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Head Start programs support the mental health of children, families, and staff every day. Early childhood mental health is the same as social and emotional well-being.

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South Carolina Mental Health Resources for Children

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On Our Sleeves is the movement for children’s mental health.

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South Carolina Department of Mental Health

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South Carolina Department of Mental Health

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Proven Care for All Your Mental Health Needs

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National Alliance on Mental Health: South Carolina

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National Alliance on Mental Health: South Carolina

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Everyone who needs help or seeks help deserves to receive it. At NAMI South Carolina, we aim to connect you with services and support if we can’t help. Please

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A list of resources for you to find personal wellness and cultivate mental health for the long-term.

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Early Intervention | Carolina Behavior & Beyond

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Resources for Children with Special Needs in South Carolina: 7 Must-Knows

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Navigating the area of special needs in children can be both rewarding and challenging. Understanding what special needs entail, along with the various types, is vital […]

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SBHA: SC School Behavioral Health Academy

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SBHA: SC School Behavioral Health Academy

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The Arc of South Carolina The Arc of South Carolina is an organization that promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.

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Help for Parents in South Carolina - Info, Services, Support - We're dedicated to providing help for parents in South Carolina. We provide families with parenting information, resources, community support, and more!

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Health & Mental Health - Info for Parents & Families in SC

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It’s essential to undestand child health and mental health for parents in South Carolina. Learn about trauma, screen time, social media, bullying and more.

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Mental Health Support for South Carolina Students

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Mental Health Support for South Carolina Students

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Mental Health Support for South Carolina Students | Carolina Family Engagement Center

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YAP-P | Youth Access to Psychiatry Program

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Resources for families | YAP-P Youth Access to Psychiatry Program

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Resources Home Resources for Families Helpful Resources for Families How is your child’s mental health? Below are common signs each disorder and provide assessment and children exhibit when experiencing screening tools for each! mental health concerns: Are they experiencing… Anxiety or worry that prevents or limits their ability to engage in regular activities? Problems keeping […]

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Share your opinion on issues impacting children and families

The Policy Forum features guest columns on issues impacting children and families in South Carolina. We welcome contributions from community leaders, public health professionals, academic experts and policymakers.

Share your opinion

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Home - Children's Trust of South Carolina

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Our mission is strengthening families, organizations and communtiies to prevent child abuse and negelct

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Child Psychologists and Therapists in South Carolina have extensive training and education in child therapy, offering therapy services to help children and their families.

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Emocional & Mente: Libros y cuentos para niños con Ansiedad y Preocupaciones

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Emocional & Mente: Libros y cuentos para niños con Ansiedad y Preocupaciones

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Emocional y Mente - Psicología Infantil y Adolescentes en Albacete

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📘​ Libros y cuentos para niños con Ansiedad y Preocupaciones

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La ansiedad infantil es más común de lo que pensamos, descubre los mejores cuentos para ayudar a los niños con ansiedad y preocupaciones.

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Cómo apoyar a tu hijo o hija con ansiedad - Child Mind Institute

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Hoy en día, cada vez más niños y adolescentes experimentan estrés. Las preocupaciones comunes van desde el cambio climático y la política, hasta cosas más

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The Kids Mental Health Foundation: Recursos

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The Kids Mental Health Foundation: Recursos

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On Our Sleeves is the movement for children’s mental health.

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Child Mind Institute: ¿Cuál es el mejor tratamiento para la ansiedad infantil?

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Child Mind Institute: ¿Cuál es el mejor tratamiento para la ansiedad infantil?

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Los niños pueden experimentar muchos tipos de ansiedad diferentes, desde la ansiedad por separación hasta TOC, pero las opciones de tratamiento son básicamente las mismas en todos los casos. El tratamiento más efectivo para cada niño en particular dependerá de varios factores que incluyen:

Qué tan severa es la ansiedad.

Qué tanta disposición y capacidad tiene el niño para participar en la terapia.

Qué opciones hay disponibles (y son viables) para la familia.

Para niños con ansiedad desde leve a moderada, la primera opción de tratamiento que recomiendan la mayoría de los expertos es la terapia cognitivo-conductual (TCC). En la TCC el niño aprende poco a poco a tolerar su ansiedad, en lugar de evitarla, y con el tiempo la ansiedad desaparece. Este tipo de terapia no es una solución instantánea, pero los niños aprenden habilidades que podrán utilizar siempre que las necesiten.

En casos más severos, cuando los niños están en un estado de angustia aguda y la ansiedad les impide funcionar en su día a día (ir a la escuela, pasar tiempo con los amigos, participar en actividades) la recomendación suele ser una combinación de TCC y medicación. Los medicamentos reducen la ansiedad del niño lo suficiente como para que pueda participar en la terapia, la cual le brinda una solución de más largo plazo.

La medicación por sí sola podría ser el tratamiento más efectivo cuando las familias no tienen acceso a terapia o no pueden apoyar a los niños a lo largo del proceso, el cual implica un rol activo de los padres y que además se podría prolongar durante varios meses.

Aunque existen muchos tipos de ansiedad diferentes, todos implican un temor intenso, a veces paralizante, además de síntomas físicos como taquicardia, temblores y sudoración. Estos distintos tipos de tratamientos son formas de reducir dichos síntomas.

La forma de terapia para la ansiedad más común (y más probada de forma rigurosa) es un tipo especializado de terapia cognitivo-conductual que se conoce como exposición y prevención de respuesta (ERP, por sus siglas en inglés). En la ERP, a menudo llamada terapia de exposición, los niños son "expuestos" (de forma gradual, en un entorno seguro y con el apoyo de un terapeuta) a las cosas que desencadenan su ansiedad. Se les enseñan habilidades para lidiar con la incomodidad que les produce la ansiedad sin que necesiten evitar aquello que la provoca.

Para empezar, el niño y el terapeuta hacen una lista de los factores desencadenantes de la ansiedad y los ordenan en una escala del 1 al 10. Luego, se expone al niño a sus temores en su forma más leve posible. (Por ejemplo, si a un niño le aterran los perros, podría ser que le muestren la foto de un perro o simplemente la palabra escrita "perro"). El terapeuta apoya al niño hasta que la ansiedad desaparezca. Los niños aprenden que la ansiedad disminuye cuando aprenden a tolerar la incomodidad en lugar de evitarla.

A medida que el niño empieza a tolerar la ansiedad que le produce cada factor desencadenante, y su ansiedad desaparece, está listo para abordar otro desencadenante que esté más arriba en su lista. (Esto podría incluir ver a un perro a la distancia, y luego acercarse poco a poco hasta, finalmente, tocar al perro). En casa, los padres tienen la tarea de alentar al niño a tolerar las cosas que le provocan más ansiedad, en lugar de evitarlas, y expresarle su confianza en que podrá manejar la incomodidad hasta que se desvanezca.

Por lo general, el tratamiento dura 12 sesiones, que se pueden tomar una vez a la semana o a diario, en un programa intensivo diseñado para tener resultados con mayor rapidez.

En una terapia más reciente para niños con ansiedad, el terapeuta trabaja únicamente con los padres, no con el niño. Se llama Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE).

La idea que sustenta SPACE es que los niños con ansiedad dependen de las cosas que hacen sus padres para adaptarse a su ansiedad y evitar aquello que los atemoriza. (Esto podría significar cruzar la calle para evitar a un perro o acompañar a un niño que teme quedarse dormido solo). Los padres aprenden a reducir paulatinamente esas adaptaciones y a expresarles a sus hijos que confían en su capacidad de manejar los sentimientos incómodos. A medida que los padres van retirando las adaptaciones, el niño aprende a tolerar la ansiedad, y esta termina por desaparecer. Cuanto más practican los niños, mejor logran lidiar con su ansiedad, y con ello adquieren mayor confianza en que pueden manejarla sin necesidad de que sus padres acudan en su rescate.

Estudios han demostrado que la terapia SPACE es tan efectiva como la terapia directa con los niños, y que es particularmente efectiva con los niños más pequeños, con quienes los padres tienden a hacer más adaptaciones. Sin embargo, si el niño además tiene depresión, muestra comportamientos de autolesión o suicidas, no se recomienda que los padres comiencen a reducir las adaptaciones sino hasta que la depresión haya sido atendida.

Hay diversos tipos de medicamentos que pueden ayudar con los síntomas de la ansiedad y funcionan de distintas maneras. Algunos se toman todos los días, otros pueden tomarse de manera ocasional para reducir la ansiedad en situaciones estresantes específicas. A veces, los nombres de los medicamentos pueden ser confusos debido a que originalmente fueron desarrollados para tratar una condición diferente y después se descubrió que también eran efectivos para la ansiedad.

La primera opción de medicamentos para niños con ansiedad son los antidepresivos ISRS (inhibidores selectivos de la recaptación de serotonina). Los ISRS se desarrollaron para el tratamiento de la depresión, pero también han demostrado su efectividad en la reducción de síntomas de la ansiedad, con relativamente pocos efectos secundarios importantes. El efecto de los ISRS puede observarse después de 2 a 4 semanas de haber iniciado el tratamiento, y su efectividad mejora a lo largo de las primeras 8 a 12 semanas.

Pero los ISRS no funcionan para todos los niños, por lo que se necesita recurrir a alternativas. Estos son los principales tipos de medicamentos que se utilizan para tratar la ansiedad:

Los ISRS, incluyendo medicamentos como Zoloft, Prozac y Paxil, son los que se prescriben con más frecuencia para la ansiedad. Funcionan a través de incrementar los niveles de serotonina, el químico regulador del estado de ánimo más importante en el cerebro.

Los IRSN, como Effexor XR y Cymbalta, son otro tipo de antidepresivo que también se utiliza para tratar la ansiedad. Funcionan al aumentar los niveles de dos neurotransmisores en el cerebro: la serotonina y la norepinefrina. Los IRSN se prescriben con menos frecuencia en el caso de la ansiedad infantil, pues tienen una tasa ligeramente mayor de efectos secundarios. Además, tardan varias semanas en empezar a tener efecto.

Estos medicamentos, como Ativan y Klonopin, se utilizan para el alivio de la ansiedad aguda, pero por lo general se recomiendan sólo para uso de corto plazo, debido al riesgo de generar dependencia. Las benzodiazepinas reducen los síntomas físicos de la ansiedad, como la taquicardia y la sudoración.

Los medicamentos como Abilify, Risperdal y Seroqual, que se desarrollaron originalmente para reducir los síntomas de la psicosis, también pueden ayudar con la ansiedad intensa y persistente, así como con los pensamientos obsesivos que suelen tener los niños con TOC. A veces, se acompañan con un antidepresivo. Pero deben utilizarse con precaución, pues pueden tener efectos secundarios importantes, como subir de peso o cambios hormonales y metabólicos que pueden ser dañinos.

Buspirone, a menudo conocido como BuSpar, funciona al activar un tipo específico de receptores en el cerebro que afectan el equilibrio de los neurotransmisores. Buspirone no es tan efectivo para controlar la ansiedad como las benzodiazepinas, pero tiene ligeramente menos efectos secundarios, así como un potencial menor de dependencia o abuso.

Los medicamentos llamados agonistas alfa, clonidina y guanafacina, se desarrollaron originalmente para tratar la presión arterial elevada en adultos. Pero se descubrió que también reducen síntomas de ansiedad al actuar sobre el sistema nervioso simpático, que regula la respuesta corporal de lucha o huida. La clonidina se encuentra, en su forma comercial como Catapres y Kapway, y la guanafacina como Tenex e Intuniv.

Medicamentos como Benadryl se utilizan principalmente para reducir las reacciones alérgicas, al bloquear los receptores de químicos llamados histaminas en el sistema nervioso central. Pero también bloquean algunos receptores de serotonina, lo que incrementa los niveles de serotonina y crea un efecto sedante. Algunos profesionales clínicos los recomiendan para reducir la ansiedad en niños durante periodos breves de tiempo.

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¿Cuál es el mejor tratamiento para la ansiedad infantil? - Child Mind Institute

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Lo que los padres necesitan saber sobre formas efectivas de terapia y medicamentos para tratar diferentes tipos de ansiedad en niños.

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Educapeques: Juego para la ansiedad ¡La aventura de las emociones!

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Educapeques: Juego para la ansiedad ¡La aventura de las emociones!

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Portal Educativo de apoyo a Padres, Maestros y Niños en las Tareas Escolares

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Juego para la ansiedad ¡La aventura de las emociones!

