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Importance of Cultural Diversity in the Classroom 

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Importance of Cultural Diversity in the Classroom 

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The Importance of Diversity & Multicultural Awareness in Education

Drexel University School of Education

Cultural diversity in the classroom is on the rise. In 2014, U.S. public schools hit a minority majority milestone with Latino, African-American, and Asian students having surpassed the number of white students. In 2044, the U.S. Census predicts that over half of the nation's population will be people of color, so this trend will likely continue.

In our increasingly diverse and multicultural society, it's more important than ever for teachers to incorporate culturally responsive instruction in the classroom -- whether teaching elementary school, middle school or high school students. And the increase of diversity doesn't only relate to race and ethnicity; it can include students of different religion, economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and language background.

Interested in becoming a teacher? Learn more about Drexel's Teacher Certification program.

Why is it Important to Encourage Diversity in Schools and Workplaces?

Fostering inclusion and awareness around multicultural education and taking a culturally responsive approach to teaching benefits all students. Not only does creating greater multicultural awareness and inclusion help students with different backgrounds and needs succeed, but it encourages acceptance and helps prepare students to thrive in an exponentially diverse world. Our Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Wellness Certificate Program is a great opportunity for teachers to learn how to create positive classroom environments and can serve as a foundation for understanding how to promote diversity in your classroom.

Diversity in and out of the classroom will continue to grow, so it's essential we prepare students to adapt to an evolving world and embrace those different from themselves. Learn more how the programs at the Drexel School of Education are helping to prepare more culturally-responsive educators today.

Types of Cultural Diversity in the Classroom

Every student is unique. In order to properly understand and promote cultural awareness, teachers need to understand all the different types of diversity they may encounter in their classrooms including:

Race

A person's skin color can have a great impact on their experience in society. It can also impact how they view themselves and others when engaging in classroom activities.

Ethnicity

Ethnicity relates to a person's culture and nationality. Ethnicity is sometimes confused with race, but it is important to recognize that while some people may have the same skin color, they may come from different places and have vastly different cultural beliefs and views of the world.

Religion

It is important to understand that people have different religious belief or no religious beliefs, and it may impact their participation in the classroom. Students may react differently to lessons based on their religion or may not be able to be present on certain religious holidays.

Language

While English is commonly used in American classrooms, for some students, it is not the language they speak at home. Accommodations should be made to help students for whom English is a second language.

Socioeconomic Status

A student's socioeconomic status can affect their ability to participate in the classroom without some type of accommodation. For instance, access to a computer at home or reliable internet access is not a given for some children. Teachers should be aware of this and the stress it may cause students who may struggle due to a lack of resources.

Sexual Orientation

A student's sexual orientation can have a great impact on how they are experiencing the world. Teachers should understand the struggles that exist and ensure that the lessons taught in their classroom are inclusive.

Gender Identity

Similar to sexual orientation, it is important to understand each student's gender identity and how they would prefer to be recognized. Teachers should respect their student's identity and use preferred pronouns when interacting with their students.

How can you Promote Diversity and Multiculturalism in the Classroom?

There are several ways teachers and administrators, such as principals and coaches, can ensure that both the classroom environment and curriculum are responsive to the increasing cultural diversity of our society. These strategies will encourage all students' cultural awareness, enhancing each student's sense of identity, and foster inclusion in the classroom community.

Get to Know Your Students Ensuring that cultural awareness is promoted in the classroom starts with the teacher understanding each individual student. Take the time to learn about each student's cultural background, hobbies, learning styles, and what makes them unique. Demonstrating a genuine interest in learning about each student and their culture will help establish trust and allow you to form a bond with them so they feel valued. If students feel appreciated by and comfortable with the teacher, there's a better chance they'll feel comfortable talking with and respect their peers in the class - and communication is the core to a culturally aware and inclusive classroom.

Maintain Consistent Communication Aside from getting to know your students, teachers should also continue to maintain ongoing communication throughout the semester or school year. Scheduling 1-on-1 meetings with students to "check in" every so often will allow you to consistently improve how accessible the classroom is to everyone. Students can talk about whether they felt included in the classroom culture. This can help identify issues or ways to improve the overall experience. It's also an opportunity to discuss their progress in the class and offer guidance on how they can improve, based on their individual needs as a student.

Acknowledge and Respect Every Student It's also important for students to celebrate and respect their own diverse backgrounds, as well as each other's. When appropriate, teachers should encourage students to research and learn about their own ethnic and cultural backgrounds. This allows them to better understand their own culture as well as the differences and nuances with their peers. As a bonus, this can be a great ice breaker assignment, allowing students to give presentations about their family traditions and culture to help expose the class to concepts outside of their own familiar comfort zone. Acknowledging these differences and creating a safe space for discussion helps promote understanding in the classroom and beyond. Also, as you encourage students to learn about their diverse backgrounds, remember to take the time to highlight what's offensive and the distinction between cultural celebration and appropriation. Learning how to talk about other cultures in a respectful, mature way is essential for success in life outside the classroom.

Practice Cultural Sensitivity While it's important to keep an open dialogue amongst students, it's equally as important to make sure you're being sensitive to everyone's culture, beliefs, and language concerns. Take the time to understand each student's cultural nuances - from learning styles to the language they use - and use these insights to design your lesson plans. For example, provide English language learners with appropriate and relevant resources that help them improve their English comprehension skills. Rather than teach with a traditional lecture style, create learning experiences that are more interactive and require collaboration. These considerations will help ensure that every student feels included, is given the space to learn in their own way and is given a chance to succeed.

Incorporate Diversity in the Lesson Plan The classroom environment is important for fostering cultural awareness, but you also should ensure diversity is represented in your actual lesson plan. For example, broaden history lessons so that they encompass the world beyond United States history and culture. Or, use references and analogies to other cultures in your lessons and assignments to help students with diverse backgrounds personally connect. Another great strategy is bringing in diverse speakers to add varying points of view and real-life context to different subjects.There are several ways you can ingrain cultural awareness and diversity into your lesson plan, and it will vary depending on the cultures represented in your classroom and the course you're teaching. Regardless of the subject, always try to present and connect lessons to real-world issues. It's easier to promote cultural awareness within your lessons when there's a real example for students to relate to.

Give Students Freedom and Flexibility Teachers often feel like they need to take on a strict, authoritative approach when it comes to managing their classroom. The most valuable lessons are often learned through a student's own experiences, so giving them some freedom in the course encourages more connection to the curriculum. Allow students to read and present their own materials that relate to the fundamental lesson so they can approach the topic from their own perspective. As a teacher, you can act as a facilitator and encourage conversation and healthy debate between diverse opinions. Group assignments are also a great way to expose students to diverse perspectives, allowing them to work together to explore and solve a problem. This will also help prepare them for a diverse workforce where they'll have to partner with a range of people to accomplish their professional goals.

Why is it Multicultural Education Important to Students?

It is important to remind ourselves why diversity and cultural awareness is so crucial in the classroom and the benefits it can have on students now and in the long-term. Teaching diversity exposes students to various cultural and social groups, preparing students to become better citizens in their communities. These culturally responsive teaching strategies will help you to promote diversity in the classroom.

With these culturally responsive teaching strategies in mind, it's important to remind ourselves why diversity and cultural awareness is so crucial in the classroom and the benefits it can have on students now and in the long-term.

Students Become More Empathetic

Promoting awareness and creating a personal connection with diverse cultures in the classroom can prevent students from developing prejudices later in life. It allows them to empathize with people different from themselves since they're more aware of the experiences someone of a different race or cultural group may face.

Students Gain a Better Understanding of Lessons and People

When working and learning with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures present in the classroom, students gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. It also teaches students how to use their own strengths and points of view to contribute in a diverse working environment.

Students Become More Open-Minded

Naturally, by exposing students to a diverse range of opinions, thoughts, and cultural backgrounds, you're encouraging them to be more open-minded later in life. This will make them open to new ideas and be able to attain a greater comprehension on a topic by taking in different points of view.

Students Feel More Confident and Safe

Students who learn about different cultures during their education feel more comfortable and safe with these differences later in life. This allows them to interact in a wider range of social groups and feel more confident in themselves as well as in their interactions with others.

Students Are Better Prepared for a Diverse Workplace

With the rise of globalization, it's more important to be able to work with people from different cultures and social groups. If students are exposed to diversity and learn cultural awareness in the classroom, it sets them up to flourish in the workforce.

Learn More About Cultural Diversity in Education

There are additional resources available to help educators grow their knowledge of cultural diversity and apply it to their classrooms. Here are a few sites where you can find more information:

Additionally, Drexel offers programs that can help broaden a teacher's expertise in multicultural education including our online Teaching English as a Second Language and Social Emotional and Behavioral Wellness certification programs. You can also contact us to request more information.

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The Importance of Multicultural Education - School of Education

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As classrooms become more diverse, it's crucial for students to learn about other cultures. Discover how students benefit from classroom diversity with Drexel.

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Working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families 

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Working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families 

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Deborah A. Bruns, faculty member at Southern Illinois University, and Robert M. Corso, researcher/educator at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, analyzed research and current best practices in the realm of working with students and families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Though their work focuses on early childhood education, their strategies also benefit school people who seek to build strong connections to families of older students. In this excerpt from "Working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families," Bruns and Corso offer the following suggestions for creating the best conditions for student and family success:

1. Respect the Uniqueness of Each Family System

Characteristics of the family system are often heavily influenced by a family's cultural values and beliefs. For example, researchers have found that, in some cultures, the family unit includes extended family members or clans composed of several households of relatives with a commitment to a family-based support network, while other families tend to focus on the immediate family and utilize external support networks. Knowledge and understanding of the variety of family structures and systems increase the professional's ability to respond to the family's needs. In turn, respect for the diverse systems of family organization enhances
a professional's effectiveness.

2. Develop a Personalized Relationship with Families

Families are more likely to develop effective working relationships with professionals they trust. Yet, this relationship may be forged in different ways. Some families may prefer a more formal relationship with early education professionals, while others may prefer a more informal, friendly relationship. In some cultures, the father may be considered the head of the household and, therefore, may be responsible for making decisions for the rest of the family. In other cultures, the oldest female member of the household may hold the position of authority. Researchers in the early education field suggest that these issues need to be considered on a family-by-family basis, because intra-group differences are as great as inter-group differences. Awareness of these differences increases the likelihood of building effective relationships.

3. Communicate in Culturally Appropriate Ways

Cross-cultural differences in communication may also affect professional
-family relationships. For example, researchers note that if professionals assume a dominant role in conversations, the submissive role in which the family is placed may be a source of tension and may result in family members withholding information. Communication of this type may be particularly offensive to some families from traditional Hispanic, Native American, and Asian backgrounds. As discussed in the literature, knowledge of issues related to the use of translators and interpreters is important for early education professionals because communicating with linguistically diverse families often requires individuals fluent in the family's primary language to explain or clarify information related to programs and services.

