watch the full conversation at CBS News.

Image: CBS News Detroit