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El Juego para la Ansiedad es una herramienta clave en el desarrollo emocional de los niños. ¡La aventura de las emociones! | Educapeques

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Cuentos Infantiles: Un recurso para abordar ansiedad por separación en Niños Pequeños

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Cuentos Infantiles: Un recurso para abordar ansiedad por separación en Niños Pequeños

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Elena Serratosa - psicología y psicoterapia

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¿De qué hablamos cuando decimos "ansiedad de separación"?

La ansiedad por separación es una experiencia emocional habitual en los niños de entre 8 y 14 meses de edad. En esta etapa de desarrollo los niños sienten angustia cuando se separan de su cuidador principal (generalmente la madre). Esta etapa permite que los niños puedan establecer una experiencia de familiaridad con su ambiente más próximo.

Algunas manifestaciones de la ansiedad por separación pueden ser el llanto incontenible, una rabieta o la resistencia del niño a separarse de los padres. En función de la intensidad y del manejo que los padres hagan, puede dificultar las transiciones y las rutinas diarias.

A partir del año y medio de vida, los niños aunque siguen necesitando mucho la proximidad de sus cuidadores empiezan a explorar gradualmente su independencia. A partir de los 3 años los niños ya no tienen tanta necesidad de presencia física y literal de su madre para sentirse seguros.

Si la ansiedad por separación persiste y se vuelve más intensa tras los tres años, puede ser una señal de que el niño y su familia presentan dificultades en el manejo de la ansiedad por separación.

Otra manifestación de dificultades en la elaboración de la ansiedad por separación es que una vez superada, los comportamientos asociados a ella reaparezcan de nuevo.

Recursos para abordar la ansiedad por separación:

En psicoterapia, a menudo recomendamos a los padres y cuidadores el uso de cuentos infantiles para ayudar a los pequeños a abordar su miedo a la separación. Estas historias ofrecen un medio seguro y accesible para explorar y comprender los sentimientos de ansiedad y preocupación.

¿Qué es importante tener en cuenta a la hora de elegir historias?

Es importante tratar de escoger aquellas que reflejen las experiencias y emociones del niño de manera auténtica y compasiva. Los cuentos pueden presentar personajes que enfrentan situaciones similares de separación y que descubren estrategias efectivas para manejar sus miedos y encontrar consuelo en momentos de soledad.

Cuentos para ayudar a los niños de entre 3 y 4 años a elaborar la ansiedad de separación:

Tirado, Miriam - El hilo invisible

Levy, Dina - No quiero separarme de mamá

Dyer, Jane - Siempre pienso en ti

En resumen, los cuentos infantiles son una ,uy buena herramienta para abordar el miedo a la separación en niños pequeños. Proporcionan historias que reflejan las experiencias y emociones del niño de manera auténtica y compasiva. Los cuentos pueden ayudar a los niños a sentirse apoyados, comprendidos y capacitados para enfrentar sus miedos con valentía y resiliencia.

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Cuentos Infantiles: Un recurso para abordar ansiedad por separación en Niños Pequeños - Elena Serratosa

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Serratosa¿De qué hablamos cuando decimos "ansiedad de separación"? La ansiedad por separación es una experiencia emocional habitual en los niños de entre 8 y 14 meses de edad. En esta etapa de desarrollo los niños sienten angustia cuando se separan de su cuidador principal (generalmente la madre).

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The Kids Mental Health Foundation: Hablando con los niños sobre su salud mental

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The Kids Mental Health Foundation: Hablando con los niños sobre su salud mental

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Hablando con los niños sobre su salud mental

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Conversar sobre la salud mental con sus hijos puede resultar difícil. Cuanto antes converse con su hijo, más fácil será responder y conseguirle ayuda.

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Dynamics and Learning: Recursos para apoyar a estudiantes con ansiedad

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Dynamics and Learning: Recursos para apoyar a estudiantes con ansiedad

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Recursos para apoyar a estudiantes con ansiedad | DynamicsAndLearning

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Recursos para apoyar a estudiantes con ansiedad: Descubre estrategias efectivas y recursos prácticos para abordar la ansiedad en estudiantes, desde intervenciones terapéuticas hasta técnicas de autoayuda y programas de bienestar emocional. ¡Aprende a brindar apoyo emocional y acceso a recursos especializados para promover el bienestar integral de los estudiantes!

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Video: Salud Mental Para niños, niñas y adolescentes

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Video: Salud Mental Para niños, niñas y adolescentes

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E.S.E Hospital Mental de Antioquia Maria Upegui 

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💚 Salud mental para niños, niñas y adolescentes

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Childhood and adolescence are critical stages of life for mental health.

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Video: What Mental Health Is and Why It’s Important to Take Care of It? - Kids Academy

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Video: What Mental Health Is and Why It’s Important to Take Care of It? - Kids Academy

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What Mental Health Is and Why It’s Important to Take Care of It? - Kids Academy

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You are a trusted resource for your child when they have questions about life and the changes they experience as they get older. Here you'll find information on mental health conditions, risk factors and warning signs of mental illness, and practical ways you can help support your child's mental health and well-being. It all begins with a conversation.

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You are a trusted resource for your child when they have questions about life and the changes they experience as they get older. Here you'll find information on mental health conditions, risk factors and warning signs of mental illness, and practical ways you can help support your child's mental health and well-being.

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Applied Neuro - Applied Neurology, Psychology & Nootropics

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Support The Workers - Elevating Cognitive Performance

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Elevating Brain Health, Sleep And Cognition Through Robust Nootropics Guidance, Optimized Mental Strategies and Psychology.

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The Applied Neuroscience Association | Accreditation for Applied Neuroscientists

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The Applied Neuroscience Association (ANA) is a professional body connecting a global Network of 1,000+ Members and ANA Chapters. Our Members bridge academic research discovery with demand, collaborating with Institutions and Corporations in industry, healthcare, and education for transformative social impact. The Professional Register recognises qualified neuroscience professionals and allied disciplines, while the free ANA Network welcomes all enthusiasts curious about their brains!

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A deeper understanding of how the brain works can help teachers plan lessons that reach every student.

Olav Ahrens Røtne / Unsplash

Understanding, even minimally, how the brain works when it comes to learning can help teachers more effectively educate students. In her recently released book, Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn, Dr. Barbara Oakley and her coauthors provide easy-to-understand explanations of neuroscience concepts and practical tips for how teachers can help students learn more effectively no matter what the content. I recently met with Dr. Oakley and learned about some of the neuroscience concepts on which her book is based, as well as practical advice for how teachers can apply this information in the classroom.

Understanding Working Memory

As explained in Uncommon Sense Teaching, we can think of information as a collection of balls. (Metaphors are a powerful tool to help our brains hold on to information.) Information is kept alive in working memory, a temporary mental storage space, by focusing on or repeating ideas. Students can hold on to only so much information consciously in their working memories. A typical working memory can hold, or work on, only about four balls of information at once. Long-term memory's ability to hold on to information is just that-longer.

Special education teachers and learning specialists are well aware of the effect that working memory capacity can have on a student's ability to learn. However, Dr. Oakley and her coauthors noticed that these ideas are often not applied to general classroom teaching practices. "We would like to think that this is common knowledge among all teachers, but, at present, it isn't," Dr. Oakley said when I spoke with her. Even in a single class, working memory capacity among students can vary dramatically. For example, students with a lesser-capacity working memory often have trouble completing multistep directions, or they may omit or repeat words when writing a sentence.

"As teachers," Dr. Oakley told me in our interview, "we need to help kids realize that if you can't understand something the first time you sit down to try, that doesn't mean you are some kind of dummy. It just means that you are a member of the human race. Creating neural structures in long-term memory is what levels the playing field, so that a person with a low-capacity working memory can perform just as well as, or even better than, a person with high-capacity working memory."

Simple teaching techniques such as pausing periodically during a lesson to give students a chance to reread or displaying multistep directions so that students can free up working memory capacity for actual lesson content can show tangible results for those with lesser-capacity working memory.

Declarative Versus Procedural Pathways to Learning

Similar to differences in working memory capacity, pathways through which we teach and learn knowledge can vary. There are two main pathways the brain uses to deposit new information in long-term memory. The declarative pathway is often thought to involve facts or events. The procedural pathway involves learning complex patterns, such as those found in mathematics, or skills such as typing, tying a shoe, or solving a Rubik's Cube.

"Teachers need to know that both ways of learning are valuable and provide a deeper way for students to understand material," Dr. Oakley said. "When teachers emphasize only one system of learning, as by forcing students to explain declaratively every step in solving a problem, for example, it can make it more difficult for a student to be a successful overall learner. We are hurting students who learn well procedurally. This type of learning is often difficult or impossible to explain."

Offering opportunities for both declarative and procedural learning is key. One-minute summaries, where students write down everything they remember immediately following a lesson, or peer teaching, where students work with partners to teach one another facts and information from a lesson, are great ways for students to plug declarative information into long-term memory. Alternatively, teaching through procedural pathways requires the ability to practice, and actual practice of a skill helps automatize the information. Incorporating classroom activities that involve both types of pathways will optimize learning for all students.

Another important aspect of brain science is understanding focused versus diffuse modes of thinking. When the brain is in focused mode, working memory is hard at work. It's making neural connections and building an understanding of the material. Studying for a test, reading a text, or reviewing vocabulary in a foreign language are all examples of the brain working in focused mode.

In diffuse mode, the brain is less focused on the material. Instead, it's making subconscious connections to the material. Daydreaming while going for a walk or letting your mind wander while taking a shower are examples of the brain in diffuse mode. Optimal learning often involves both focused and diffuse modes of thinking. Teachers can guide students to recognize these two forms of learning. For example, when students study, they can begin to recognize the point at which they become frustrated. That's the point at which their focused mode is essentially maxed out. Taking brain breaks at this stage will switch their thinking to diffuse mode when neural links can begin to connect. As Dr. Oakley writes in Uncommon Sense Teaching, "Knowing when frustration has just reached a peak, so it's time to switch to something else or take a break, is a valuable learning meta-skill. It comes in particularly handy on tests, where students often can't unstick themselves once they become stuck on a problem."

Dr. Oakley is a passionate educator who wants the best for both teachers and students, and is developing an online course for teachers. "Teachers are heroes," she told me. "We wrote this book to help them teach even better and to help students excel in the subjects that can be the most difficult to learn." While many of these strategies may not seem novel to teachers, thinking of them in terms of the neuroscience concepts they employ can guide teachers in making thoughtful, science-based decisions when planning lessons and units.

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Applying Insights From Neuroscience in the Classroom

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A deeper understanding of how the brain works can help teachers plan lessons that reach every student. Olav Ahrens Røtne / Unsplash Understanding, even minimally, how the brain works when it comes to learning can help teachers more effectively educate students.

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Resources for K-12 students and teachers to get ideas for classroom activities, experiments, science fair topics, and supplies to learn more about the brain.

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Neuroscience & the Classroom: Making Connections

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Neuroscience & the Classroom: Making Connections

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Course Goals

Exciting new developments in the field of neuroscience are leading to a new understanding of how the brain works that is beginning to transform how we teach in the classroom. Teachers are aware of these developments and are hungry for information that they can apply to their practice. One of the central goals of Neuroscience & the Classroom: Making Connections is to help teachers learn to use research to create their own solutions to their particular classroom challenges. Another important goal is to provide new and useful metaphors that we all can use to describe teaching and learning and that are grounded in modern neuroscience. Through this course, teachers learn to think critically about the field of Mind, Brain, and Education and thus learn to be informed consumers of information about brain science, better able to separate science from myth and misinterpretation.

Course Audience

Neuroscience & the Classroom: Making Connections was designed for K-12 teachers, other educators, researchers, and adult learners who want to learn more about current issues in education. College or graduate students-especially those considering careers in education-will find this course useful. We welcome their use of these materials.

Course Components

Neuroscience & the Classroom: Making Connections is a self-contained distance-learning course distributed free of charge on the Web. The course is designed by Kurt Fischer, director of the Mind, Brain, and Education Program at Harvard University Graduate School of Education; Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, assistant professor of education at the Rossier School of Education and assistant professor of psychology at the Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California; and Matthew H. Schneps, George E. Burch Fellow in Theoretic Medicine and Affiliated Sciences at the Smithsonian Institution and director of the Laboratory for Visual Learning at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).

The multimedia course consists of six units, with an introduction and a conclusion. Each unit contains many integrated videos and sidebars of additional information, as well as a list of resources. The website provides access to all the course components, plus additional materials, which include:

Two Interactive Lab Activities

Visuals: A Compilation of Images Used in the Units

A Course Guide

A Glossary

Three Site-wide Search Features: Traditional, Visual (Dynamic Content Map), and by "Top Teaching Issues"

Teacher Talk: A Moderated Discussion List

How to Use This Course

The materials are designed for various uses. Some individuals may want to learn about a single topic and study parts of one unit on their own. Some may want to join facilitator-led groups, such as professional development workshops or in-service sessions. Information on how to use these materials to facilitate a professional development workshop is available in the PDF downloadable Course Guide.