It is also critical to maintain open, ongoing communication with families from diverse linguistic backgrounds. This communication may take the form of home-program notebooks, oral exchanges, or other modes of communication based on each family's preferences.

4. Recruit Staff Who View Diversity as an Asset

Efforts should be made to hire bicultural and bilingual staff to increase an organization's ability to create trust between families and professionals. However, researchers note that what is even more essential is to hire staff who embrace diversity as an asset and demonstrate a willingness to learn about the experiences and traditions of individuals whose backgrounds are different from their own. By recruiting such individuals, early childhood programs will substantially enhance their ability to work with families from diverse cultural backgrounds.
5. Create Alliances With Cultural Guides
It is important to encourage the participation of community leaders as "cultural guides" to facilitate communication and understanding between professionals and families. The literature describes several roles these individuals can play:

Provide professionals with insights concerning community beliefs, values,
and communication style.

Offer families information about programs and services in a culturally sensitive and responsive manner.

Act as facilitators to bring families and professionals closer together to reach desired outcomes.

Examples of cultural guides include community leaders, members of the clergy, and business leaders who are from the family's cultural group or who speak the family's primary language.

6. Evaluate Process and Outcomes

The final strategy addresses the need for ongoing evaluation of early childhood programs that serve diverse families. Evaluation can take several forms, such as asking families to complete surveys or sharing information through face-to-face or phone interviews. Early education professionals may also participate in program improvement activities by conducting a needs assessment to identify areas for training and then self-evaluating their knowledge and skills in those areas. With collaboration from bicultural/bilingual staff and cultural guides, information can be collected in ways that match families' preferences. In turn, early education professionals can use this information to improve their programs and their interactions with families.
The full text of "Working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families" with research citations can be found via the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education at http://ericcass.uncg.edu/virtuallib/diversity/1075.html or by
calling 800/443-ERIC. "Working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families" is ERIC Digest EDO-PS-01-4, published August 2001.

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Working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families

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Deborah A. Bruns, faculty member at Southern Illinois University, and Robert M. Corso, researcher/educator at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, analyzed research and current best practices in the realm of working with students and families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

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Engaging Community Support to Engage Diverse Families 

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Engaging Community Support to Engage Diverse Families 

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Engaging Community Support to Empower Diverse Families of Students With Disabilities

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Schools can provide parents and caregivers with information about essential services that help their children achieve success.

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Welcoming Family Diversity in the Classroom

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Welcoming Family Diversity in the Classroom

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Students' family structures vary now perhaps more than ever before. It's therefore important for teachers to be inclusive of all types of families when it comes to communication, assignments and many other aspects of classroom life.

Diverse family structures can include:

Single parent (divorced or never-married)

Foster parent(s) (or state as legal guardian)

Adoptive parent(s)

Blended (biological parent and another parent figure to whom s/he may or may not be married)

Unmarried biological parents

Polyamorous parents (multiple romantic partners in household)

LGBT parent(s)

Non-parent relative(s) as guardian(s) (grandparent, aunt, etc.)

No matter the type of family, students do best when educators remain sensitive to--and welcoming of--these differences. Acceptance by both adults and classmates at school contributes to students' social-emotional well-being, which we know positively impacts their academic achievement.

With that in mind, here are five ways to celebrate family diversity:

Offer books that address a range of family experiences.

Maintaining a diverse classroom library and encouraging students to read these books is an excellent way to raise awareness about different types of families. Try to find books that appeal to students' family situations, whether they have two moms, divorced parents or multigenerational guardians. This way, kids will expand their definitions of "family."

Here are a few book suggestions for preschool and the elementary grades:

Families Are Different by Nina Pellegrini
The Family Book by Todd Parr
Sometimes It's Grandmas and Grandpas: Not Mommies and Daddies by Gayle Byrne
Mommy, Mama, and Me by Lesléa Newman
Molly and Her Dad by Jan Ormerod
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson
Abuela (English edition with Spanish phrases) by Arthur Dorros
Black is Brown is Tan by Arnold Adoff
Every Year On Your Birthday by Rose A. Lewis
Fred Stays With Me! by Nancy Coffelt

Use inclusive communication and language.

Avoid phrases such as "Give this to Mom and Dad" when handing out notices or other announcements. Remain broad so you do not point out a specific student's situation. Better to say something like "Make sure this goes home to parents, guardians and families." Work family diversity into everyday discussion and activities without belaboring it. For example, if you're writing sentences for grammar exercises, include the phrases "her dads," "his guardian," etc.

Keep activities general.

With holidays such as Mother's Day and Father's Day, crafts and lessons may be difficult for students who feel left out on these days. As an alternative, have students do more general activities, such as drawing "who's important in your life" and sharing with the class something that's unique about their home situation. When doing icebreakers or "all about me" activities, avoid asking kids to draw "your house" (as some may be in a shelter or foster situation). Instead, have them draw "where they sleep" or simply "a possession that's important to you."

Present visual diversity.

Hang classroom posters or display other materials celebrating differences in family structure. Whether it is a drug-prevention or other health-promotion poster, or a poster of a family reading a book, educators can communicate acceptance without saying a word. In PowerPoint presentations, make sure to include a diverse selection of photos.

Set expectations of respect.

Establish a culture of respect in the classroom and let students know that they are not allowed to disrespect another individual's lifestyle, no matter how different it is from theirs. If any situations arise in terms of student behavior, address them immediately, making sure to re-educate rather than simply punishing. Strive to create a classroom environment where every child feels valued and understood.

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor
Education World®
Copyright © 2014 Education World

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Welcoming Diverse Family Structures in the Classroom | Education World

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Students' family structures vary now perhaps more than ever before. It's therefore important for teachers to be inclusive of all types of families when it comes to communication, assignments and many other aspects of classroom life.

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Tips for Teachers About Family Engagement

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Tips for Teachers About Family Engagement

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Effective Family Engagement Could Look Like This

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Need help with food, housing, or paying utility bills? Need help with a community disaster? Just call, text, or search online to find help.

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Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative 

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Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative 

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Person giving money to another person

Person giving money to another person

Changes to Crime Victim Compensation

Learn more about recent changes to Michigan's Crime Victim Compensation program.

Division of Victim Services Logo

Division of Victim Services

The Division of Victim Services (DVS) provides a voice advocating for and responding to all victims of crime in Michigan. DVS administers nearly 600 contracts that fund over 200 community-based programs, Tribes, and government partners across Michigan that provide vital services to victims, such as counseling, legal and medical advocacy, emergency housing, and crime victims' rights advocacy. The Division also provides reimbursement for sexual assault medical forensic examinations, direct compensation to victims though Michigan's Crime Victim Compensation program, and supports the statewide victim notification system (MI-VINE).

The work of the Division is done in partnership with four governor-appointed Boards and Commissions, including the Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board, the Michigan Crime Victim Services Commission, the Human Trafficking Health Advisory Board, and the Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Tracking Commission.

Crime Victim Compensation

If you or someone you know is a victim of crime, certain expenses may qualify for Crime Victim Compensation coverage.

Grants and Funding

Information for current Division of Victim Services grantees.

Human Trafficking Response Protocol

This toolkit was developed based on a mid-Michigan hospital system's experiences using evidence-based strategies to develop an effective human trafficking identification, assessment, and response protocol. It offers guidance for hospitals so they may adapt these tools to implement their own human trafficking protocols customized to their unique resources and communities.

View Toolkit

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information about services available to crime victims in Michigan

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Michigan Chapter of Postpartum Support International

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We promote awareness, education, prevention and treatment of perinatal mental health issues affecting mothers, their families, and support systems across MI.

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Marquette-Alger Great Start Collaborative 

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Marquette-Alger Great Start Collaborative 

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The vision of the Great Start initiative is: Children are born healthy; Children are healthy, thriving, and developmentally on track from birth to third grade; Children are developmentally ready to succeed in school at the time of school entry; & Children are prepared to succeed in fourth grade and beyond by reading proficiently by the end of third grade. The Great Start system envisions a single, interconnected and intertwined network of public and private services and supports working together in a community to accomplish better results for young children and families. As with any system, there are both key programmatic components, and also infrastructure elements that ensure coordination and sustainability.

The purpose of Great Start Collaborative is to assure a coordinated system of community resources and supports to assist all Michigan families in providing a great start for their children from birth through age eight.

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Find descriptions, dates, times and locations for free events, theatre, music, dance, concerts, art exhibits, museums, film, lectures, workshops, kid-friendly events, special events and more. MQTCompass.com is the leading online resource for Arts, Culture and Entertainment activities and information in the Marquette County area.

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Buzzwords Explained: Equity in Early Childhood

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Equity in early childhood means that children have the same opportunities regardless of their race, location, income, or background.

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Michigan Community Mental Health Services by County

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Michigan Community Mental Health Services by County

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Building Trauma Informed Relationships with Families 

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Building Trauma Informed Relationships with Families 

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KKytola Building Trauma Informed Relationships 

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Talent Together helps Michiganders become certified teachers. Candidates receive their education for FREE while earning an income.

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Michigan State University Extension - Family Engagement 

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Michigan State University Extension - Family Engagement 

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Family Engagement

Parents interacting with their children through development allows for children and youth to develop many different aspects of social, emotional, and physical development.

Parents interacting with their children through development allows for children and youth to develop many different aspects of social, emotional, and physical development. Research supports the more family engagement evidence in a child's life will show greater academic success throughout life.

MSU Extension also partners with agencies like PBS Kids to provide family engagement events that bring youth and adults together around a topic in a fun hands on way. Youth connect to a PBS character and learn concepts that help them develop as a student.

By creating a shared educational experience, youth and their families will work, grow and learn together, putting their "hearts in" to the process.

MSU Extension partners with Detroit Public Television to bring enriching educational content on a variety of STEM focused topics to young children across Michigan. These Ready to Learn programs are based off of popular PBS Kids shows.

Extension Extras is a daily resource for parents and caregivers of young children finding themselves suddenly home all day. Extension Extras will focus on Mindfulness on Monday, Tips on Tuesday, Working on Wednesday, Thinking on Thursday and Fun on Friday.

September 18, 2013

Using books in early childhood is a great way to link new concepts to ideas that children already understand.

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Parents interacting with their children through development allows for children and youth to develop many different aspects of social, emotional, and physical development.

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Michigan Department of Education Parent Resources 

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Michigan Department of Education Parent Resources 

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Parents play an important role in the education of their children. Parents can help their children at home with learning. Parents can also provide valuable input for schools about what is best for their child.