Each unit of the course is composed of text with integrated videos, visuals, and sidebars. However, each component of the course is also designed to stand alone. You do not need to use all of the materials or access them in any particular order. If you are interested in a particular topic, you can jump in at your point of interest. Users can search the site for topics of interest in three ways: a traditional key word search, a visual search engine (Dynamic Content Map), and by "Top Teaching Issues." Users are also encouraged to "chat" with other participants by utilizing the Teacher Talk section of the site. For the fullest experience with all the components, use the Course Guide to set learning goals and to explore your understanding of the course concepts.

Neuroscience & the Classroom: Making Connections is available beginning in the fall of 2011. You may watch the videos free on demand via broadband streaming at www.beta.learner.org, with Course Guides available as downloadable PDFs on this website, or you may purchase DVDs and Course Guides from the Annenberg Learner online catalog.

Content Contributors

Alden S. Blodget, Writer.

Denny Blodget is director of Heads Up Collaborative, bringing teachers and neuroscientists together to explore the implications of research for classroom practices and school designs. He was a teacher and an administrator for 38 years. He taught theater and English, created and chaired the arts department at Taft School (Connecticut), chaired the arts department at Packer Collegiate Institute (New York), and was assistant head of school for 18 years at Lawrence Academy (Massachusetts). Since 2000, he has worked with Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang creating workshops for teachers. He has written several articles for Independent School magazine (National Association of Independent Schools publication) and other publications. Denny has spent his life in the educational reform movement and has led schools in making significant changes in classrooms and in school designs. He serves on the Board of Trustees for The Long Trail School in Vermont and is a guardian ad litem for the Family and Criminal Courts of Rutland County (Vermont), working with abused and delinquent children.

Kurt Fischer, Content Developer.

Director for the Mind, Brain, and Education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Kurt Fischer studies cognitive and emotional development and learning from birth through adulthood, combining analysis of the commonalities across people with the diversity of pathways of learning and development. His work focuses on the organization of behavior and the ways it changes, especially with development, learning, emotion, and culture. In dynamic skill theory, he provides a single framework to analyze how organismic and environmental factors contribute to the rich variety of developmental change and learning across and within people. His research includes students' learning and problem-solving, brain development, concepts of self in relationships, cultural contributions to social-cognitive development, early reading skills, emotions, child abuse, and brain development. One product of his research is a single scale for measuring learning, teaching, and curriculum across domains, which is being used to assess and coordinate key aspects of pedagogy and assessment in schools. Fischer has been a visiting professor or visiting scholar at the University of Geneva (Switzerland), the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Groningen (The Netherlands), Nanjing Normal University (China), and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (Stanford University). He is the author of "Dynamic Development of Action, Thought, and Emotion" in the Handbook of Child Psychology (Volume 1); Human Behavior and the Developing Brain; Mind, Brain, and Education in Reading Disorders; and a dozen other books, as well as over 200 scientific articles. Leading an international movement to connect biology and cognitive science to education, he is founding president of the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society and founding editor of the new journal Mind, Brain, and Education.

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Content Developer.

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD, is an affective neuroscientist and human development psychologist who studies the neural, psychophysiological, and psychological bases of emotion, social interaction, and culture and their implications for development and schools. She is an assistant professor of education at the Rossier School of Education, an assistant professor of psychology at the Brain and Creativity Institute, and a member of the neuroscience graduate program faculty at the University of Southern California, where she was formerly a joint postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Antonio Damasio and Robert Rueda. A former junior high school teacher, she earned her doctorate at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, where she was the recipient of grants from the Spencer Foundation and the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation. She is the associate editor for North America for the award-winning journal Mind, Brain and Education, and the inaugural recipient of the Award for Transforming Education through Neuroscience, co-sponsored by International Mind, Brain, and Education Society (IMBES) and the Learning and the Brain Conference. She and her co-authors received the 2010 Cozzarelli Prize from the National Academy of Sciences for the most distinguished paper of the year in the behavioral and social sciences category, for the paper, "Neural correlates of admiration and compassion." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(19), 8021-8026. In 2011, she was named a "Rising Star" by the Association for Psychological Science. She lectures nationally and abroad on the neural and psychosocial implications of brain and cognitive science research for curriculum and pedagogy.

Matthew H. Schneps, Course Developer.

Matthew H. Schneps is the George E. Burch Fellow in Theoretic Medicine and Affiliated Sciences at the Smithsonian Institution, director of the Laboratory for Visual Learning at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), and executive director of the Science Media Group at CfA. His diverse research interests include astrophysics, cognition and learning, science education, learning disabilities and dyslexia, television media, eye-tracking and vision, computer image processing, and K-12 science learning. As executive director of the Science Media Group, Schneps is responsible for producing over 200 hours of nationally broadcast television programming on science learning, much of it in collaboration with the Annenberg Foundation. Matthew Schneps produced (with Phil Sadler) the award-winning videos on science learning A Private Universe and Minds of Our Own, both well known for their depictions of Harvard and MIT graduates who are unable to answer grade-school problems in science (such as the causes of the seasons). Prior to his involvement in science education, Schneps was co-director of the Wolbach Image Processing Laboratory (WIPL) at CfA, where he created capabilities for computer animation. Before WIPL, Schneps carried out research in astrophysics (star formation and galactic distance scales) with James Moran and Mark Reid, using aperture synthesis techniques.

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Neuroscience & the Classroom: Making Connections - Annenberg Learner

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Exciting new developments in the field of neuroscience are leading to a new understanding of how the brain works that is beginning to transform how we teach in the classroom. Teachers are aware of these developments and are hungry for information that they can apply to their practice.

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MUSC Neuroscience & Brain Health Institute

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MUSC Neuroscience & Brain Health Institute

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MUSC Neuroscience & Brain Health Institute

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Discover MUSC Neuroscience & Brain Health Institute: 12 programs, 120-bed hospital, and cutting-edge care for neurological health in South Carolina.

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Intended for elementary and secondary school students and teachers who are interested in learning about the nervous system and brain with hands on activities, experiments and information.

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Best Age-Appropriate Baby Brain Development Books for Infants and Toddlers

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Discover the best age-appropriate baby brain development books for infants & toddlers. Fun & educational stories, perfect for young readers.

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Child Mind Institute | Transforming Children’s Lives.

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The Child Mind Institute is an independent nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children struggling with mental health and learning disorders.

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Below are a few resources that parents and teachers may use to support a child’s interest in neuroscience and promote brain awareness. If you are interested in enrolling your child in a K-12 neuroscience program at UCI, check out the The Academy, Brain Camp and the Irvine Brain Bee. Frontiers for Young Minds An open-access […]

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Parent Handouts & Resources | Explaining Brains

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Empowering your child by helping them understand their amazing brain!

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How Learning Brain Science is Helpful for Parents, Caregivers, and Kids - BELONG Partners

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Brain science is not just for neuroscientists! How can it help parents and caregivers? Educating yourself and your kids about brain science helps deepen your understanding of behavior and emotions. Everything—from the way humans learn, to the way we engage with each other, to our capacity for thinking, feeling, learning, and problem-solving — all functions […]

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Neuroscience for parents: How to raise amazing kids

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Parenting to help your children develop a healthy brain, self esteem and trust. nurture their talents and bond with them

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The Neuroscience Information Framework is a dynamic inventory of Web-based neuroscience resources: data, materials, and tools accessible via any computer connected

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Resources for Parents | Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior

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Learn about Depression and YSAM Program:

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Teaching and Learning | The British Neuroscience Association

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The BNA has a range of teaching and learning materials for all levels of careers and studying.

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Early Years Resources: The Science of Early Childhood Brain Development

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Fundamentals of Neuroscience | Harvard Online | Harvard Online

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Join Harvard Online in this three-part series taught by renowned faculty that explores the structure and function of the entire nervous system.

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Brain-Based Parenting: Understand and Heal the Parent Brain

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Daniel Hughes and Jonathan Baylin provide excellent insights into how parents’ (caregiver) brains work in providing effective care for children, how they can go wrong, and repairs.

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Recursos sobre neurociencia | NICHD Español

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Recursos sobre neurociencia | NICHD Español

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Enlaces a sitios web de grupos que estudian o brindan información sobre temas relacionados con la neurociencia.

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Neurociencia y educación: cómo el cerebro aprende y su aplicación en el aula | Revista Multidisciplinar Ciencia y Descubrimiento

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Ciencia y Descubrimiento es una revista científica digital enfocada en el ámbito educativo, que publica investigaciones y artículos académicos para promover la innovación en la enseñanza.

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Cuadernillos de actividades Aprendiendo Juntos 🧩 

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Cuadernillos de actividades Aprendiendo Juntos 🧩 

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Cuadernillos de actividades Aprendiendo Juntos 🧩

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Las vacaciones de verano traen consigo multitud de experiencias y vivencias, si bien es cierto que a costa de alterar en mayor o menor medida la rutina y los hábitos que hemos ido construyendo a lo largo de todo el año. Y es que aunque estos meses están enfocados a que los niños descansen, disfruten y cojan fuerzas para el nuevo curso, no viene mal dedicar algo de tiempo a estimular y poner en marcha nuestro cerebro. Por este motivo os traemos los Cuadernillos de actividades de Aprendiendo Junto

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Neurociencia para Niñ@s, recursos de aprendizaje

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Al escribir el Brain Feeling de la semana pasa sobre La Maqueta del Cerebro en Papel me vino a la cabeza la idea de que debía ya existir algún tipo de divulgación de neurociencia para niñ@s. Como e…

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Distintos procedimientos avalados por investigaciones en neurociencia y psicobiología ayudan a elaborar propuestas prácticas para mejorar el rendimiento escolar a corto y medio plazo, en cada nivel y contexto educativo. Compartimos diez de ellos:

1. Practicar regularmente deportes o actividades físicas

El ejercicio físico aeróbico beneficia las capacidades cerebrales tanto en el niño como en el adulto. Quienes tienen una actividad física semanal más intensa tienen también una mejor memoria y mayor flexibilidad y velocidad de procesamiento de información mental. Incluso 30 únicos minutos de marcha en bicicleta o carrera al día pueden ser suficientes para mejorar el tiempo de reacción y la velocidad de procesamiento de la información en el cerebro.

Ello es posible porque la actividad física genera BDNF, una proteína del cerebro que aumenta la plasticidad o capacidad de las neuronas para formar conexiones entre ellas, el número de las que nacen diariamente y la vascularización y aporte de sangre que reciben. La actividad física, en definitiva, genera una especie de lubricante que facilita el funcionamiento de la maquinaria cerebral para aprender, formar memorias y recordar.

2. Evitar el exceso de grasas en la alimentación

La alimentación adecuada para aprender debe evitar las dietas altas en grasas, pues son dietas que reducen la sensibilidad de los receptores NMDA, que son moléculas del cerebro que forman parte de los mecanismos de plasticidad neuronal que hacen posible la formación de la memoria en lugares como el hipocampo y la corteza cerebral. La experimentación actualmente en curso indica que la restricción calórica en la alimentación favorece la mayoría de procesos mentales.

3. Dormir lo necesario con regularidad

El sueño anticipado prepara al cerebro para aprender y, cuando ocurre tras el aprendizaje, potencia la formación y estabilización de las memorias. Es así porque las mismas neuronas que se activan para registrar la información cuando aprendemos vuelven a activarse cuando dormimos. Suelen hacerlo entonces a mayor velocidad dando preferencia a las que registraron los aprendizajes a los que se atribuyó mayor importancia o valor de futuro. El sueño es, por tanto, una forma cerebral de practicar y fortalecer lo aprendido durante el día.

Para potenciar el aprendizaje precedente no es necesario dormir las 8 horas de una noche, pues puede bastar con una siesta de una o dos horas, aunque períodos más largos suelen ser más beneficiosos. Además de facilitar el aprendizaje y potenciar la memoria, el sueño reorganiza y estructura los contenidos de la mente haciendo posible la integración de la nueva información aprendida en los esquemas de conocimiento ya existentes en el cerebro, facilitando el descubrimiento de reglas y regularidades ocultas en la información recibida, generando inferencias, convirtiendo el conocimiento implícito en explícito e influyendo también muy posiblemente en la intuición y creatividad de las personas.

4. Entrenar frecuentemente la memoria de trabajo

Esta memoria es la que utilizamos para pensar, razonar, planificar el futuro y tomar decisiones. Con ella retenemos en la mente, por ejemplo, las posibles jugadas a realizar en una partida de ajedrez o las diferentes opciones para tomar una decisión. Materias como la filosofía o las matemáticas promueven este tipo de memoria, muy ligada a la inteligencia fluida, que es la capacidad de razonar y resolver problemas nuevos con independencia del conocimiento previamente adquirido. La práctica intensa en memoria de trabajo incrementa la actividad de las cortezas prefrontal y parietal del cerebro de la que depende y aumenta también las conexiones neuronales entre ambos hemisferios cerebrales. La posibilidad de transferir la mejora en la capacidad de ejecución de una determinada tarea de memoria de trabajo a otra tareas diferente no entrenada es mayor cuantos más procesos cerebrales estén comúnmente implicados en ambas.

5. Guiar el aprendizaje con preguntas

Este procedimiento motiva al estudiante, concentra su atención y le convierte en una especie de detective o investigador que busca en cualquier fuente de información posible la solución a los interrogantes que se le plantean. Es además un modo de enseñarle a trabajar y ganar autonomía para aprender, es decir, es también un modo de aumentar la capacidad del alumno para aprender por sí mismo en el futuro.

6. Practicar frecuentemente el recuerdo de lo aprendido

El recuerdo, además de servir para evaluar lo aprendido, sirve también para seguir aprendiendo. El preguntar sobre la información recientemente aprendida beneficia a la memoria a largo plazo promoviendo el reclutamiento de los circuitos neuronales del recuerdo en las subsecuentes oportunidades de estudio. Ayuda también a mantener la atención durante largos periodos evitando las distracciones cuando se estudia leyendo los textos en la pantalla de un ordenador. Tal actividad aumenta la sensación subjetiva que tiene el estudiante de estar aprendiendo y reduce así su ansiedad respecto a evaluaciones posteriores.

7. Un poco de estrés no es malo

En situaciones emocionales o de estrés moderado, la activación de estructuras cerebrales como la amígdala y la liberación en la sangre de hormonas como la adrenalina y los glucocorticoides pueden contribuir a la facilitación del aprendizaje y la memoria actuando directa o indirectamente sobre los circuitos neuronales del cerebro. Los glucocorticoides regulan además la presencia de los mencionados receptores NMDA en el cerebro, y promueven cambios epigenéticos que facilitan en el ADN de las neuronas la expresión de los genes que hacen posible la síntesis de las moléculas necesarias para formar las memorias. Un modo de inducir esa emoción o estrés moderado en los alumnos consiste en proporcionarles antes de nada información motivadora sobre la materia a aprender, algo que conocen sobradamente los buenos docentes.

8. Homenaje a la lectura

De todas las actividades intelectuales potenciadoras de capacidades mentales la más asequible y la que proporciona un mejor balance costo/beneficio es, sin duda, la lectura. Leer es uno de los mejores ejercicios posibles para mantener en forma el cerebro. Es así porque la actividad de leer requiere poner en juego un importante número de procesos mentales, entre los que destacan la percepción, la memoria y el razonamiento. Cuando leemos, activamos preferentemente el hemisferio izquierdo del cerebro, que es el más dotado de capacidades analíticas en la mayoría de las personas, pero son muchas las áreas cerebrales de ambos hemisferios que se activan e intervienen en el proceso. Decodificar las letras, las palabras, las frases y convertirlas en sonidos mentales requiere activar amplias áreas de la neocorteza cerebral.

Las cortezas occipital y temporal se activan para ver y reconocer el valor semántico de las palabras. La corteza frontal motora se activa cuando evocamos mentalmente los sonidos de las palabras que leemos. Los recuerdos que evoca la interpretación de lo leído activan poderosamente el hipocampo y el lóbulo temporal medial del cerebro, que son zonas críticas para la memoria. Las narraciones y los contenidos emocionales del escrito, sean o no de ficción, activan la amígdala y demás áreas emocionales del cerebro. El razonamiento sobre el contenido y la semántica de lo leído activa la corteza prefrontal y la memoria de trabajo. La lectura refuerza también las habilidades sociales y la empatía, además de reducir el nivel de estrés del lector. El libro y la lectura, como gimnasio asequible y barato para la mente, deberían incluirse en la educación desde la más temprana infancia y mantenerse durante toda la vida.

9. Inmersión temprana en más de una lengua

Los individuos que adquieren múltiples lenguas en su infancia y las practican a lo largo de su vida tienen una mayor atención selectiva y más desarrollado el hábito de conmutar contenidos mentales, lo que les facilita la adquisición de aprendizajes complejos, especialmente los que implican cambios en las reglas de ejecución. Aunque pueden tener un vocabulario más reducido en cada lengua, los bilingües son más rápidos y efectivos que los monolingües cuando, por ejemplo, aprenden a clasificar objetos por su color y, de repente, hay que cambiar y clasificarlos por su forma. La mayor capacidad de ejecución y flexibilidad mental de las personas bilingües se manifiesta frecuentemente en la vida, se ha observado en todas las edades, y la conservan además mucho más que los monolingües en la vejez.

Para generar un automatismo como el lingüístico y beneficiarse de él hay que aprenderlo tempranamente y practicarlo con asiduidad y frecuencia. Los maestros, al igual que los padres y cuidadores, tienen un papel importante en esa inducción lingüística múltiple de los primeros años de vida. El estudio y práctica de la música puede tener un efecto similar en la medida en que es también otra forma de lenguaje.

10. Evaluaciones orales

Las exposiciones o los exámenes orales no solo permiten una evaluación muy rigurosa del conocimiento adquirido por los alumnos, sino que, sobre todo, inducen en ellos un tipo de estudio mucho más basado en la comprensión de los materiales y la información que en su simple memorización. Son además métodos que generan una memoria a largo plazo mucho mejor que la que resulta del tipo de estudio consistente en repasar una y otra vez textos o apuntes de una materia.

En general, los ambientes enriquecidos y todas aquellas actividades mentales o intelectuales que suponen esfuerzo y desafío son más útiles para formar buenas memorias que aquellas que se realizan sin apenas esfuerzo. Tampoco deberíamos despreciar recursos tradicionales en diferentes niveles de la enseñanza como la escritura al dictado, el resumir textos o el memorizar información básica. Reglas de ortografía, fechas históricas, países y sus capitales y accidentes geográficos, son ejemplos históricos nada despreciables, pues constituyen valiosos recursos de memoria implícita que se adquieren por repetición y resultan extraordinariamente útiles como apoyo para posteriores evaluaciones mentales y razonamientos complejos.

Es un hecho comprobado que una enseñanza adecuada tiende a igualar el rendimiento de los sujetos que aprenden y evita con ello contrastes acusados y comparaciones entre esos sujetos que no siempre benefician al proceso educativo.

FUENTE: Ignacio Morgado Bernal para EL PAÍS

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10 claves de la neurociencia para mejorar el aprendizaje.

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El ejercicio físico aeróbico beneficia las capacidades cerebrales tanto en el niño como en el adulto. Quienes tienen una actividad física semanal más intensa tienen también una mejor memoria y mayor flexibilidad y velocidad de procesamiento de información mental.

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«Educar implica más que nunca informarse, saber, conocer y observar. Nuestro deber como padres es el de educar a nuestros hijos para que sean la mejor versión de sí mismos. Entonces, si está demostrado que niños y adolescentes aprenden mucho más fácilmente cuando los padres tienen un puñado de conocimientos fáciles de recordar sobre cómo funciona el cerebro… ¿Por qué no aprovechar todo lo que se sabe del mismo?», se pregunta la pedagoga Nora Rodríguez, autora de «Neuroeducación para padres» (Ediciones B)

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Neuroeducación para padres, educa a tus hijos con la ayuda de las neurociencias - Mamá Psicóloga Infantil

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Neuroeducación para padres de Nora Rodríguez es un libro fundamental para entender cómo funciona el cerebro de los niños. Tanto si eres madre, padre, maestro o cualquier otro tipo de educador infantil este libro te ayudará a comprender cómo aprenden los niños y niñas, dejando de lado viejas ideas educativas que hasta hoy solo han valorado un tipo de inteligencia.

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Child Welfare and Foster Care Statistics

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Child Welfare and Foster Care Statistics

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Our nation's child welfare system strives to protect children from maltreatment, support families in crisis, keep children safely with their parents when possible, provide temporary out-of-home care for children when needed and ultimately ensure that children have safe, permanent homes with their families, relatives, adoptive parents or legal guardians. This post provides the latest statistics on child welfare in the United States, focusing on foster care statistics, from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's , a robust source of the best available data on child well-being in the nation.

KIDS COUNT includes state-by-state data on child abuse and neglect and children living in out-of-home care from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, the federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, and the National Youth in Transition Database. These data help our Foundation and leaders across the country to monitor trends, assess the child welfare system, and advance policies and practices to improve outcomes for children, youth and families - particularly for children of color who are overrepresented in the system and more likely to experience negative outcomes.
Stay up to date with the latest information on child welfare by signing up for our newsletter and exploring our child welfare and foster care resources
Child Welfare by the Numbers

KIDS COUNT offers more than 60 measures of child welfare, encompassing how many children and youth are in the system, the rates at which they enter it, their demographic characteristics (including race and ethnicity when available) and their experiences in foster care, exiting care, being adopted when applicable, aging out of the system and more. In addition to child welfare statistics at the national and state levels, KIDS COUNT also provides data by territory, when possible. Policymakers, child welfare agencies and others have used these data for decades to understand how well the system is meeting the needs of vulnerable children, youth and families, and how it can be strengthened so that all abused and neglected children can heal and grow up with safe, stable families.

Statistics on Emotional, Behavioral and Health Problems Linked to Child Trauma

Children and youth who experience trauma, including abuse or neglect, are at increased risk for long-term emotional, behavioral and physical health problems, among other challenges. KIDS COUNT offers scores of additional measures that describe these types of life challenges for children and youth, ranging from high-risk behavior, such as juvenile justice system involvement and substance abuse, to difficulties with mental health, physical health and academic performance. (These data are provided by state and race and ethnicity, as well as other breakdowns, when possible.) Importantly, the consequences of child maltreatment can be mitigated with equitable access to trauma-informed services and nurturing, lasting family relationships and support.

Child Maltreatment Trends

The likelihood that a child will be abused or neglected in the United States has improved slightly in recent years: 8 in every 1,000 kids under 18 were confirmed victims of maltreatment in 2020 and 2021, after holding steady at 9 per 1,000 from 2015 to 2019. Of approximately 585,000 victims in 2021, three in four experienced neglect, consistently the most common type of maltreatment. About 1 in 6 (16%) of these children were physically abused, 10% were sexually abused, 6% were emotionally abused and 2% experienced medical neglect. Young kids are the most at risk, as 70% of verified victims were 10 and under in 2021, similar to previous years.

Foster Care Statistics

Foster care is meant to provide safe, temporary living arrangements and support services for children who have been removed from their families due to maltreatment, lack of safety or inadequate care. The following selection of foster care statistics from KIDS COUNT describes children who enter care, their demographic characteristics, their living arrangements during foster care, where they go when they exit care and the experiences of youth who never leave and age out of the system. These are critical indicators that can flag areas for system improvement, such as the disproportionate representation of children of color and the need to better support older youth in foster care.

Learn more about the foster care system in a recent Foundation blog post.

Children Entering Foster Care

In 2021, 203,770 children under 18 entered foster care in the United States, a rate of 3 per 1,000. The rate of entry has hovered at 3 or 4 per 1,000 for two decades. Kids ages 1 to 5 make up the largest share () of children entering care. National data also show that Black and American Indian and Alaska Native children continue to be overrepresented among those entering foster care. In 2021, Black children represented 20% of those entering care but only 14% of the total child population, while American Indian and Alaska Native kids made up 2% of those entering care and 1% of the child population. The reasons for this are complex, and efforts to improve racial equity in child welfare have been underway for many years.

Explore more statistics on children entering foster care, including data by state:

Children in Foster Care

Once children enter foster care, the goal is to either safely reunify them with their parents if the family concerns are resolved or secure another permanent family. A total of 391,641 children and youth were living in foster care in 2021 , a figure that has been declining since 2017. One-third of these children are ages 1 to 5 and 7% babies, similar to previous years. Consistent with the inequities described above, national data on children in foster care illustrate the disproportionate representation of Black and American Indian and Alaska Native children, in particular.