The Office of Special Education (OSE) is committed to providing support and resources for families with a child with a disability. The information below will help you find different special education topics and resources on the OSE website.

The OSE also supports the Michigan Alliance for Families, Michigan's federal Parent-Training and Information Center. The Michigan Alliance for Families has parent mentors to help guide you through the special education system.

Family Matters fact sheets provide parents and families with information about special education. The fact sheets are easy to read and give links to more in-depth resources.

View Fact Sheets

Special Education Law

The Individuals Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law for special education. The IDEA requires that all students with a disability receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Michigan also has a state law, the Revised School Code, with additional requirements for special education.

The IDEA established two separate age segments for students with special needs. Part B refers to special education services for students ages 3 through 21. Part C refers to early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities from birth to age 3.

Michigan special education services extend from birth through age 25 (beyond the federal requirement of 21). Therefore, Michigan's special education services and programs serve eligible students from birth through age 25.

The OSE also developed the Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE), which further clarify how to implement and comply with special education law. The MARSE go through a process of public comment and approval from the state legislature before becoming final.

Procedural Safeguards

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regulations include a set of procedural safeguards. These safeguards provide certain rights to students and parents. The safeguards include in part:

Protecting student privacy.

Allowing parents access to their child's educational records.

Keeping parents informed.

Requiring parental consent for important decisions.

Allowing parents to file complaints.

Schools are required to provide a notice of the procedural safeguards to parents at least once a year.

Eligibility

Eligible children and students from birth through age 25 may receive special education programs and related services. A student must first be evaluated for special education in order to be determined eligible.

Children from birth to age 3 who are eligible for special education services are also eligible for Early On® services, which is a program administered by the Michigan Department of Education Office of Great Start.

Individualized Education Program (IEP)

An individualized education program (IEP) is a written document that outlines the student's educational needs and goals, and the programs and services the school district will provide to meet those needs. The document is written by the IEP team at an IEP team meeting. The IEP is reviewed at least once a year.

Resolving Disagreements

Sometimes parents disagree with a school district's decision about the education of their child with a disability. There are several special education problem solving options. Options include informal problem solving, mediation, and formal complaints.

Other Offices and Organizations

Many offices, agencies, and organizations outside of the OSE work with families and schools to support students with disabilities. Outside supports include other MDE offices (e.g., Office of Great Start), OSE-funded initiatives (e.g., Statewide Autism Resources and Training), and other state agencies (e.g., Michigan Rehabilitation Services).

Look through the different supports for students with disabilities for help from other sources.

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How Parental Involvement Helps Children in School

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How Parental Involvement Helps Children in School

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Parental involvement in education is a cornerstone of a child's upbringing.

Thirty years of research (and counting) has proven that parents who are involved with their child's education is the best predictor of student success.

This family involvement is essential to students staying committed to their education - not only through a school year, but through the entire course of schooling. Research backs that this is true through any school district or education program.

We wanted to take a deeper look at exactly how parent involvement affects education, and to encourage parents everywhere to get involved. So we studied the research and did a deep dive into the connection between family engagement and the outcome it has on children's learning.

What does parental involvement in children's schools mean?

For some parents, being involved means dropping off or picking up their child from school, or asking whether their homework's complete. This isn't to say those things are negative or unhelpful.

But the American Psychology Association calls for something more - a shared responsibility: "[Parents] and school staff working together to support and improve the learning, development and health of children and adolescents."

In the context of children's education, parental involvement is a broad term that can take many forms both inside and outside of school. So, what role do parents play in education?

Depending on schedules, parents can help their children by participating in school functions or obligations, advocating for the school, and improving their children's schoolwork.
Examples of getting involved at home include:

Helping with homework

Modeling desired behavior

Providing ongoing encouragement

Monitoring homework completion

Creating a time and space for study

Parents can be more involved in their child's school by:

Communicating with teachers

Volunteering for school activities

Attending parent-teacher conferences

Helping with the governance of a school council

What's the importance of parental involvement in education?

In 1992, educator Armendia Dixon wrote: "Parental involvement, in almost any form, produces measurable gains in student achievement." And it holds true today.

According to People for Education, an independent Canadian organization, both types of activities outlined above are crucial. However, research shows that students' academic achievement and the presence of home-based activities are more closely linked than school-based activities.

What's more, the National Center for Family & Community Connections with School found students with involved parents saw academic success regardless of income or background. This means parents should be especially intentional about getting involved in their child's education.

Benefits of parental involvement in education

You really can bolster a child's education by creating a supportive learning environment at home. You can also do so by becoming more involved in the school community.

The research is clear: parent and family involvement creates better outcomes for students. We wanted to dive deeper into this research and show you the tangible effect it has. Here are five key ways parent engagement helps students.

1. Earn higher grades and test scores

The stronger the relationship between parental involvement and children's education, the more likely children are to achieve better grades and score higher on tests.

Evidence: One study of 71 Title I elementary schools aiming to improve low-income students' academic skills is a perfect example. When teachers met face to face with parents, sent helpful materials home, or discussed the child's trouble areas over the telephone, children's achievements in both reading and math improved.

2. Pass classes and earn credits

When parents are involved in education - at home and at school - their children tend to earn higher grades and pass from one grade to the next.

Evidence: After analyzing 700 parent interviews, researchers Wendy Miedel and Arthur Reynolds found that 1st to 8th grade children whose parents participated in more activities consistently got higher grades, spent less time in special education, and passed more grades. These findings held across all family backgrounds.

3. Reduce absenteeism

According to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, many parents:

Don't fully understand the consequences of missing school, and;

Tend to underestimate the number of school days their child has missed.

Since absenteeism can hurt children's immediate and future academic performance, it's important for parents to be engaged and aware of how much school their children miss.

Evidence: Education policy researchers Carly Robinson and Minoca Lee and psychologists Eric Dearing and Todd Rogers led a 10,900-household study in which schools mailed home six reminders of the importance of attendance throughout the year. Results showed that students in the 6,500 families who received reminders missed 8% fewer school days. Amazingly, mailings to families with the lowest attendance corresponded with a 15% reduction in chronic absenteeism.

4. Improve social skills, behavior, and adaptability

Study after study points toward the idea that parental involvement in education has strong and positive effects on children's classroom behavior and improved social skills.

Evidence: In a large analysis, non-profit organization Education Northwest found that parent involvement leads to improvements in student attitudes and social behavior. The study stated, generally, "active parent involvement is more beneficial than passive involvement, but passive forms of involvement are better than no involvement at all."

5. Graduate and pursue postsecondary education

In addition to the benefits above, over 45 years of research has consistently shown that parental involvement in education contributes to graduation rates -- regardless of income, race, or ethnicity.

Evidence: Several studies like this one have found that when parents are involved in their children's education, school success rates increase. School success, in this case, includes fewer students being held back grade levels, lower dropout rates, higher rates of on-time high school graduation, and more participation in advanced courses.

How to be involved in your child's education (11 simple tips)

It's clear getting involved in your child's education can help them - however not all schools have an existing environment where high-quality, high-impact parent involvement thrives.

Sometimes it is up to both the parents and those in the community to create that environment. While most private or public schools actively welcome parent engagement - sometimes it is up to the parents to initiate it.

As we said before, parent involvement in education can take many forms. Sometimes it takes place with teachers in the classroom and sometimes it takes place out of school and in the home.

Below are 11 simple tips to get started on parent involvement - all of which, if done correctly, can result in school improvement for your children.

1. Learn together

For a child, there's nothing worse than doing homework alone knowing that their friends are having fun. Sitting with your child during homework can transform something "boring" into a bonding experience.

On top of finding it easier to concentrate, you and your child can work through and solve problems together!

2. Recognize yourself as a role model

Whether they know it or not, you're likely the most influential person in your child's life. This is why it's so important to have a positive attitude toward school and learning in general.

As we highlight in our guide to overcoming math anxiety, for example, "If parents regularly express negative attitudes about math, children can grow up believing math ability is innate and success is tied to giftedness."

3. Make everyday activities educational

Just because school's done doesn't mean learning has to stop! Everything you do can be educational without seeming like schoolwork.

Examples of making everyday activities educational include:

Encouraging your child to take measurements while baking

Explaining scientific concepts like force and gravity while playing ball games

Challenging your child to build the strongest or tallest structure with building blocks

4. Try supplemental activities

Pay attention to your child's learning style - do they struggle with traditional pencil-and-paper assignments? Do they learn best with hands-on or game-based activities? If, for example, you have a child struggling with math, try turning it into something fun - because it can be!
You can also try out Prodigy.
Prodigy is a curriculum-aligned, fantasy-based math game used by millions of parents, teachers and children around the world. As players compete in math duels against in-game characters, they must answer math questions which include geometry, arithmetic and more. Each math question is algorithmically selected to match their skill level and help build their math confidence.

Sign up today!

5. Join a parent group

If you're unsure how to get involved in your child's education or you want to make a bigger difference, consider joining a parent group.

Whether it's a grassroots group with friends or one affiliated with the National Parent-Teacher Association, groups like this give parents a voice in their children's schools, which can help affect positive change. They can either be in-person or virtual.

Joining a National PTA, for example, is not only a great way to get involved in your child's education, but it also creates school partnerships between parents and teachers.

Parent involvement programs like this can affect the decision-making of your local schools positively, and create lasting community partnerships.

You can also join our very own Prodigy Parent Community on Facebook.

6. Monitor your child's schoolwork

Your child's backpack - especially if they're younger - is probably filled with a sea of papers and projects. It's helpful to ask your child about them as there could be due dates or homework they're struggling with. Regularly monitoring your child's schoolwork opens opportunities for you to congratulate, help and encourage your child.

7. Keep communicating

Communication is crucial for successful parental involvement in education. Be it pencil and paper or email, this takes many forms. For example, receiving and reading school communications as well as sending notes to your child's teacher about what's going on in their life.

Keeping open lines of communication between families and teachers will help strengthen relationships and the ability to understand children's moods or behaviors at school.

8. Prioritize parent-teacher conferences

From work to parenting and everything in between, we understand how busy life can get. But, if you can help it, try to make time for parent-teacher conferences because they're one of the best opportunities to ask questions and raise concerns.

Get the most out of them by taking note of important things the teacher shares. This will help inform and improve how you continue to stay involved in your child's education.

Grow your child's learning journey with Prodigy Math

With a Prodigy parent account, you can:

9. Volunteer at your child's school

Depending on your schedule, finding time to volunteer at your child's school can be tough. However, if an opportunity comes up where you can, take it! Let your child's teacher know when you're free, for how long, and get excited. Whether you're helping chaperone a field trip, monitor the lunchroom or helping out with other school events, your child will notice - and appreciate - your involvement.

10. Read to and with your children

Research has proven that, early in life, reading to your child every day has a direct positive causal impact on their own reading and cognitive skills later in life.

You can take turns reading before bed, in the car, at the library - whenever works best for your family.

11. Help your kids study

More impactful than helping your kids with their homework is laying the groundwork for them to succeed independently.

By helping your kids study, you can instill habits that can lead to future success. It can be difficult for young students to come up with effective study strategies on their own.

But having a parent or other family members help them can go a long way into ensuring they are well equipped as middle school and high school students, and even beyond into college.

Remember these 11 helpful tips for later. Download your free summary now!

Parental involvement in education is key to successful outcomes

While teachers play a huge role in the social and academic development of children, studies have overwhelmingly shown just how powerful parental involvement in education is - at school, but especially at home. Parents want what's best for their children.

And by getting more involved in their education, parents can directly impact their child's success in school and beyond.

Support your child as they learn math with a Prodigy Parent Account!

Prodigy - a curriculum-aligned, fantasy-inspired math platform that can help children practice math more confidently and improve their math skills - is used by over 50 million children and 1.5 million teachers.
The best part? All of the in-game educational content is free to play!
Create or log in to your free parent account to get started. Or check out our Premium Memberships to learn about the amazing extra features you and your child can enjoy!

Create your free account

Parental involvement in education is a cornerstone of a child's upbringing.

Thirty years of research (and counting) has proven that parents who are involved with their child's education is the best predictor of student success.

This family involvement is essential to students staying committed to their education - not only through a school year, but through the entire course of schooling. Research backs that this is true through any school district or education program.

We wanted to take a deeper look at exactly how parent involvement affects education, and to encourage parents everywhere to get involved. So we studied the research and did a deep dive into the connection between family engagement and the outcome it has on children's learning.

What does parental involvement in children's schools mean?

For some parents, being involved means dropping off or picking up their child from school, or asking whether their homework's complete. This isn't to say those things are negative or unhelpful.

But the American Psychology Association calls for something more - a shared responsibility: "[Parents] and school staff working together to support and improve the learning, development and health of children and adolescents."

In the context of children's education, parental involvement is a broad term that can take many forms both inside and outside of school. So, what role do parents play in education?

Depending on schedules, parents can help their children by participating in school functions or obligations, advocating for the school, and improving their children's schoolwork.
Examples of getting involved at home include:

Helping with homework

Modeling desired behavior

Providing ongoing encouragement

Monitoring homework completion

Creating a time and space for study

Parents can be more involved in their child's school by:

Communicating with teachers

Volunteering for school activities

Attending parent-teacher conferences

Helping with the governance of a school council

What's the importance of parental involvement in education?

In 1992, educator Armendia Dixon wrote: "Parental involvement, in almost any form, produces measurable gains in student achievement." And it holds true today.

According to People for Education, an independent Canadian organization, both types of activities outlined above are crucial. However, research shows that students' academic achievement and the presence of home-based activities are more closely linked than school-based activities.

What's more, the National Center for Family & Community Connections with School found students with involved parents saw academic success regardless of income or background. This means parents should be especially intentional about getting involved in their child's education.

Benefits of parental involvement in education

You really can bolster a child's education by creating a supportive learning environment at home. You can also do so by becoming more involved in the school community.

The research is clear: parent and family involvement creates better outcomes for students. We wanted to dive deeper into this research and show you the tangible effect it has. Here are five key ways parent engagement helps students.

1. Earn higher grades and test scores

The stronger the relationship between parental involvement and children's education, the more likely children are to achieve better grades and score higher on tests.

Evidence: One study of 71 Title I elementary schools aiming to improve low-income students' academic skills is a perfect example. When teachers met face to face with parents, sent helpful materials home, or discussed the child's trouble areas over the telephone, children's achievements in both reading and math improved.

2. Pass classes and earn credits

When parents are involved in education - at home and at school - their children tend to earn higher grades and pass from one grade to the next.

Evidence: After analyzing 700 parent interviews, researchers Wendy Miedel and Arthur Reynolds found that 1st to 8th grade children whose parents participated in more activities consistently got higher grades, spent less time in special education, and passed more grades. These findings held across all family backgrounds.

3. Reduce absenteeism

According to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, many parents:

Don't fully understand the consequences of missing school, and;

Tend to underestimate the number of school days their child has missed.

Since absenteeism can hurt children's immediate and future academic performance, it's important for parents to be engaged and aware of how much school their children miss.

Evidence: Education policy researchers Carly Robinson and Minoca Lee and psychologists Eric Dearing and Todd Rogers led a 10,900-household study in which schools mailed home six reminders of the importance of attendance throughout the year. Results showed that students in the 6,500 families who received reminders missed 8% fewer school days. Amazingly, mailings to families with the lowest attendance corresponded with a 15% reduction in chronic absenteeism.

4. Improve social skills, behavior, and adaptability

Study after study points toward the idea that parental involvement in education has strong and positive effects on children's classroom behavior and improved social skills.

Evidence: In a large analysis, non-profit organization Education Northwest found that parent involvement leads to improvements in student attitudes and social behavior. The study stated, generally, "active parent involvement is more beneficial than passive involvement, but passive forms of involvement are better than no involvement at all."

5. Graduate and pursue postsecondary education

In addition to the benefits above, over 45 years of research has consistently shown that parental involvement in education contributes to graduation rates -- regardless of income, race, or ethnicity.

Evidence: Several studies like this one have found that when parents are involved in their children's education, school success rates increase. School success, in this case, includes fewer students being held back grade levels, lower dropout rates, higher rates of on-time high school graduation, and more participation in advanced courses.

How to be involved in your child's education (11 simple tips)

It's clear getting involved in your child's education can help them - however not all schools have an existing environment where high-quality, high-impact parent involvement thrives.

Sometimes it is up to both the parents and those in the community to create that environment. While most private or public schools actively welcome parent engagement - sometimes it is up to the parents to initiate it.

As we said before, parent involvement in education can take many forms. Sometimes it takes place with teachers in the classroom and sometimes it takes place out of school and in the home.

Below are 11 simple tips to get started on parent involvement - all of which, if done correctly, can result in school improvement for your children.

1. Learn together

For a child, there's nothing worse than doing homework alone knowing that their friends are having fun. Sitting with your child during homework can transform something "boring" into a bonding experience.

On top of finding it easier to concentrate, you and your child can work through and solve problems together!

2. Recognize yourself as a role model

Whether they know it or not, you're likely the most influential person in your child's life. This is why it's so important to have a positive attitude toward school and learning in general.

As we highlight in our guide to overcoming math anxiety, for example, "If parents regularly express negative attitudes about math, children can grow up believing math ability is innate and success is tied to giftedness."

3. Make everyday activities educational

Just because school's done doesn't mean learning has to stop! Everything you do can be educational without seeming like schoolwork.

Examples of making everyday activities educational include:

Encouraging your child to take measurements while baking

Explaining scientific concepts like force and gravity while playing ball games

Challenging your child to build the strongest or tallest structure with building blocks

4. Try supplemental activities

Pay attention to your child's learning style - do they struggle with traditional pencil-and-paper assignments? Do they learn best with hands-on or game-based activities? If, for example, you have a child struggling with math, try turning it into something fun - because it can be!
You can also try out Prodigy.
Prodigy is a curriculum-aligned, fantasy-based math game used by millions of parents, teachers and children around the world. As players compete in math duels against in-game characters, they must answer math questions which include geometry, arithmetic and more. Each math question is algorithmically selected to match their skill level and help build their math confidence.

Sign up today!

5. Join a parent group

If you're unsure how to get involved in your child's education or you want to make a bigger difference, consider joining a parent group.

Whether it's a grassroots group with friends or one affiliated with the National Parent-Teacher Association, groups like this give parents a voice in their children's schools, which can help affect positive change. They can either be in-person or virtual.

Joining a National PTA, for example, is not only a great way to get involved in your child's education, but it also creates school partnerships between parents and teachers.

Parent involvement programs like this can affect the decision-making of your local schools positively, and create lasting community partnerships.

You can also join our very own Prodigy Parent Community on Facebook.

6. Monitor your child's schoolwork

Your child's backpack - especially if they're younger - is probably filled with a sea of papers and projects. It's helpful to ask your child about them as there could be due dates or homework they're struggling with. Regularly monitoring your child's schoolwork opens opportunities for you to congratulate, help and encourage your child.

7. Keep communicating

Communication is crucial for successful parental involvement in education. Be it pencil and paper or email, this takes many forms. For example, receiving and reading school communications as well as sending notes to your child's teacher about what's going on in their life.

Keeping open lines of communication between families and teachers will help strengthen relationships and the ability to understand children's moods or behaviors at school.

8. Prioritize parent-teacher conferences

From work to parenting and everything in between, we understand how busy life can get. But, if you can help it, try to make time for parent-teacher conferences because they're one of the best opportunities to ask questions and raise concerns.

Get the most out of them by taking note of important things the teacher shares. This will help inform and improve how you continue to stay involved in your child's education.

Grow your child's learning journey with Prodigy Math

With a Prodigy parent account, you can:

9. Volunteer at your child's school

Depending on your schedule, finding time to volunteer at your child's school can be tough. However, if an opportunity comes up where you can, take it! Let your child's teacher know when you're free, for how long, and get excited. Whether you're helping chaperone a field trip, monitor the lunchroom or helping out with other school events, your child will notice - and appreciate - your involvement.

10. Read to and with your children

Research has proven that, early in life, reading to your child every day has a direct positive causal impact on their own reading and cognitive skills later in life.

You can take turns reading before bed, in the car, at the library - whenever works best for your family.

11. Help your kids study

More impactful than helping your kids with their homework is laying the groundwork for them to succeed independently.

By helping your kids study, you can instill habits that can lead to future success. It can be difficult for young students to come up with effective study strategies on their own.

But having a parent or other family members help them can go a long way into ensuring they are well equipped as middle school and high school students, and even beyond into college.

Remember these 11 helpful tips for later. Download your free summary now!

Parental involvement in education is key to successful outcomes

While teachers play a huge role in the social and academic development of children, studies have overwhelmingly shown just how powerful parental involvement in education is - at school, but especially at home. Parents want what's best for their children.

And by getting more involved in their education, parents can directly impact their child's success in school and beyond.

Support your child as they learn math with a Prodigy Parent Account!

Prodigy - a curriculum-aligned, fantasy-inspired math platform that can help children practice math more confidently and improve their math skills - is used by over 50 million children and 1.5 million teachers.
The best part? All of the in-game educational content is free to play!
Create or log in to your free parent account to get started. Or check out our Premium Memberships to learn about the amazing extra features you and your child can enjoy!