Less than half (44% in 2021) of foster children are placed with nonrelative foster families, a slight decline from prior years. In encouraging news, placements with relatives increased from 25% to 35% during 2000-2021, while placements in group homes or other facilities were cut in half, from 18% to 9%. Fewer children are placed in pre-adoptive homes (4% in 2021) or have trial home visits (5%), and some older youth live independently with supervision (2%).

Over a third of foster children and youth experience more than two placements each year, meaning their living arrangements change at least three times a year. At the state level in 2021, this figure ranged from . Child welfare agencies are working to minimize these moves, as they are disruptive, stressful and often traumatizing. Stable relationships and home environments are critical for healthy child and youth development.

Access all statistics on children in foster care, including data by state:

Statistics on children in foster care awaiting adoption:

Related statistics on children in out-of-home care from KIDS COUNT:

Children Exiting Foster Care

The latest data show that 214,542 children and youth exited foster care in 2021 and just under half (47%) were reunited with their parent or primary caretaker, down from 57% in 2000. Adoptions from foster care have increased over the last two decades, from 17% of kids going to adoptive homes in 2000 to 25% in 2021. Children exiting care to live with legal guardians also jumped from 3% to 12% in the same period. Other common outcomes for children and youth who cannot return to their parents include living with other relatives (6%) and emancipation (9%), also known as aging out of foster care.

Of the more than 54,000 kids adopted out of the child welfare system in 2021, over half were young kids ages 1 to 5 , consistent with previous years. Most of these adoptions are by the foster parents (either relatives or non-relatives), who cared for the children while in foster care.

Explore all statistics about young people exiting foster care and those who have been adopted:

Key Findings From the Children's Bureau on How Long Kids Stay in Foster Care

The federal government's Children's Bureau provides additional foster care statistics, such as the length of time children spend in care. They reported that, unfortunately, the median amount of time in foster care has increased over the last decade - from 13.2 months in 2011 to 17.5 months in 2021, based on children who exited care in each year. However, the percentage of kids who spent 5+ years in care declined slightly from 7% to 5% in the same time period. Among children who exited foster care in 2021, about a third (35%) were there less than a year, while nearly half (48%) spent 1 to 3 years in care and 12% stayed in foster care 3+ years. See the Child Welfare Information Gateway, a service of the Children's Bureau, for additional foster care data summaries.

Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

More than 19,000 youth left foster care in 2021 without reuniting with their parents or having another permanent family home, a figure that has declined since peaking at nearly 30,000 in 2008. The transition to adulthood is a significant and challenging developmental phase of life for all young people, but youth aging out of foster care on their own must face this without the support of a stable, loving family. Many also lose access to services and supports offered through the foster care system. Not surprisingly, these youth and young adults are more likely to experience behavioral, mental and physical health issues, housing problems and homelessness, employment and academic difficulties, early parenthood, incarceration and other potentially lifelong adversities. In line with the racial inequities noted earlier, youth of color are more likely to experience these challenges. The trajectories of these young people are not guaranteed, however. They can be positively influenced by policies and practices that ensure these vulnerable youths receive culturally-responsive, trauma-informed transition services and support to navigate the steps to adulthood, achieve stability and reach their full potential.

Recognizing the importance of focusing on this population, the Foundation provides in-depth resources on youth aging out of foster care and 30 indicators describing the challenges they face as well as the support they receive, including academic, employment, health, financial, mentoring and other transition services.

Key findings among youth transitioning out of foster care:

Other Statistics Linked to Childhood Adversity and Trauma

When kids experience trauma - such as abuse, neglect or even hardships during foster care - these events can disrupt healthy development and cause lasting consequences.

KIDS COUNT offers an array of state-level statistics on these issues, with much of it available by race and other demographic factors. This includes data on:

KIDS COUNT offers a vast array of state-by-state statistics on these issues, with much of it available by race and other demographic factors, including data on:

Safety and risky behaviors, such as youth residing in juvenile detention facilities, and teens abusing alcohol or using cigarettes, marijuana and other drugs

Mental and physical health, such as young adults feeling depressed or hopeless, and health conditions (e.g., obesity, asthma and special health care needs)

Academic achievement and related issues; for example, test scores, household internet access, school discipline, students missing school, students not completing high school, teens neither working nor in school and much more

Youth and young adult well-being, which spans 60 measures in areas like employment, poverty, education, health, and family and community issues

Learn More About Child Welfare in the United States

Reports and Resources on Child Welfare and Foster Care

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has been publishing resources and developing new solutions to support vulnerable children and families for more than two decades. Resources like the following reports help child welfare agencies, policymakers and advocates improve the child welfare system:

Stay Connected and Do a Deep Dive With Our Resources

Sign up for the Casey Foundation's newsletter to get the latest reports, data and news on child welfare in the United States, access KIDS COUNT data on child welfare and learn about publications, webinars, podcasts, blog posts other resources. Covered topics include:
See overall child population trends in the US with data from the 2020 census.

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Child Welfare and Foster Care Statistics

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The Annie E. Casey Foundation is developing a brighter future for children and youth at risk of poor educational, economic, social and health outcomes.

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Foster Parents Community and Online Training

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Foster Parents Community and Online Training

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Foster Parents Community and Online Training

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Leading provider of high quality, low cost online training to foster and adoptive parents, social workers and others working with at risk children.

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Bethany supports vulnerable kids and families in the U.S. and globally, through foster care and family preservation, refugee services, adoption, and more.

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South Carolina Department of Social Services

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South Carolina Department of Social Services

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Adoption in South Carolina | Adoption.com

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Discover adoption in South Carolina: From finding forever homes to understanding the process, explore stories, resources, and more.

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Adoptive Parents - National Council For Adoption

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The adoption process itself can be quite a challenge, but the real journey begins after your child has joined your family. Learn more.

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More than 23,000 youth exit foster care (known as aging out) and are left to fend for themselves each year. Find resources on the impacts of aging out on…

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Open your heart and home to a foster child in your community

Healing Homes Foster Care Program in South Carolina

Your Nightlight foster care team will help train and certify your family as foster parents in South Carolina. We provide support, encouragement, and advocacy, while helping you navigate the child welfare system.

Nightlight South Carolina Foster Care Program Overview

Jeanette Parker, Alyssa Morgan & Amber Pittman, Foster Care Advocates

There are more than 4,000 children in foster care in South Carolina and less than 3,000 foster homes. Can you provide a temporary and safe family setting for a foster child? The need is great. Help give a foster child security, love, and guidance.

Foster children in South Carolina may become available for adoption while being cared for by you as their foster parent. Permanent placement in your family through adoption might be a possibility if there are no family members available to adopt the child.

Adopting Your Foster Child

There are many children in the South Carolina foster care system waiting for a forever home. The greatest need is for families open to older children and sibling groups that desire to live together in a permanent family.

Adoption From Foster Care

Nightlight helps you navigate the South Carolina foster care system

Nightlight Healing Homes Foster Care Advocates have small caseloads, enabling them to provide you with individual attention and support. Our experienced team will help you become established as a short-term foster home, long-term foster home, respite foster home, or a forever home.

Nightlight is able to provide foster care services to families within the Upstate and Midlands regions in South Carolina. We are a child placing agency able to help families, statewide, interested in adoption from foster care match with children from South Carolina and nationally.

Your foster care team will be available to help you become a successful foster parent. We are here to listen, advocate, pray, encourage, and provide comprehensive training.

Our greatest need is for foster parents who are open to children aged 9-years and older, children from all backgrounds, and sibling groups.

Our emphasis is on training and supporting you to become a successful foster parent. We want to help you maintain a healthy family while caring and supporting the needs of your foster child.

How do I become a foster parent in South Carolina?

Steps to becoming a foster parent can seem complicated, but your Nightlight foster care team will guide you through the process. Here is an overview of the steps.

Meet the team. Schedule a time to speak with our staff to learn more about the foster care program. We can help you determine if foster care is a good fit for your family.

Complete an application. Nightlight staff will review your application to make sure you meet state requirements. South Carolina requires that foster parents are at least 21 years of age. You may rent or own a home, however you must have a separate bedroom for the child. Foster parents must also pass background checks and have adequate financial and emotional resources to meet the needs of the child.

Foster Parent Orientation. Attend an orientation meeting with your Nightlight Foster Care Advocate. Complete the state required 30-hours of foster care training through Heartfelt Calling.

Home Study Completion. The home study includes in-depth interviews with you and with all members of your household. A home safety check will be completed by Nightlight and your home will be visited by the local Fire Marshall. The home study process helps us ensure we are finding the right fit for your family and that you are prepared for the journey ahead.

Prepare for Your Child's Arrival. Nightlight staff will contact you about referrals for children needing families. We desire for every child to matched with a family who meets the unique needs of the child. We will walk with you during this process, making sure to address your concerns and hopes for your family. We are available and ready to support you as needed.

"We have found every staff member we have had contact with to be amazing. The phrase 'not all super-heroes wear capes' comes to mind. Thank you Nightlight for all you do for us and countless other families."

Foster Parent Training

Our training calendar is now available. Please check here to find a location near you!

View Schedule

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Change a child's life by becoming a foster parent in South Carolina with Nightlight Christian Adoptions' foster care program.

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4 Essential Resources Potential Foster Parents Should Know About

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Foster parents provide stability, love, and guidance to children who have experienced trauma, neglect, or loss.

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Foster Resources - Family | Closet of Hope

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• Educational Support: Bridge Educational Services

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Resources in South Carolina - Far From Free.ORG

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South Carolina: ETV Program | FosterClub

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The ETV Program provides up to $5,000 per year to help eligible youth with foster care experience pay for college or vocational training. Funds can be used toward tuition, fees, and other school-related costs at approved public or private institutions.

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Title I - Part A of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires that every district in South Carolina has a District Foster Care Liaison, to ensure the educational stability of children in foster care.

The South Carolina Department of Education maintains a list of District Foster Care Liaisons. Visit the Title I - Part A Site for more information, or contact your School District Office and ask for the Foster Care Liaison.

Every child deserves a champion - an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be.

Rita F Pierson

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Resources for Families Caring for a Foster Child - College of Education | University of South Carolina

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CFEC resources for families caring for a foster child.

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Tuition Waivers are State funded, legislatively mandated that allows public universities to waive the tuition fees for students in foster care who meet certain eligibility requirements. The tuition waivers are usually cover any remaining tuition after other types of financial aid have been processed.

As of 2021, there are 35 states that have some type of statewide postsecondary education tuition waiver or scholarship program for students who have been in foster care.

24 states have statewide tuition waivers: Alaska[1], Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, (Dark blue color on the map)

4 states have state funded grant programs for students in foster care are: Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia. (Light blue color on the map)

7 states have state funded scholarship programs for students in foster care are: Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, and Washington. (Purple color on the map)

16 states and the District of Columbia have only the Federal Chafee Educational Training Voucher: Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming (Yellow color on the map)

Chafee Education Training Vouchers
In 2001, Congress created the Chafee Educational and Training Voucher (ETV) Program, which allows Congress to authorize $60 million annually for education and training vouchers. Since 2002, $43 million has been allocated to states and tribes for ETV to be used for post-secondary education or training, including: Tuition, Books, Fees, Housing, up to $5,000 per year. With the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018, youth from foster care are eligible from ages 14-26 and ETV can be used for 5 years total. All states and the District of Columbia manage the federal Education and Training Voucher program. Information on State Independent Living Coordinators is from the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

Below is more detailed information regarding the state legislation, the link to the waiver detail or application, and the contact person/liaison for the state offering the waiver. Any questions or inquires, please email us at dayangel@uw.edu or Liliana Hernandez at mslhernandez@gmail.com.

Alabama
Alabama Fostering Hope Scholarship
https://www.fc2sprograms.org/alabama-fostering-hope-scholarship/
Alaska
Arizona Tuition Waiver Program
http://www.fc2sprograms.org/arizona/
California State University Tuition Waiver for current and former foster care recipients https://www2.calstate.edu/attend/student-services/foster-youth/Pages/Foster-Care-CSU-Tuition-Fee-Waiver.aspx Tuition Waiver legislation State Legislation - House Bill 2482, Foster Care Tuition Waiver https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billCompareClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB967
https://www.azleg.gov/ars/15/01809-01.htm
University of Alaska Presidential Foster Youth Tuition Waiver
Legislation: HB 300Z/SB27
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/PDF/26/BILLS/HB0300Z.pdf
Tuition Waiver Program
http://dhss.alaska.gov/ocs/Pages/independentliving/etv.aspx

State Contact
Yvonne L. Hill, MSW
Social Services Program Officer, Services Array
Office of Children's Services
P.O.Box 110630
Juneau, AK 99811-0630
Yvonne.hill@alaska.gov

State Contact
Arizona Independent Living Coordinator
Barbara Guillen
bguillen@azdes.gov

Arkansas
Post-Secondary Education Program
State Policy
California
https://portal.ct.gov/DCF/Policy/Legal/V12 https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DCF/Policy/Chapters/28-1.pdf?la=en College Assistance/ Post Secondary Education Assistance for Adopted Children, 25-2, page 10 https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DCF/Policy/Chapters/25-2-New.pdf?la=en
Senate Bill 967 Public postsecondary education: waiver of mandatory systemwide tuition and fees: current or former foster youth amended Section 66025.3 of the Education Code

California is confusing because while the tuition waiver legislation that is cited is accurate, very few, if any, foster youth qualify for the waiver because it requires that all other forms of aid be used before it kicks in.