Create your free account

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Importance of Parent Involvement in School & Ways To Get Involved

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Research shows the importance and significance of parental involvement in education. Here are five benefits and 10 tips to help you get started.

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10 Tips for Getting Involved in your Child's School

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10 Tips for Getting Involved in your Child's School

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Parent involvement in education plays a key role in student success. Regardless of your child's age, your involvement in the school community demonstrates that you value education and that you are interested in what your child is learning. When parents are involved, not only do children benefit from higher levels of academic success and improved behavior, but parents reap the rewards of being more deeply connected to the community and enhancing their own skills. Some volunteer roles may require more time than others, but there are opportunities for everyone. Consider becoming involved in the following ways:

Do you enjoy writing or taking photos? Find out if your child's school or class has a newsletter and if not, start one! Help others become more connected by sharing what is happening in the school.

Children need daily opportunities to read and be read to. Talk with your school administrator to see what classrooms or grade levels might benefit from an extra adult to listen to children read. Enlist other volunteers to assist and serve more children.

Coordinate with the school librarian or teachers to set up a regular story time for children. This might be especially helpful at transition times when children are waiting to enter classrooms in the morning or for buses and daycare vans at dismissal time.

Do you have a special talent or hobby? Perhaps you play a musical instrument or knit. Find out how you might share your skill by performing for students or teaching students your talent.

Expand on sharing your talent or skill by starting an after school club for children to learn and explore more. Music, crafts, games, and exercise are just some activities that would engage children.

Many schools have a Parent Resource Center. This is a wonderful place for parents to connect with others and find needed information. Volunteer to work in the center greeting parents and arranging resources. If your school doesn't have a Parent Resource Center, talk to the principal about how you can assist in starting one.

Many adults today are members of book clubs which provide wonderful opportunities for members to share their thoughts about what they read in small groups. Talk to your child's teacher about starting a lunch time book club with a small group of readers with comparable skills and similar interests.

Get involved in the school's parent organization - attend monthly meetings or volunteer to take on an elected role. Parent organizations provide wonderful opportunities to develop leadership skills and be involved in school as well as district wide initiatives.

Lunchtime is a busy time in any school and extra help is always appreciated in the cafeteria. Volunteer as a lunch monitor and use the opportunity to talk and engage with children as they enjoy their meals.

It can often be challenging to fit homework in to a family's evening routines. Find out if students at your school might benefit from an after school homework or tutoring session and organize regular volunteer staffed sessions. In addition to other parents, consider how older children can serve as volunteers or mentors to younger students.

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10 Tips for Getting Involved in Your Child's School | National Center for Families Learning

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Parent involvement in the school community demonstrates that they value education and that they're interested in what their child is learning.

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Your Level of Parent Involvement May Vary - All Parental Involvement is Important!

As a parent yourself, you know how valuable it is for parents to be involved in their children's education. Parent/family involvement can happen in a number of ways: from helping with homework, to going to school events, to participating in development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP), to serving on advisory groups and sitting on committees.

After all, you know your child best. Your input into his or her education is critical. You know how he or she learns, what is easy and what is hard, what works and what doesn't work. You can help the school understand your child.

Being involved in the school also lets your children know that they and their school are important and that they should do their best.

Your input, as a parent of a child with a disability, is important for other groups in your community that are not specific to disability. Follow your child's lead. They may be interested in Scouting, 4-H, sports, theater company - all opportunities for you to be involved.

Why should I be involved?

Parent/family involvement helps your child succeed in school. It results in your child being absent less and better behaved. A home that supports learning is important. This affects your child's school success. It matters more than your income, educational level or cultural background, and it is fun.

How can I be involved?

Be sure to check out our list of opportunities to be involved in disability and special education committees/organizations.

What does the research say?

From CPIR: When schools and families work together, student learning and outcomes improve. So do:

children's attitudes toward school,

their social skills and behavior, and

the likelihood that they will take more challenging classes and pass them.

Why does Michigan Alliance for Families care?

One goal of Michigan Alliance for Families is to increase family involvement for families of children with disabilities in schools. We help facilitate parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for children with disabilities. Michigan Alliance for Families can assist you in knowing your rights, effectively communicating your child's needs, and advising how to help your child develop and learn.

What does IDEA say about family involvement?

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), strongly supports parents' right to be involved in the special education their child receives. IDEA states: Almost 30 years of research and experience has demonstrated that the education of children with disabilities can be made more effective by... strengthening the role and responsibility of parents and ensuring that families ... have meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children at school and at home.

What does the law say about family involvement?

You know family involvement is important. The state and federal governments also recognize that parents and family members need to be involved. They require school districts to find ways to welcome and support families. The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) has provided an overview to school districts about family involvement. The federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), requires that schools help families be involved. Part B of IDEA applies to preschool, school age children and young adults. Part C of IDEA applies to children birth to age 2; in Michigan, it is called Early On®.

MDE is required to submit a State Performance Plan (a plan for Part B and a plan for Part C) to describe to the federal government how the state is meeting the federal requirements. These requirements are described as Indicators. Both Part C and Part B have an Indicator relating to family involvement.

The state also measures family involvement in both Part B and Part C by sending parents surveys. These surveys are developed and sent out by Wayne State University. Part C surveys and surveys to parents of preschoolers are sent every year. For Part B, surveys are sent to parents in a third of the school districts every year. So Part B parents can expect to get a survey every three years.

What are the indicators?

Part C Indicator 4: Percent of families participating in Part C who report that early intervention services have helped the family:

A. Know their Rights

B. Effectively communicate their children's needs

C. Help their children develop and learn

Part B Indicator 8:

Percent of parents with a child receiving special education services who report that schools facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for children with disabilities.

Click here to read Michigan's Part C State Systemic Improvement Plan and click here to read Michigan's Part B State Performance Plan.

How can I learn more about how schools are facilitating family involvement?

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Family Involvement - Michigan Alliance for Families

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Your Level of Parent Involvement May Vary - All Parental Involvement is Important! As a parent yourself, you know how valuable it is for parents to be involved in their children's education. Parent/family involvement can happen in a number of ways: from helping with homework, to going to school events, to participating in development of...

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Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency 

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Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency 

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Marquette-Alger RESA Board of Education Regular Board Meeting Monday, January 29, 2024 at 6:00 p.m.
Notice of regular Board Meeting Agenda for Regular Board Meeting 1-29-2024
Marquette-Alger RESA Board of Education Meetings are on the fourth Monday of the Month.
NOTICE OF REGULAR BOARD MEETING OF TALENT TOGETHER
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT THE REGULAR JANUARY 2024 MEETING OF THE TALENT TOGETHER BOARD WILL TAKE PLACE ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2024 AT 9:30 AM

DATE OF MEETING: January 24, 2024

TIME OF MEETING: 9:30 a.m.

PLACE OF MEETING:
Renaissance Center - Nicolet B on Level 5
400 Renaissance Drive
Detroit, Michigan 48243

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ABOUT US

Association History and Overview

For more than 30 years, MASSP has been committed to growing leadership both in the profession of the principalship, but also within the students that principals lead. Throughout time, The Michigan Associations of Student Councils and Honor Societies (MASC/MAHS), MASSP's Student Leadership Division has become one of the most successful state student leadership organizations across the nation.

Michigan's Premier Student Leadership Organization

Matt Alley

Associate Director

We want to share our work experiences

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Become a Member School!

Join our community of over 300 schools across Michigan!

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ABOUT US For more than 30 years, MASSP has been committed to growing leadership both in the profession of the principalship, but also within the students that principals lead. Throughout time, The Michigan Associations of Student Councils and Honor Societies (MASC/MAHS), MASSP's Student Leadership Division has become one of the most successful state student leadership organizations across the nation.

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Black Mental Health - If You Don't Know, Now You Know I The Daily Show

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Snapping the Chain: Ending Mental Health Stigma in the African American Community

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Snapping the Chain: Ending Mental Health Stigma in the African American Community

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Snapping the Chain: Ending Mental Health Stigma in the African American Community

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Parenting a Teen with Depression | Keyla Kirton | TEDxMcKinney

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101 Effective Calm Down Strategies for Children 

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101 Effective Calm Down Strategies for Children 

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Learning calm down strategies for kids is especially useful for situations that stress them out. Common sources of stress include schoolwork, grades, changing schools, problems at home, parents going through a divorce, and changes in their bodies[*].

Because a child's brain is still developing, they may not always have the ability to express and control how they feel unlike adults. Fortunately, developmental studies are showing that we're able to regulate our emotions better with age[*].

This is why it's important for parents to help kids navigate the daily challenges they encounter. If your child is often irritable and angry, and you notice changes in their eating and sleeping habits, they may be dealing with strong negative emotions[*].

In that case, these calming activities for kids will help lower their stress and improve their performance and relationships.

101 Best Calm Down Strategies for Kids

Any of these methods can be practiced at home, in the classroom, or anywhere.

1. Ask a friend to play - Indoor and outdoor activities include building Legos, doing puzzles, playing in sandboxes, and having a tea party.

2. Ask for help if you need it - Parents can model help-seeking at home. For example, asking your child to help in the kitchen.

3. Blow a pinwheel - This helps them control their breathing and quiet their emotions.

4. Blow bubbles - This is another type of breath play that promotes relaxation.

5. Build something - Encourage them to make something great. Try a water bottle rocket or a storage shelf!

6. Clean or organize your room - Making their own bed and putting things back where they belong are just some of the many strategies kids can try.

7. Close your eyes and breathe deep - Deep belly breathing involves inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.

8. Color - Coloring is a great stress reliever. It can be an outlet for their emotions.

9. Count backwards from 50 - Here's a fun way to do this: Play an upbeat background music and chant the numbers backwards.

10. Count to 10 or 100 - This distracts your child from an intrusive thought.

11. Cuddle up with a cozy blanket - This could be a wearable blanket of their favorite color, cartoon character, or animal.

12. Dance - Physical movements allow them to release emotions and experience relief.

13. Do a puzzle - Buy a jigsaw puzzle or make your own DIY version using cardboard.

14. Do a wall sit for as long as you can - This exercise involves placing your head and back against the wall in a "sitting" position, and holding that position for at least 20 seconds.

15. Do a word search - Word search puzzles keep your kids' minds entertained.

16. Do fifty arm circles - Stand with your arms stretched out to the side and draw small circles using your arms.

17. Doodle on paper - Let them draw whatever they like - lines, shapes, images. There are no mistakes here.

18. Do origami - Origami improves hand-eye coordination. It also allows for mental focus.

19. Draw - This allows kids to focus on creativity instead of their source of stress.

20. Eat a healthy snack - Try yogurt, cheese slices, a fruit smoothie, and homemade energy balls.

21. Exercise - Exercises that are proven to reduce anxiety include walking, cycling, swimming, and dancing[*].

22. Feel your pulse - Focusing how your pulse feels keeps you in the present moment.

23. Get a back scratch - This helps relieve tension. Not to mention, it feels good!

24. Get a drink of water - Water has a natural calming effect on the body. Being dehydrated negatively affects your mood.

25. Get or give a hug - Hug a friend or family member. Hug yourself too!

26. Get up and move around - Run for 15 minutes. Play your favorite music and dance. Do 10 jump ropes.

27. Go for a walk - It's a chance to connect with nature, plus it allows them to get vitamin D, which benefits mental health[*].

28. Go swimming - You can also play simple pool games, such as Marco Polo and a splash dance!

29. Go to a park - Parks are wonderful places to experience nature and engage in a physical activity.

30. Go to a quiet place - Silence relieves tension. Noise-free zones include their bedroom and the garden.

31. Hug a pillow or stuffed animal - The act of hugging creates feelings of safety and trust.

32. Jump up and down for a minute - Jumping is a simple exercise to release tension and increase happy hormones.

33. Listen to a guided meditation for kids - Yes, parents can definitely teach young kids to meditate! There are plenty of free relaxation scripts for kids available online.

34. Listen to an audiobook - On top of helping them calm down, audio books can improve their vocabulary.

35. Listen to music - When your child feels emotional, play some peaceful instrumental piano or flute music.

36. List five things you can see - This helps them shift their focus to their environment. It can be done in their room or at a beach.

37. List four things you can feel - It could be the temperature of the room or the softness of their hair.

38. List three things you can hear - It could be people talking in the background (in a public place) or a dog barking.

39. List two things you can smell - It could be the scent of mom's perfume or chicken soup in the kitchen.

40. List one thing you like to taste - Engaging their sense of taste is one way to reduce anxious feelings.

41. Look at animal pictures - Try images of baby animals. A polar bear cub, lamb, meerkat, chick, and penguin.

42. Look at a picture of a peaceful place - Images of nature can take your child on a mental vacation. You can "Google" seascapes, mountains, and other green spaces.

43. Look at photos - Pictures of happy memories spark positive feelings.

44. Look at stars - Appreciate the night sky with your naked eye. Kids can also use a binocular or telescope if you have one at home.

45. Look out the window - It's a simple way to give the mind a break.

46. Paint - Let them paint what they feel.

47. Pet an animal - This is called "pet therapy." Pet a rabbit, guinea pig, or dog.

48. Play a board game - A therapy board game on coping skills or diffusing anger is also a good idea.

49. Play a card game - This reinforces concentration and teaches the value of patience.

50. Play a sport - Sports activities, such as basketball, swimming, and cycling also help kids grow their self-confidence.

51. Play "I Spy" - It's simple. Just name an object that you can see and make sure everyone can see it too.

52. Play music on an instrument - This gives kids an opportunity to express their feelings. It also creates a sense of achievement.

53. Play with Legos - This can be done alone or in a group to encourage collaboration.

54. Practice Yoga - Kids who can follow instructions may start doing yoga to manage their emotions.

55. Push your palms together - This helps ease muscle tension, one of the things that kids feel when they're stressed or angry.

56. Read a book - Be sure to choose books that inspire a positive outlook in your child.

57. Read jokes or comics - Choose kid-friendly jokes. For example, "What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta!"

58. Ride a bike - Or you could teach them using a balance bike if they're still beginners.

59. Rip up newspaper - The act of tearing provides an outlet for strong emotions.

60. Rock back and forth - This can be soothing for some kids who are troubled with negative thoughts.

61. Run around outside - Ensure safety by letting them wear running shoes and avoiding dim areas.

62. Run in place - When it's raining outside, your child can find a spot at home where they can release their energy.

63. Sing a song - Let them sing their heart out!

64. Smell your favorite scents - Or choose a scent for them that's known to have calming properties, such as lemon, lavender, and peppermint.

65. Spend time in nature - Parents can also make this a game. Set up treasure hunts in the garden or challenge them to collect shells at the beach.

66. Square breathing - This is also known as "box breathing," a technique where you take small deep breaths to reduce symptoms of stress in the body.

67. Squeeze a stress ball - The act of squeezing a stress ball relieves tension.

68. Squeeze clay or play-doh - Squeezing play dough is an alternative to squeezing stress balls.

69. Stretch - You can do this together with your child. Reach for the sky or do the child's pose.

70. Swing - Swinging sparks positive emotions. It also improves blood flow to the brain.

71. Take a break - Relaxing breaks can include dancing, watching a calming video, and learning another language.

72. Take a break from electronics - Power down technology, especially before bedtime or anytime they feel overwhelmed.

73. Take a bubble bath - Bubble baths have many benefits, including relieving stress-related muscle tension and improving mood.

74. Take a nap - A 20 to 30-minute nap improves their problem solving-abilities, plus it gives them a mental and emotional break.

75. Take a warm bath or shower - Warm temperatures relax tense muscles.

76. Take three deep belly breaths - Place one hand on your belly and the other one on your chest.

77. Talk to someone you trust - Talking to a friend or family member that's willing to listen.

78. Tell yourself, "Be calm, be calm." - Encourage your child to say this often so that it moves into their subconscious mind.

79. Tell yourself, "I am cool and calm." - This is a better alternative to "I don't lose my temper."

80. Tell yourself, "I can deal with this." - This compels kids to gain control over their emotions instead of letting a problem overwhelm them.

81. Tell yourself, "I can get help if I need it." - Having someone you can trust during stressful times expands your problem solving skills.

82. Tell yourself, "I got this." - This increases their motivation to find solutions to a problem.

83. Tell yourself, "I'm in control of myself." - Back this up by getting a good night's sleep and taking breaks.

84. Tell yourself, "I'm letting this one go." - After saying this to themselves, they can channel their energy into a fun and creative activity.

85. Tell yourself, "I'm strong I can handle this." - This sentence can be a great way to build self-esteem and remind kids of their strengths.

86. Tell yourself, "I won't let this problem get me down." - This releases you from excessive worrying and anxiety.

87. Tell yourself, "Relax it's okay." - Some chilling out ideas include visualizing a calm and safe place and making a gratitude list.

88. Tell yourself, "Time out I'm taking a walk." - This removes a child from a stressful situation.

89. Tense and relax your muscles - Be sure to take a deep breath throughout the exercise.

90. Think happy thoughts - Focusing on pleasant thoughts will improve a child's ability to cope in life.

91. Think of something funny - Or seek out friends and family members who are lighthearted.

92. Use a weighted blanket - The weight of the blanket effectively calms their bodies and may even help them sleep better.

93. Visualize yourself calming down - This means focusing on feeling better instead of your trigger.

94. Watch a movie - Find a movie that makes your kids laugh!

95. Watch the clouds go by - Clouds can represent emotions. Moving clouds is a good reminder that emotions are not permanent.

96. Write a list of your top ten coping skills - Encourage your child to remind themselves of skills they can use to get through stressful times. This can be anything from deep breathing to meditation.

97. Write a story - This engages their imagination and helps with problem-solving.

98. Write down three things you are grateful for - It's always helpful to remind yourself of the good things in life - friends, a good book, and having a pet.

99. Write down your feelings - They may express how they feel on a piece of paper or journal.

100. Write in a journal - This can also be practiced regularly even though they don't feel stressed.

101. Yell into a pillow - It's cathartic in that it allows kids to let go of intense emotions.

Download our 101 Calm Down Strategies for Kids

Looking for a printable version of these calming techniques for kids? Download it now!

For more anxiety resources, check out our anxiety worksheets. Our worksheets provide visual and written engagement to support different modalities of learning, which can enhance traditional talk or play therapy.

References:

American Psychological Association. How to help children and teens manage their stress. 2022 July 06

Martin R, Ochsner K. The Neuroscience of Emotion Regulation Development: Implications for Education. 2017 August 01

American Psychological Association. How to help children and teens manage their stress. 2022 July 06

Sharma A, Madaan V, Petty F. Exercise for Mental Health. 2006

Penckofer S, Kouba J, Byrn M et al. Vitamin D and Depression: Where is all the Sunshine? 2011 June 01

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101 Effective Calm Down Strategies for Kids

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Discover these calm down strategies for kids that will help them deal with their emotions more healthily. Our list includes exercises, games, and affirmations they can practice anywhere.

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Calming Techniques for Children with Anxiety

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Calming Techniques for Children with Anxiety

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7 Calming Techniques for Kids with Anxiety

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Affiliate and Referral links are used below to promote products I love and recommend. I receive a commission on any purchases made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues in children.

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It's normal for children and young people to feel worried about something that's happening at school - for example, when starting a new school or during exams. Sometimes, however, school can become challenging, stressful or distressing over a much longer period of time.

If your child is feeling anxious about school, or not able to go, it can be exhausting for both of you. Mornings in particular can become really stressful for the whole family, as you try to juggle your child's feelings alongside the need to get them to school and get on with your other responsibilities such as work. Even if you manage to get your child to the school gate, you might know how difficult they're going to find the day - or know that you'll be facing the same problem tomorrow morning.

If you're in this situation, we've got advice to help you explore what's going on with your child, make changes at school that can help, and find the support you need if your child can't go to school.

Young people can feel anxious about school for lots of different reasons. They might be worried about making friends or fitting in, find schoolwork or lessons confusing, feel pressured to learn in a certain way or find their relationships with teachers difficult.

Sometimes, going through difficult experiences outside of school - such as bereavement, an illness in the family or being a young carer - can also make it harder for a child to feel settled at school.

For some young people, the school environment isn't right for them, and trying to fit into it can create a huge amount of stress. This might be the case if they are struggling with their mental health, or have a neurodiverse condition or Special Educational Need (SEN) such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia or dyspraxia. This can make the school environment anxiety-provoking and exhausting, especially if their condition or need is undiagnosed or not being well supported.

Young people might show they're feeling anxious about school by:

not wanting to get up and get ready

saying they can't go

worrying a lot about small issues, such as having the right equipment for a lesson

feeling sick, or having stomach aches or headaches

not sleeping well

not doing schoolwork, or their grades dropping

being angry or upset, or acting out - at school or at home

withdrawing - seeming low, quiet or depressed

It's often difficult for your child to articulate the problem. They may be in a heightened state of stress and not know why or feel able to explain. Your child probably wants to feel able to be in school, just as much as you want them to be there. In many cases it just doesn't feel possible.

Sometimes it can be difficult to work out what's making your child feel anxious, and the first step is often helping them to identify exactly what's worrying them. Once you understand the problem, you'll be in a much better position to make changes that can help.