The tuition waiver runs through the CalGrant program, which covers tuition costs for low-income students more generally. This grant pays the equivalent of full tuition at a CSU or UC campus or up to $9,220 at a private non-profit institution. Foster youth are given special consideration in that they are not subject to time out of high school requirements (the grant is available up to age 26 rather than just one year after high school) and the grant is available for 8 years rather than 4. Community college students qualify for the California College Promise Grant (CCPG) which pays full tuition costs for any low-income student at our community colleges.

Information on the Cal Grant program for foster youth is at https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/cal-grant-b-foster-youth-award.

Information on the CCPG is at https://home.cccapply.org/en/money/california-college-promise-grant.
Florida Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program https://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/independent-living/postsecondary-education-services.shtml
Colorado

Connecticut

Connecticut Department of Children & Families: Policy Manual, PostSecondary Education Expenses, 28-1, page 13

State Contact
Independent Living Coordinator,
Lisa Driscoll,
lisa.driscoll@ct.gov

Delaware

Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families Independent Living Contact Information:
Sophia Cywinski
Independent Living Program Manager
Telephone: 302-383-5890
Email: sophia.cywinski@delaware.gov
Mailing Address: 1825 Faulkland Rd, Wilmington, DE 19805

District of Columbia

Florida

Tuition and Fee Exemption Program: https://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/independent-living/tuition-fee-exemption.shtml

State Legislation-240.235(5) http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_Mode=Display_Statute&URL=Ch0240/Sec235.htm&StatuteYear=2000

For questions regarding eligibility or how to obtain a Tuition and Fee Exemption for Students Receiving or Formerly Receiving Services from the Department of Children and Families form, CF-FSP 5220, use one of the following methods:

Florida's Independent Living Resource Center serves as an information clearinghouse to address all areas of Independent Living Services
CALL 1-844-ILYOUTH (1-844-459-6884)

Cal Walton, III J.D
Deputy Director
Office of Continuing Care
Florida Department of Children and Families
Cell: 850-491-0204
cal.walton@myflfamilies.com
Hawaii Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program Hawaii Independent Living Program
Idaho Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program
Community College Payment Program
State Policy Indiana Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program
https://indianaetv.org
http://www.illinois.gov/dcfs/brighterfutures/independence/Documents/YIS.pdf http://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/Portals/0/Children/AdoptionFoster/ETVDescription.pdf https://humanservices.hawaii.gov/ssd/home/child-welfare-services/ilp/ Education Training Voucher https://www.kheaa.com/pdf/pubs/ky/getin/KYGIch2Part2.pdf Tuition Waiver for foster and adopted children
http://louisville.edu/financialaid/tuition-waivers/tuition-waiver-for-foster-and-adopted-children
https://shakatown.com/youth/education?page=financial_help
Positive Pathways
Positive Pathways is a program sponsored by Educate Tomorrow Corps and the Florida Department of Children and Families.The program's mission is to support student support professionals who help youth from foster care transition to and through college.
https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/cw/chafee.htm
Dr. Steve J. Rios, Ed. D.
Senior Director
Positive Pathways Program
Educate Tomorrow
(954) 990-3848

Pathways@EducateTomorrow.org
https://www.positivepathwaysflorida.org/

State Contact
Becky Pengelley
Department of Children and Families
Campus Coach Project Lead
becky.pengelley@myflfamilies.com

Georgia
Tuition Waiver for Foster Care Recipients
http://mhec.maryland.gov/preparing/Pages/FinancialAid/ProgramDescriptions/prog_fostercare.aspx Peaches.Wilson@maryland.gov http://mdconnectmylife.org/
Georgia Resilient, Youth Centered, Stable and Empowered (GA RYSE) Program is Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services Independent Living Program Independent Living Program.
http://www.garyse-ilp.org/
State Legislation: Part I Administration of the Government, Title II Executive and administrative officers of the commonwealth, Chapter 15 A Section 19 Public Education Title 2
https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter15A/Section19
Questions: Contact your Independent Living Specialist directly. You can also contact the Fanning ETV team at etv@fanning.uga.edu.

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

State Contact
Illinois Department of Child and Family Services
Education Advisers
1-815-753-5562
Youth Hotline
1-866-459-6884
Child Welfare Manual, Section 4, Alternative Care, Chapter 5, Older Youth Programs, Post Secondary Educational Opportunities https://dssmanuals.mo.gov/child-welfare-manual/child-welfare-manual-2019-update/
Indiana
State Legislation
Iowa

State Contact
Iowa Department of Human Services
Tonia Smith
tsmith2@dhs.state.ia.us

Kansas
https://www.reachhighermontana.org/we-can-help/youth-in-foster-care
Kansas Foster Child Education Assistance Program
http://www.kansasregents.org/resources/PDF/641-2010FosterCareWaiverApp8AFCEdassistanceapplication.pdf
State Legislation:
K.S.A. 75-53,112, http://www.ksrevisor.org/statutes/chapters/ch75/075_053_0112.html

State Contact
Department of Children and Families Independent Living Coordinator
Michelle Reichart
State Independent Living (IL)/ETV Program Manager
Kanasas Department for Children and Families
Michelle.Reichart@ks.gov

Kentucky

State Legislation
KRS164.2847(5)
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=46316
​
State Contact
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Independent Living Coordinator
Lorraine Wilbur
State Independent Living (IL) Coordinator
lorraine.wilbur@ky.gov

Louisiana
Community College System of New Hampshire Tuition Waiver for Children in Foster Care https://www.ccsnh.edu/paying-for-college/resources/tuition-waiver-programs/
State Contact>
LaToya Saulsby
Foster Care and Transitioning Youth Consultant
Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services
LaToya.Saulsby.DCFS@LA.GOV

Maine

Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program
https://www.fafsonline.org/njfc-scholars-program
Post Secondary Education Tuition Waiver Program for Foster Care
http://www.famemaine.com/maine_grants_loans/tuition-waiver-program/
State Policy
http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/cw/post.htm

State Contact:
Youth must submit an application form to the Finance Authority of Maine in order to qualify for the waiver. Waivers are awarded on a competitive basis. You may obtain an application form from:

Finance Authority of Maine
5 Community Drive
Augusta, Maine 04333
Education@famemaine.com
Tel: 1-800-228-3734, or (207) 623-3263

Maryland

State Contacts
Maryland Higher Education Commission
OFFICE OF STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Donna E. Thomas, Director
1-800-974-0203
donnae.thomas@maryland.gov

https://cyfd.org/terrific-teens/educational-support Tuition Waiver
Peaches Wilson, LCSW-C
Education Analyst
Maryland Department of Human Services
311 W. Saratoga Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
molly.clement@state.nm.us
Massachusetts

State Contact
MA Dept of Higher Education
Office of Student Financial Assistance
Department of Children and Families Adopted Child Tuition Waiver and Fee Assistance Program
Michelle Banks
Adolescent Program Supervisor
Massachusetts Department of Children and Families
600 Washington St.
Boston, MA 02111
michelle.banks@state.ma.us

For complete program guidelines please visit www.osfa.mass.edu. For more information about program deadlines and requirements, contact the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance at (617) 391-6070. For the Department of Children and Families please call (617) 748-2000.
Foster Youth College Success Initiative Tuition Free Degree Program- Excelsior Scholarship https://www.ny.gov/programs/tuition-free-degree-program-excelsior-scholarship Tuition Free Degree Program- Excelsior Scholarship
https://www.ny.gov/programs/tuition-free-degree-program-excelsior-scholarship
http://www.nysed.gov/postsecondary-services/foster-youth-college-success-initiative
Michigan

State Legislation
Statute 722.1030, Fostering Futures Scholarship Trust Fund Act (excerpt), Act 525 of 2008
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(h0yphk3s0zcjfea4kvhqi23k))/mileg.aspx?page=getobject&objectname=mcl-722-1030

Minnesota

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System Procedures

Sec. 7.
[136A.1241] FOSTERING INDEPENDENCE HIGHER EDUCATION GRANTS.
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/text.php?number=HF0007&session=ls92&session_number=1&session_year=2021&version=latest

Jill Von Holtum ETV Coordinator,
https://www.mdcps.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/DFCS-Policy-Section-D-09-11-17.pdf

Missouri
Chafee Education and Training Grant Program https://www.pheaa.org/funding-opportunities/other-educational-aid/chafee-program.shtml Chafee Education and Training Grant Program Application https://www.pheaa.org/funding-opportunities/other-educational-aid/pdf/chafee/chafee-application.pdf Tuition Waiver Legislation Fostering Independence through Education Waiver, Section 2601-k. https://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=PDF&sessYr=2019&sessInd=0&billBody=H&billTyp=B&billNbr=1615&pn=2268 Fostering Independence Through Education Act Brochure https://www.psrfa.org/wp-content/uploads/Factsheet-2019PA-TuitionWaiverProgram.pdf
Missouri Reach brochure
https://dss.mo.gov/cd/older-youth-program/files/missouri-reach-brochure.pdf

State Contact
Sally A. Gaines, MSW
Program Development Specialist
Older Youth Program
Children's Division
P.O. Box 88
Jefferson City, MO 65103
Sally.A.Gaines@dss.mo.gov
Education and Training Voucher Administración de Familia y Niños, Servicio de Vida Independiente ahttp://www.adfan.pr.gov/AdministracionesAuxiliares/CuidadoSustitutoAdopc...(Solicitud%20de%20Autorizaci%C3%B3n%20CEE-SA-2020-6713).pdf Agency Contact
Pedro Cartagena Martínez
Puerto Rico Administration for Children and Families
Department of the Family
PO Box 194090
San Juan, PR 00919-4090
Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families Post-Secondary Tuition Assistance Program Frequently Asked Questions State Policy State Legislation
http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/Statutes/title42/42-72.8/42-72.8-2.HTM
Montana

Montana Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program
Code of Regulations 62-460. Program Definitions for Administering South Carolina Need-based Grants at Public Institutions. https://www.scstatehouse.gov/coderegs/Chapter%2062.pdf State Contacts
Rhonda Safford
ETV Coordinator
Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
Child and Family Services
PO Box 8005
Helena, MT 59604-8005
rsafford@ReachHigherMontana.org

Nebraska
South Dakota Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program
https://dss.sd.gov/childprotection/independentlivingprogram/educationtraining.aspx State Contact
Eric Grover, MSW< br/> Program Specialist
South Dakota Department of Social Services
510 North Cambell Street
Rapid City, SD 57701
Eric.Grover@state.sd.us
Deanna Brakhage
Independent Living Coordinator/ETV Coordinator
Program Specialist, DHHS Policy Unit
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Children and Family Services
http://www.childrenscabinet.org/family-youth/youth-education-and-training/foster-youth-support
Chafee Education Training Voucher https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/dcs/documents/youthintransition/il/Services_Available_under_TN_DCS_IL.pdf Tennessee Hope Foster Child Tuition Grant https://www.tn.gov/collegepays/money-for-college/grant-programs/tn-hope-foster-child-tuition-grant.html State Legislation
Code § 49-4-933, HOPE scholarship -- Foster child tuition grant.
https://www.lawserver.com/law/state/tennessee/tn-code/tennessee_code_49-4-933 Tennessee Promise
A scholarship program offering TN high school graduates two years of community or technical college tuition-free.
http://driveto55.org/initiatives/tennessee-promise/ State Contact
Courtney Matthews>br /> Independent Living Program Director
Tennessee Department of Children's Services
https://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Protection/Youth_and_Young_Adults/Education/ETV.asp
Jan Fragale
Social Services Chief III
Independent Living Coordinator for State
Nevada Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Child and Family Services
4126 Technology Way 3rd Floor
Carson City, NV 89706
IL@dcfs.nv.gov

New Hampshire
Utah Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program https://jobs.utah.gov/wioa/07_145.pdf State Legislation
State Legislation
Chapter 187-A, State College and University System
Title XV, Section 187-A:20-b http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/xv/187-A/187-A-20-b.htm