Young people can find it hard to explain what's causing their feelings, and might not be able to answer direct questions like 'what's going on?' Using an anxiety iceberg can help to open up the conversation - giving you a more relaxed way of exploring together what's causing their anxiety.

Watch our video to find out how to make an anxiety iceberg with your child.

If you're making an anxiety iceberg with younger children, you might want to draw images on the iceberg, or encourage them to write simple words. With older children and teenagers, you can ask them to write key words and phrases on the iceberg, or do this as a mind map, with 'school' in the middle and all the things they're finding difficult around the outside.

Through this exercise, you might identify worries such as arriving at school, finding the environment noisy or overwhelming, finding lessons confusing, feeling lonely through the day, or feeling uncomfortable during specific subjects.

Once you understand what's going on for your child, you can use their anxiety iceberg or mind map to communicate with the school and ask for specific changes.

Follow these steps to start a conversation with the school:

Here are some examples of things you can ask the school for:

Remember that even though this situation can be really tough for you and your child, it's a good idea to maintain a positive relationship with the school. Recognise the support they're offering and any changes they're making. This will help you work together to make things better for your child.

Building a relationship with the attendance team at my son's school was hugely helpful, we were talking with them each day.

If your child isn't going to school at the moment, it might feel incredibly stressful and tiring. You might be worried about when they will be able to get back to school or the impact on their education. Or you might feel overwhelmed because you're juggling this alongside work and other family commitments. Things are probably feeling tough for your child too.

During this time, it's important to keep working with teachers and other staff to try strategies that can help your child get back to school. Keep encouraging them to take achievable steps towards attending too. When the right support is in place, it's often easier for a young person to get back into their usual routine if they can return to school as quickly as possible.

If your child's anxiety about school has built up to the point where they can't go, it's a good idea to get them some professional mental health or SEN support. Find out how to do this further down the page.

Alongside requesting professional help, try to:

The school's SEN and attendance policies should be on their website. Knowing what these are can support you during meetings with the school.

This can help if your child is unable to go to school for a longer period of time and you need to ask for more support, including provision of alternative full-time education.

Encourage your child to get up, do some studying and stop for lunch at the same times they would if they were in school. This will make adapting back to school easier. Explain to your child that if they cannot go to school, they will need to study at home - at least until alternative arrangements are put in place. Ask the school to help you facilitate tasks and activities your child can do and use online resources such as BBC Bitesize.

Not going to school could leave your child feeling really isolated. Make sure they stay connected to the outside world by seeing friends and family, doing activities they enjoy and getting outside for walks and exercise.

Speaking to friends online can be really important if your child is feeling isolated at home. Sometimes, however, you might notice that your child is spending lots of time gaming or on their phone, and that this is getting in the way of important daily activities like spending quality time with family, learning, or sleeping and eating well. If this is becoming a problem, have a look at our guide to gaming or guide to social media for more information and advice.

Local authorities must provide alternative education if a child of compulsory school age is unable to attend school over a longer period of time. If your child cannot attend school because of a mental or physical health issue, the local authority should provide an alternative as soon as it is clear that they will be away from school for more than 15 days (either consecutively or over time). Find out how to request alternative education.

Getting back to school after weeks or months may feel extremely difficult for your child, but you and the school can help make it more manageable. Here are some things you can do to help:

Set small, achievable targets, such as visiting the building outside school hours or attending one lesson.

Request a home visit from a school staff member so your child can check in while feeling safe, see that the school cares and discuss any strategies that might help them.

Ask for a reduced timetable, with regular reviews to discuss building back up at a manageable rate.

Discuss changing classes or sets if your child thinks this would help.

Focus on qualifications needed for what your child wants to do next, perhaps dropping a less relevant GCSE to reduce stress.

My son wasn't questioned about his absence when he did feel able to pop in for favourite lessons, helping to ease him back into full days of education.

If your child is struggling with anxiety and it's affecting their day-to-day life, learning or relationships, it's a good idea to find some professional support. Speaking to the GP and finding them a counsellor or therapist are two good places to start. You can find more information about GPs, counsellors and other mental health services in our guide to getting support from mental health services.

If there is no other obvious reason for your child's inability to attend school, they may have an undiagnosed Special Educational Need (SEN) such as dyslexia, autism or ADHD.

If you think this is the case:

Speak to the school's SENCO or your GP to ask for a referral for an assessment.

While you are waiting for an assessment, you can also ask the SENCO to refer your child for support from other professionals, such as an Educational Psychologist or Speech and Language Therapist. These professionals can identify specific needs and make recommendations for additional support the school can put in place - even if your child hasn't had a formal diagnosis yet.

SEN support at school
If your child is diagnosed with SEN, extra support and adjustments should be put in place at school to help them attend and learn. This is called SEN support, and should be available within the school's existing resources. Speak to the school's SENCO in the first instance about how the school will support your child.
Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans
If you do not think your child's needs can be met by the school's existing resources, you can ask the local authority to carry out an Education, Health and Care needs assessment (EHC needs assessment). If the local authority decides your child needs additional support, they will then make an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC plan). This outlines how the extra support they need will be provided. Find out more about EHC plans.
Your Local Offer
Your Local Offer is the information, support and services available for young people with SEN, and for their parents and families. You can find out what support is available in your area by going to your local authority's website and searching for their Local Offer.

While we take care to ensure that the organisations we signpost to provide high quality information and advice, we cannot take responsibility for any specific pieces of advice they may offer. We encourage parents and carers to always explore the website of a linked service or organisation to understand who they are and what support they offer before engaging with them.

We have more tips and advice on supporting your child with school, and information about how you can get in touch with our Parents Helpline.
This page was reviewed in December 2022. It was created with parents and carers with lived experience of supporting their child or young person with school anxiety. We will next review the page in 2025. YoungMinds is a proud member of PIF TICK - the UK's quality mark for trusted health information.
Whether you love the page or think something is missing, we appreciate your feedback. It all helps us to support more young people with their mental health.

Please be aware that this form isn't a mental health support service. If your child is in crisis right now and you want to talk to someone urgently, find out who to contact on our urgent help page.

At YoungMinds we take your privacy seriously. If you'd like to read more about how we keep the information we collect safe, take a look at our privacy policy.

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School Anxiety and Refusal | Parent Guide to Support

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If your child is anxious about school, or refusing to go to school at all, read our tips and advice on how you can support their mental health.

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10 Tips to Support Children's Mental Health 

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10 Tips to Support Children's Mental Health 

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As parents, it's important to ensure that our children feel supported through each stage of development. While professional intervention can be warranted in situations where children are having great difficulty coping with life, there are many ways that parents can support a child's mental health.

1. Model healthy coping skills.

You can help your children learn how to deal with their emotions in a healthy way by modeling coping skills at home. You can engage in these skills with your child or talk them through doing them on their own. Activities such as deep breathing, using stress balls, making art (painting, coloring, doodling) or going for walks can be great strategies for coping with feelings.

2. Watch for behavior changes.

It's very normal for kids to go through changes in behavior while progressing through different developmental stages. However, if you notice that your child has become more withdrawn or isolated from their friends, family or routine, it may be a sign that they're experiencing a situation or feeling that they don't know how to process on their own. Check in with your child and let them know you're there and ready to support them however they need.

3. Keep communication open and honest.

It's important that your child knows they can approach you with any issue, and that they will be received and listened to with love and support. Simply letting them know that you are there to support and listen to them without judgment can increase the likelihood that they'll come to you when they have a problem.

4. Create a routine and set clear boundaries at home.

Uncertainty about day-to-day schedules can lead to a lot of stress or anxiety in a child's life. Creating a general routine at home can provide some relief and peace for your child, whether it's a schedule for daily meals or a weekly movie night. Having clear boundaries is also important for your child to know what is expected of them at home and can minimize feelings of frustration from both parent and child.

5. Let them know they are loved and supported.

For a child, one of the most important things you can provide is an environment where they know they are loved and important. They know they are supported no matter what they do, and this increases their feelings of security and safety in the home.

6. Provide positive feedback and encouragement

Kids love to receive positive feedback and learn that they've done something well. Knowing they've done something well increases feelings of pride and confidence, which can stick with a child long term. In addition, providing positive reinforcement for behaviors will often encourage children to repeat that behavior.

7. Encourage joyful movement.

Physical activity provides a necessary outlet for kids, which is important for both physical and mental health. Helping children find a type of movement they enjoy, even from an early age, is a great way to ensure they remain engaged and interested. Participating in movement together with your child can also be a great way to get them involved.

8. Talk about emotions and feelings regularly.

Kids learn so much by watching their parents, including behaviors when it comes to emotional expression and regulation. Rather than simply saying your day was "good" or "OK," try to discuss different emotions you felt throughout your day when talking with your child. Talk to them about the moment you felt stressed in a meeting or frustrated with a coworker-and then talk to them about how you handled your emotions in that situation. This teaches them that these feelings are normal, provides suggestions on how to handle the feelings and gives them the vocabulary to talk about a wider range of emotions affecting them. Don't be afraid to bring up the subject of mental health with older children and adolescents.

9. Involve them in decision making.

As adults, we feel we know what's best for our child, and so children are often left out of the decision-making process. Of course, it may be more appropriate for the parent to make the final decision. However, finding ways to include your child in making decisions can help them feel that they are heard and valued in their home. Something as simple as asking them whether they think you should prepare rice or macaroni and cheese with dinner can show them they have a voice and give them the confidence to use it.

10. Get professional help if needed.

Recognizing when your child needs help is a crucial skill to have as a parent. There may be times when it can be overwhelming or frustrating to try to handle your child's behaviors or respond appropriately to their emotions. Don't be afraid to find and ask for help-it can be a great benefit to both you and your child.

Discovery is here to help

As you go through this process, remember that children go through changes during development that affect emotional expression and regulation, and it's quite normal to see drastic differences in how your child handles each stage.

These tools can be excellent ways to help support your child's mental well-being. But if your child is struggling with depression or anxiety, and you have exhausted your own means to help them, reach out to Discovery Mood & Anxiety Program for answers. We can find the right path for your child and you.
Madeline Radigan Langham is a registered dietitian who works with adolescents in mental health residential treatment. She is passionate about advocating for weight inclusivity and a non-diet approach to help people heal their relationships with food and their bodies. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors and spending time on trails with her family. You can find more of Madeline's thoughts and work at radnutrition.net or on Instagram at @mradnutrition.
Related Articles on Discovery Mood & Anxiety Program

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How Parents Can Support a Child's Mental Health

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As parents, it's important to ensure that our children feel supported through each stage of development. While professional intervention can be warranted in situations where children are having great difficulty coping with life, there are many ways that parents can support a child's mental health.