State Contact
Rob Rodler
Adolescent Program Specialist
Division for Children, Youth and Families
Sununu Youth Services Center
1056 N. River Road
Manchester, NH 03104
Email: rrodler@dhhs.state.nh.us

New Jersey

State Legislation
Title 30. Chapter 4C. Article VIII. (New) Statewide Tuition Waiver Program. §§1-5 -C.30:4C-101
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2002/Bills/AL03/132_.PDF
State Legistaltion:
§ 23.1-601. Public institutions of higher education; grants for tuition and fees for certain individuals.
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title23.1/chapter6/section23.1-601/ State Contact
Laurie Owens
Virginia Community College System
300 Arboretum Place, Suite 200
Richmond, Virginia 23236
Director of Financial Aid
lowens@vccs.edu Letha Moore-Jones
State IL Coordinator & Youth Services Supervisor
Virginia Department of Social Services
Division of Family Services
letha.moore-jones@dss.virginia.gov
State Contact
Niambi London
Independent Living Coordinator
New Jersey Department of Children and Families
Office of Adolescent Services
50 East State Street
Trenton, NJ 08625
Niambi London Independent Living Coordinator New Jersey Department of Children and Families Office of Adolescent Services 50 East State Street Trenton, NJ 08625 niambi.london@dcf.state.nj.us
Washington Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/education-for-foster-youth/etv State Legislation
Marjorie Blicharz, M.Ed
Director of Scholarship Programs
Foster and Adoptive Family Services
mblicharz@fafsonline.org

New Mexico
Tuition waivers for high school graduates in foster care
State Legislation
Chapter §18B: Article10-7b.
http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2000_SESSIONS/RS/Bills/hb4784%20intr.htm Foster Care College Tuition Waiver
https://wvsystemofcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Foster-Care-College-Tuition-Waiver.pdf State Contact
Michelle Dean
Program Manager II, Children and Adult Services
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources
Bureau for Children and Families/Office of Resource and Resource Development
350 Capitol Street
Charleston, WV 25301
Michelle.C.Dean@wv.gov
Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program
Wisconsin Chafee Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program
https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/youthservices/college State Contact
Kelsey Hill
Independent Living Program & ETV Coordinator
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families
201 East Washington Avenue
Madison, WI 53703
KelseyR.Hill@wisconsin.gov
http://albuquerquefoundation.org/uploads/files/Tuition%20Waiver%20Brochure.pdf
State Legislation
CS/SB 206
Foster Care System Tuition Waiver
http://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/14%20regular/LESCAnalysis/SB0206.PDF
​
State Contact
Molly Clement, Youth Services Bureau Chief & Independent Living Coordinator/ETV Coordinator
PO Drawer 5160
Room 254
PERA Building
Santa Fe, NM 87502
Wyoming Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program https://dfs.wyo.gov/services/child-youth-services/foster-care-foster-care-training/education-and-training-vouchers-etv/ State Contact
Stacey Dunlay
CJA Coordinator
Wyoming Division of Social Services
2300 Capitol Avenue
3rd Floor
Hathaway Building
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0490
stacey.dunlay@wyo.gov
New York

Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program
https://ocfs.ny.gov/main/ddps/adolescent/etv.asp

North Carolina

State Contact
Erin Conner
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Social Services, Child Welfare
820 South Boylan Avenue
2408 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-2408
Danielle.McConaga@dhhs.nc.gov

North Dakota

State Contact
Brittany Fode
Independent Living Coordinator/ETV Coordinator
Administrator for Guardianship and Facility Licensing
North Dakota Department of Human Services
Division of Children and Family Services
https://www.fc2sprograms.org/ohio

Oklahoma

Tuition Waivers
https://secure.okcollegestart.org/Financial_Aid_Planning/Scholarships/Miscellaneous_Scholarships/Independent_Living_Act.aspx
State Legislation
10A Oklahoma Children and Juvenile Code, Section 1-9-107 & 2010
http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=445839

State Contact
Jennifer Boyer
Programs Supervisor, Successful Adulthood Program, Perm. and Well-being Unit
Independent Living Coordinator
Oklahoma Department of Human Services
https://oregonstudentaid.gov/chafee-etg.aspx

Waive Tuition and Fees for current or former foster child under 25 years of age.
Oregon Tuition & Fee Waiver FAQ: https://oregonstudentaid.gov/grants-doc/TuitionWaiverQuickFacts.pdf

Oregon University System Q&A for Students: Foster Youth Tuition and Fee Waiver (HB 3417)
https://www.eou.edu/fao/files/2011/08/FosterYouthQAfinal.pdf​

Peggy Cooksey
Grants Administrator
Oregon Student Access Commission
1500 Valley River Dr. Suite 100
Eugene, OR 97401
peggy.d.cooksey@state.or.us
http://www.oregonstudentaid.gov/ Toll-free: 1-800-452-8807

Pennsylvania

Teresa Musser
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
Office of Children, Youth, and Families
625 Forster Street
Harrisburg, PA 17120
temusser@pa.gov

Puerto Rico

​State Contact
Mike Burk
Assistant to the Director
Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families
mike.burk@dcyf.ri.gov

South Carolina

Patrice White
Independent Living Advocate< br/> South Carolina Department of Social Services
1535 Confederate Avenue
Room 520-1
Columbia, SC 29201
ghampton@che.sc.gov

South Dakota

Tennessee

State Contact
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
5425 Polk St, Houston, TX 77023
Mail Code W-157
www.dfps.state.tx.us
www.texasyouthconnection.org

Utah

State Contact
Crystal Vail, Administrator II
Division of Child and Family Services
195 North 1950 West, SLC UT 84116
https://www.vsac.org/pay/student-aid-options/scholarships/foster-care-youth

Vermont

State Contact
Amanda Churchill
Policy & Practice Specialist
Independent Living Coordinator
Vermont Department for Children and Families
Family Services Division
280 State Drive
Waterbury, VT 05671
amanda.churchill@vermont.gov Information Last Updated 23-August-2019

Virginia

Washington

State Contact
Dawn Cypriano-McAferty
Program Manager, Washington Student Achievement Council
dawnc@wsac.wa.gov

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

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Tuition Waivers are State funded, legislatively mandated that allows public universities to waive the tuition fees for students in foster care who meet certain eligibility requirements. The tuition waivers are usually cover any remaining tuition after other types of financial aid have been processed.

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Once a child is placed in your home, you will be assigned an HCA case manager. Your case manager is available to assist you and your foster child 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each child has a unique set of needs and your case manager will help support you and your child to ensure all their needs are met. This includes working hand in hand with your child's social services county of origin to initiate outpatient therapy, in-home therapy, medication management, and other services that are deemed to be in the best interest of the child. Social services will have developed a unique foster care plan for your child. The plan contains many goals for your child, including a plan for permanency. The permanency plan for your child may be reunification with their biological family or adoption. Your assigned case manager will work with social services, your family, and the foster child to ensure the steps outlined in this plan are being met as best as possible.

As well as having a circle of support while providing care to your foster child, HCA provides a monthly stipend to assist with room, board, and daily essentials. HCA abides by the state stipend guidelines. The stipend rate differs from state to state but is primarily based on the child's level of need. In addition, in many states, day care costs are covered for working parents.

Whether your family is interested in providing respite care, full-time foster care, or fostering with the goal to adopt, we are here to support you along the way. Our goal is to ensure every child is given the opportunity to live in a safe, stable, and loving environment and each and every one of our staff are dedicated to supporting you and your foster child throughout your fostering journey.

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South Carolina Department of Social Services

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South Carolina law requires that certain professionals report known or suspected cases of child abuse or neglect, because they have unique opportunities to observe and interact with children. The following professionals are mandated reporters of child abuse or neglect:

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Mentor Foster Care helps children with trauma and other needs heal and thrive. Learn more about our services and how you can become a foster parent.

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Our mission is to provide external accountability for the foster care system and to advocate on behalf of children in foster care.

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Mental Health Practice Tools and Resources

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Mental Health Practice Tools and Resources

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Help to promote healthy mental development and address concerns of your patients with these practice tools and resources.

Readying the Practice

Practice Workflow

Mental Health Tools for Pediatrics (Updated 2/2021). A compilation of tools that are potentially useful at each stage of a clinical process through which mental health content can be integrated into pediatric care. (Note: Inclusion of a tool in this list does not indicate endorsement by the American Academy of Pediatrics).

Brief Interventions and Symptom-Based Care

Effective Referrals

HIPAA Privacy Rule and Provider to Provider Communication. This tool can help address common questions-and provide scenarios-about when it's appropriate to share your patients' or clients' health information with other providers under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Family Handouts

The AAP has developed a number of handouts and resources to support families in managing mental health concerns or supporting healthy mental development. These include family handouts as well as Healthychildren.org articles.

Additional AAP Resources

External Resources:

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mental health resources for pediatricians

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Mental Health Practice Tools and Resources

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View a collection of practice resources for health professionals to address mental health concerns and support healthy mental development.

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Skip to content

Research shows that students who are taught skills for managing emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and responsible decision-making have better academic performance, and students whose mental health needs are met with effective school and community supports are more likely to stay in school, graduate, and have positive life outcomes. The Texas School Mental Health website strives to provide districts and campuses with the resources and tools needed to develop a comprehensive school mental health system.

Find out about upcoming events related to student mental health.

Find tools and resources to help build school mental health systems.

Participate in online training on school mental health.

Texas School Mental Health is a Partnership Between:

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Skip to content Research shows that students who are taught skills for managing emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and responsible decision-making have better academic performance, and students whose mental health needs are met with effective school and community supports are more likely to stay in school, graduate, and have positive life outcomes.

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Workplace mental health training | Mental Health America

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This list of trusted partners and resources was developed to help employers identify the appropriate in-person, virtual, recorded, or self-guided mental health training for their workforce.

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Mental health training and benefits are important to employees. Recent studies suggest that more than 90% of employees think that it's important for their organization to provide support for mental wellness.

Mental health training for employees can come in different forms, but there are some "out of the box" options which are a great way to learn from other people who've got their finger on the pulse of the employee mental wellness.

Here's a summary of each course to help you learn who it's for and why it's great.

Best Mental Health Training For Employees Shortlist

Here's a shortlist of the best mental health training for employees I think are worth your time in 2025:

1. Self-Directed Manager Mental Health Training (Manulife)

2. Workplace Mental Health Training (Mental Health America)

3. Workplace Mental Health Training (Canadian Mental Health Association)

4. Stress Management & Resilience in the Workplace (Oxford Management Centre)

5. The Science of Happiness at Work (University of California, Berkeley)

6. Employee Wellness and Stress Management (Stanford Center for Health Education)

7. Mental Health in the Workplace (SafetyCulture)

8. Mental Health Awareness Training (SAMHSA)

9. Workplace Mental Health (Supportive Workplaces)

10. Resilient Leadership Sprint (IMD)

11. Maintaining Good Mental Health While Working from Home (Alison)

12. Workplace Mental Health: Raising Awareness (WSPS)

13. Psychological Health & Safety for Workers (WSPS)

14. Oxford Diploma: Mental Health and Wellbeing at the Workplace (Oxford School of Learning)

15. Employee Wellness and Health at Workplace (Udemy)

Find more details about each course below.

Overview Of The Best Mental Health Training For Employees

This course equips managers with essential strategies to support employee well-being effectively. Through practical scenarios, it offers techniques to create initiatives that enhance employee mental health.

The training ensures leaders gain the skills needed to provide mental health resources and handle various challenges with confidence.

This course offers a wide range of resources and tools tailored to strengthen mental health support in the workplace. It features expert guidance, actionable training modules, and practical strategies designed to help employers and employees create a more empathetic and mentally healthy work culture.

With a variety of approaches, the training ensures effective solutions for fostering well-being in diverse work environments.

This course offers tailored mental health training programs designed to create a psychologically safe work environment. Using case studies, it focuses on delivering evidence-based sessions on stress management, resilience, and handling a mental health crisis.

The program integrates a management system that equips employees and leaders with practical skills to foster a supportive workplace culture.

Who It's For: Businesses of all sizes

Topics Covered:

Mental health awareness

Leadership training

Stress management

Resilience building

Psychological health and safety standards

Online, In-Person, or Both? Both

Exam Required? No

Eligibility Requirements: None

Take The Course: Canadian Mental Health Association

This course equips participants with effective techniques for managing stress. It covers practical strategies to help employees handle stress, improve mental well-being, and enhance productivity. By the end, participants will be better prepared to create a balanced and healthier work environment.

The Science of Happiness at Work Professional Certificate offered by edX, in collaboration with BerkeleyX, focuses on enhancing workplace satisfaction, engagement, and collaboration.

The program includes three self-paced courses that cover the benefits of happiness at work, evaluation methods for organizational happiness, and strategies for resilience and stress management.

This course examines the connection between personal well-being and team productivity, offering insights into managing mental health conditions and addressing mental health problems.

Developed by Dr. Grace Gengoux, it provides tools to enhance self-care, resilience, and retention by recognizing key risk factors. Through practical examples and reflection, you'll gain techniques to improve your health and influence a healthier work environment.

This course focuses on understanding and addressing mental health issues within the workplace, providing guidance on how to create a supportive environment.

It equips you with the skills to recognize early signs of mental health concerns and take preventive measures. You'll learn how to foster a culture where employees feel valued and empowered to thrive.

This course offers training to help individuals and communities respond effectively to people experiencing mental health challenges. It provides the tools and skills necessary to engage with those facing mental health or substance use issues. By participating, you'll gain confidence in supporting others and connecting them with the right resources.

This manager training course is designed to address the mental health challenges that arise in a workplace setting, emphasizing the importance of recognizing warning signs and providing practical guidance for promoting well-being and reducing burnout.

This course offers practical, evidence-based techniques to help leaders manage stress and address mental health disorders in a demanding work environment. It provides strategies to collaborate with mental health providers, develop sustainable energy levels, and create templates for wellness action plans.

You'll gain tools to enhance your well-being while fostering a thriving, balanced workplace for yourself and your team.

This course offers insights into understanding and managing mental health challenges while working remotely.

It covers practical ways to cope with stress and maintain a balanced mindset in a home-based work environment. You'll learn strategies to protect your mental well-being and stay resilient in a flexible workplace.

This course is designed to enhance understanding of mental health in the workplace, offering strategies to address mental health needs, including eating disorders and substance abuse.

Participants acquire practical tools to identify and manage mental health challenges. You'll gain insights into the impact of mental health on workplace dynamics and learn how to foster a healthier culture.

This course offers an in-depth understanding of how workplace environments influence mental health and psychological well-being.

It explores the roles of both employees and employers in establishing psychological safety in the workplace and strategies for cultivating a healthier and more inclusive workplace culture.

This course provides practical guidance on enhancing mental health in the workplace for both employers and employees. It covers stress prevention, well-being strategies, and becoming a Mental Health Ambassador.

This course provides actionable insights into enhancing employee well-being by addressing workplace stress, psychosocial safety, and health promotion. It equips you with effective strategies to cultivate a work culture that prioritizes both physical and mental health.

You'll gain the knowledge needed to create and implement employee wellness programs that foster a healthy, engaged workforce.

What's Next?

If you're looking to stay locked in on employee wellness, you should consider signing up for a wellness newsletter and look attending a workplace wellness conference. The insights you'll gain and lessons you'll learn from other people focused on wellness are invaluable.

To remain up to date on all the latest in people management, subscribe to our newsletter for leaders and managers. You'll receive insights and offerings tailored to leaders and HR professionals straight to your inbox.

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15 Best Mental Health Training for Employees To Take In 2025

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Here's my curated list of the best mental health training for employees to learn about the latest tech, strategies, and news in the industry.

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We've listed 10 mental health training programs to help your team learn more about mental health and the different mental health issues. Through these courses, they will be able to recognize and spot key signs so they can prevent and mitigate them using tried-and-tested techniques.

Last published: 21st February 2025

1. Mental Health in the Workplace

SC Training (formerly EdApp)'s Mental Health in the Workplace aims to bring light to mental health issues and the ways to handle them. This mental health training program starts by defining what mental illnesses are and how they can affect employees. It then discusses the common mental health illnesses that one can normally experience or encounter and teaches how to identify and recognize signs of struggle.

As mental health illness is a sensitive topic to discuss, leaders who take this course will know how to appropriately prevent, intervene, and protect their team members from foreseeable triggers. They'll also learn how to create a supportive work environment free from stigma and discrimination to make those who are facing these issues feel supported and safe.

This four-part course is easy to comprehend and complete thanks to its microlearning design model. This means that important information on the topic is delivered in bite-sized chunks, making them easier to absorb and digest. SC Training (formerly EdApp)'s courses are also perfectly formatted for any device, so learners can take them on the go without having to be glued to their desks just to finish their training.

Created by SC Training (formerly EdApp)
Explore the course

2. Mental Health Resiliency Amidst Global Conflicts

In this age of social media, we've been more aware than ever of current events happening around the world, including crises and conflicts. Knowledge of these unfortunate situations can affect our lives and take a toll on our mental health. This is why SC Training (formerly EdApp) has created this course to help your team regain control of their lives and develop resiliency during these trying times.

This course starts by discussing what long-term hypervigilance is, which can cause stress because of acquiring a survival instinct. It then discusses how it can, later on, induce vicarious trauma and introduces the different responses to it. Here, your team will also know how to manage feelings of helplessness and hopelessness through coping mechanisms. Lastly, this course will shed light on collaborative survival and how everyone can continue forward as a community.

Aside from using a microlearning approach, SC Training (formerly EdApp) also uses gamification in its courses to help engage learners with their learning content. It has a wide array of microlearning templates designed to promote interactivity and engagement through game-like elements and design. When taking workplace training doesn't feel like work, learners are more likely to be motivated and will be more eager to complete their training.

Created by SC Training (formerly EdApp)
Explore the course

3. The Science of Well-Being

Google, in partnership with Coursera, offers The Science of Well-Being to discover the psychology of happiness and teach learners different strategies on how to be happy. It kicks off by debunking the different misconceptions about happiness, such as temporary and material things, and why our minds work the way they do. It then elaborates on the annoying features of the mind in relation to how we mispredict what makes us happy. Learners will then be educated about different proven strategies to increase happiness and create better habits.

Created by Google Digital Garage
Explore the course

4. Maintaining Mental Health While Working from Home

While working in the comfort of our homes is now a privilege that most people enjoy, it can also come with different challenges depending on one's living situation. Alison's mental health training program introduces the different mental health problems employees can experience, such as anxiety and depression, and their causes. It also discusses how to have the proper mindset, create a conducive workspace, and do other things necessary to run smoothly at home without any stress.

Created by Alison
Explore the course

Exploreour library including mental health training programs.

7. Understanding Depression

Most people may think that depression can be easily identified, but this is not always the case as the way it manifests varies from person to person. Harvard's Understanding Depression helps learners gain a better understanding of depression, its causes, and the different treatments one can undergo to lessen its adverse effects. This self-paced course also discusses self-care and alternative treatments aside from medication and psychotherapy, which are the common paths one can take.

Created by Harvard University
Explore the course

10. Mental Health & Resiliency in Aged Care Facilities

SC Training (formerly EdApp)'s mental health training program is intended for healthcare workers who look after individuals in aged care facilities, such as nursing homes. It starts by discussing the 3R's model, which stands for "Resistance, Resiliency, and Recovery" which will help develop mental health awareness. It then discusses the different mental health risks that these healthcare workers can face in their line of work.

To combat these issues, there's a lesson on self-care and coping techniques. Learners will also have access to crisis hotlines in the USA, UK, and Australia.

As a hybrid work arrangement is now being adopted by most companies, SC Training (formerly EdApp) is the perfect solution for blended learning. SC Training (formerly EdApp) enables blended learning through its ability to provide learners with both offline and online learning. Their courses can be taken on any device at any time of the day. This means that learning doesn't have to be stopped or interrupted regardless of whether employees are at home or in the office.

Created by SC Training (formerly EdApp)
Explore the course

Raise awareness about mental well-being with mental health training programs

Although most people place more importance on physical health than mental health, it's equally important and can even affect the former. Mental health illnesses, while not having tangible symptoms most of the time, can be just as dangerous or detrimental. It can affect productivity, motivation, and other challenges. By including mental health training programs as part of employee training, you'll have employees who'll have a better understanding of their mental health, support others who need help and develop ways to cope with their illnesses.

And the best part? Your team can complete courses anytime, anywhere, on any device.
or book a demo with us today

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10 Mental Health Training Programs | SC Training

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Explore these 10 mental health training programs to help your team learn about mental health and the different mental health issues. Create a safer workplace!

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Tackling mental health issues in schools: What will it take?

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Tackling mental health issues in schools: What will it take?

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Tackling mental health issues in schools: What will it take?

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University of Washington school psychologist Dr. Janine Jones and her husband Dr. Brent Jones, superintendent of a large public school district, discuss the biggest challenges schools are facing, where more research is needed, and what feels hopeful.

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STRive Course – NAMI Southwest Washington

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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (83)

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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

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Overview

Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, act, make choices, and relate to others. Mental health is more than the absence of a mental illness-it's essential to your overall health and quality of life. Self-care can play a role in maintaining your mental health and help support your treatment and recovery if you have a mental illness.

About Self-Care

Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. When it comes to your mental health, self-care can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy. Even small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a big impact.

Here are some tips to help you get started with self-care:

Get regular exercise. Just 30 minutes of walking every day can help boost your mood and improve your health. Small amounts of exercise add up, so don't be discouraged if you can't do 30 minutes at one time.

Eat healthy, regular meals and stay hydrated. A balanced diet and plenty of water can improve your energy and focus throughout the day. Also, limit caffeinated beverages such as soft drinks or coffee.

Make sleep a priority. Stick to a schedule, and make sure you're getting enough sleep. Blue light from devices and screens can make it harder to fall asleep, so reduce blue light exposure from your phone or computer before bedtime.

Try a relaxing activity. Explore relaxation or wellness programs or apps, which may incorporate meditation, muscle relaxation, or breathing exercises. Schedule regular times for these and other healthy activities you enjoy such as journaling.

Set goals and priorities. Decide what must get done now and what can wait. Learn to say "no" to new tasks if you start to feel like you're taking on too much. Try to be mindful of what you have accomplished at the end of the day, not what you have been unable to do.

Practice gratitude. Remind yourself daily of things you are grateful for. Be specific. Write them down at night, or replay them in your mind.

Focus on positivity. Identify and challenge your negative and unhelpful thoughts.

Stay connected. Reach out to your friends or family members who can provide emotional support and practical help.

Self-care looks different for everyone, and it is important to find what you need and enjoy. It may take trial and error to discover what works best for you. In addition, although self-care is not a cure for mental illnesses, understanding what causes or triggers your mild symptoms and what coping techniques work for you can help manage your mental health.

For other ideas for healthy practices for your mind, body, surroundings, and relationships, see the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Wellness Toolkits .

When to Seek Professional Help

Seek professional help if you are experiencing severe or distressing symptoms that have lasted 2 weeks or more, such as:

Difficulty sleeping

Appetite changes that result in unwanted weight changes

Struggling to get out of bed in the morning because of mood

Difficulty concentrating

Loss of interest in things you usually find enjoyable

Inability to perform usual daily functions and responsibilities

Don't wait until your symptoms are overwhelming. Talk about your concerns with your primary care provider, who can refer you to a mental health professional if needed. If you don't know where to start, read the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Tips for Talking With a Health Care Provider About Your Mental Health. Learn more about how to get help or find a provider on the NIMH's Help for Mental Illnesses webpage.

What to Do in a Crisis

If you or someone you know is struggling or having thoughts of suicide, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org . This service is confidential, free, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In life-threatening situations, call 911.

For additional information about suicide prevention, please see NIMH's Suicide Prevention webpage.

Featured Videos

Learn More

Federal Resources

Other Resources

Note: This list of non-federal resources is provided for informational purposes only. It is not comprehensive and does not constitute an endorsement by NIMH, NIH, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or the U.S. government.

Last Reviewed: December 2022

Unless otherwise specified, the information on our website and in our publications is in the public domain and may be reused or copied without permission. However, you may not reuse or copy images. Please cite the National Institute of Mental Health as the source. Read our copyright policy to learn more about our guidelines for reusing NIMH content.

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Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, act, make choices, and relate to others.

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Mental health education - NZ Health Education Association

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Mental Health Education and Hauora: Teaching interpersonal skills, resilience, and wellbeing is a resource for teaching about mental health, including lesson ideas and activities. The Ministry of Education has partnered with NZHEA to deliver hard copies of the book to schools with year 7 students up. The PDF version of the book can be downloaded

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Recursos de salud mental para madres, padres y cuidadores

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Recursos de salud mental para madres, padres y cuidadores

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Recursos de salud mental para madres, padres y cuidadores

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Información sobre salud mental de niños, adolescentes y jóvenes para madres, padres y cuidadores. Te invitamos a explorar los contenidos.