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Breaking the Stigma About Children's Mental Health

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Breaking the Stigma About Children's Mental Health

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Children's Mental Health | Breaking Stigma and Creating Change

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Breaking the Link Between Poverty and Mental Health

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Breaking the Link Between Poverty and Mental Health

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Breaking the Cycle of Poverty and Mental Health

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Explore how poverty can affect mental health and what measures can be taken to address these intersecting challenges. Learn how to build supportive communities.

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Poverty can wreak havoc on personal relationships, create trauma, and lead to physical health issues. Living with low income doesn't only impact one's ability to have consistent access to food, safe shelter, and basic needs, but it can also severely impact one's mental health.

How Low Income Impacts Mental Health

Mental health isn't only a function of psychological and emotional well-being. But physical health, a sense of community, and belonging, and access to education can be major contributors to whether or not your mental health is at its best.

Food Insecurity

Nutrition is incredibly important for our mental health, serving as a strong intervention and prevention for mental health ailments.

However, when experiencing poverty, it isn't uncommon to go to bed hungry and survive off a diet that lacks enough nutrients.

What to Do If You're Food Insecure

If you're experiencing food insecurity, there is help. Contact your local social services office to apply for public food assistance, formerly known as food stamps.

These government-founded provisions are accepted at most farmer's markets and health food stores, ensuring accessibility to nutritious food options.

You can also look into your local community-supported agriculture (CSA) organization. They often offer boxes filled with fresh produce at a sliding scale rate.

Some other options include the following:

Local food banks, many of which can offer support regardless of income

WIC, another program for parents with young children

School-connected programs may be an option for people with children in K-12

Local United Ways are a good resource to connect people to agencies that provide help with food assistance, and so is the 211 page

Community Violence

Some impoverished communities may also experience high rates of crime and violence. This turmoil is linked to adverse mental health outcomes.

Engaging in crime out of survival or witnessing violence is traumatic by nature. Therefore, having repetitive exposure to trauma, which often happens in low-income communities, can lead to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

School-to-Prison Pipeline

The school-to-prison pipeline refers to ways in which school discipline can lead to fractured family relationships, increase the risk of students dropping out of school, which statistics show ultimately lead to a higher likelihood of future incarceration.

Studies show that students of color, those with disabilities, and children of lower socioeconomic status are more vulnerable to the school-to-prison pipeline.

Suspension and Expulsion

Lower socioeconomic status is correlated with a higher risk of suspension or expulsion. While research on the exact reason why children with lower socioeconomic status are prone to higher levels of suspension is still developing, it is suggested that students with lower socioeconomic status are subject to more stressors and disadvantages than their peers with a higher socioeconomic status.

Suspension and expulsion can lead to a lack of connection and negative mental health outcomes. Additionally, students who experience depression regularly are more likely to be suspended.This may be due to how children and adolescents can display anger, such as through defiance or withdrawal from others.

Mental health professionals and school personnel that have not received adequate training may overlook behavioral issues as a symptom of depression or other mental health problems and instead revert to oppressive discipline practices like suspension.

Barriers to Accessing Mental Health Care

Financial constraints are major barriers to accessing mental health care for those with low income. Therapy is a luxury, with the average monthly out-of-pocket cost for mental health care being $178. There are avenues to receive subsidized or free mental health care; however, a lack of mainstream knowledge about these resources can pose an additional barrier. Some other specific financial barriers and stressors can include:

Lack of transportation to appointments

Inability of parents to take time off

Older children having to take care of siblings

Teens having to take a job to help the family

Stigma is another barrier to accessing care. Self-stigma can be particularly problematic in accessing adequate mental health care. Self-stigma is when someone has internalized negative beliefs about themselves due to mental illness. In turn, this can lead to feelings of disempowerment, decreased quality of life, and a failure to access proper treatment.

How to Access Affordable Mental Health Treatment

No one should have to go without mental health care due to financial issues. Furthermore, the stressors associated with being unable to meet your basic needs due to income restrictions only cause further mental health strain. Fortunately, there are options to get the support you need.

Some Organizations Will Help Pay for Your Therapy Sessions

Some organizations provide cash aid to fund therapy sessions. Below are a few that you can reach out to:

The Loveland Foundation offers therapy vouchers for Black women. You can apply to the fund every quarter and receive financial aid for four to twelve sessions.

National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network Therapy Fund: Specifically for the BIPOC members of the LGBTQIA+ community, you can apply for support and receive funding for up to six sessions.

Inclusive Therapists is a therapy directory that has also founded a therapy fund available to BIPOC adults experiencing financial hardship. Funding is available for anywhere between four to twelve sessions.

Open Path Collective: This organization features a diverse roster of therapists committed to providing therapy at a sliding scale rate for individuals, couples, children, adolescents, families, and groups. Session fees range between $40 and $80.

Consider reaching out to your local social services to see if any nonprofits are providing free therapy in your area. Often, organizations will provide free services from therapists-in-training. Also, many community agencies may have medical discount cards available for purchase.

You can also check in with local universities, as some schools offer free or significantly reduced-cost counseling from students in their graduate psychology programs. Additionally, private practices may be able to offer a sliding scale.

How to Cultivate Change in Your Community

Healing is a communal practice; we all should support others in getting well. So, here are ways to help others improve their mental health, no matter their income status:

Donate. If you have access to increased financial privilege, give back where and how you can. Consider donating to The Loveland Foundation, the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network therapy fund, or the Inclusive Therapists fund.

Get involved. Feel passionate about folks' ability to access nutritious food? See if there is a community garden you can volunteer at. Maybe you're interested in mentoring teens, and there is likely an organization in your area.

Factor donations into your monthly budget. If you have the means, set aside an allocated amount of your monthly income to go towards donations. This can be anything from directly giving cash to unhoused people on the streets to regularly donating to a therapy fund.

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Low Income and Its Effects on Mental Health

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Living with low income doesn't only impact one's ability to have consistent access to food, safe shelter, and basic needs, but it also impacts one's mental health. Learn how.

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Getting Your Child Mental Health Support and Accommodations in School

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Getting Your Child Mental Health Support and Accommodations in School

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Getting Your Child Mental Health Support and Accommodations in School

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Improve your understanding of how to advocate for your child's needs in school.

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Being a student is no joke. Between classes, activities, work, and social life, things get overwhelming fast. And if you also live with a mental health condition like anxiety, depression, or ADHD, it can feel impossible to keep up. But you've got this! Resources exist to support you - accommodations for students managing their mental health are available, and we're here to share with you how to find and effectively utilize them.

Students with mental health conditions are eligible for academic accommodations per the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This key legislation includes provisions to ensure equitable access to many spheres of American life for people with disabilities. This law requires schools to provide "reasonable accommodations" to students. This effort ensures equitable access to education for people of all abilities and those with medical or mental health conditions.

What accommodations can help? Accommodations are modifications that provide access without sacrificing grades or standards. These are always individualized and based on what you need. Some examples:

More time for exams,

Flexibility with attendance rules,

Recording lectures as needed,

Testing in a quiet space, and

other adjustments that may support your individual needs.

Who's eligible? If you have an ongoing mental health diagnosis that limits your daily life, you qualify! This includes:

Major depression,

Bipolar disorder,

Anxiety disorders (GAD, social anxiety, OCD, PTSD),

Eating disorders,

Schizophrenia, and

many more - if you're unsure, you can ask the support staff at your school.

How to get accommodations: Most schools have a disability services office that handles student accommodations. Hit them up to set up a meeting and talk about what you need. They'll explain any forms or verification required. Then they'll work with you to find reasonable accommodations personalized to your situation. Accommodations are often not applied retroactively, so it could be good to get ahead of the process if you think you'll want to use them.

Is this confidential? Yes! Your instructors are only told about the accommodations, not your diagnosis. Disability services will keep the details private.

One more thing: Accommodations give you flexibility, and you can choose to use them or not for a given class, test, or other circumstance that comes up. It can be comforting to know that you have them set up and ready to use in case you need them.

A note from Janie, Chapter Membership Manager: In my experience as an adjunct instructor and mental health educator, accommodations help students perform well and feel well. When I'm teaching a class, I'm always happy to talk through a student's accommodations and find the flexibility that works for everyone. If there's a resource available that will help ease your stress and do well in school, you deserve to access it!

A note from Randy, Policy Manager: We know there's a stigma around asking for help and using disability services, and not everyone comfortably identifies with the disability label. But you have to do what's best for you! Don't let fear of labels or judgment stop you from getting support. You deserve access and flexibility. Trust your gut and lean on the disability office to guide the process. You've totally got this! And if you want to learn more about the work the Active Minds community is doing to ensure that everyone has access to the accommodations they need, visit our policy page and get involved.

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Taking Up Space: A Mental Health Accommodations Guide for Students - Active Minds

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Active Minds staff shares tips for utilizing mental health accommodations for students from elementary school to college.

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¿Usted y su familia han sido afectados por un desastre?

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¿Usted y su familia han sido afectados por un desastre?

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Recognizing Mental Health Problems in Children

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Recognizing Mental Health Problems in Children

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Recognizing Mental Health Problems In Children

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Children’s mental health problems are real, common and treatable. Although one in five children has a diagnosable mental health problem, nearly two-thirds of them get little or no help.

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Things That Adults Say That Hurt Instead of Help: Friends

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Things That Adults Say That Hurt Instead of Help: Friends

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Things That Adults Say That Hurt Instead of Help: Mental Health

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Things That Adults Say That Hurt Instead of Help: Mental Health

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How Parents and Schools Can Work Together to Support Mental Health

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How Parents and Schools Can Work Together to Support Mental Health

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If your child had diabetes or a broken bone, you probably wouldn't hesitate to let their teachers know. But what if the diagnosis is a mental health disorder? Should you share this information with their teachers, coaches and others?

The answer depends on the child, the diagnosis, and the teachers and other adults in your child's school life, says UNC Health child psychologist Mary Beth Prieur, PhD. A lot of parents are asking the question-about 1 in 5 children had a mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral disorder before the pandemic, which has only exacerbated the youth mental health crisis.

If you have a supportive school environment, disclosure can be helpful, Dr. Prieur says.

"Often, schools make accommodations or have programs that provide support for children with any kind of disability," she says. "Parents may not know what is available. That's a good reason to talk with your child's teachers."

On the other hand, she says, mental health diagnoses may carry stigma, causing other students and even teachers to treat them differently. For your child's privacy, you'll want to be judicious about who you tell and why.

"We don't want a child to be perceived as someone who can't cope, who can't handle things," Dr. Prieur says. "We don't want them to think, 'There's something wrong with me.'"

Find Out What Services Your School Offers

You don't have to disclose anything about your child's health to find out if your school has resources that might help. Does your school have a psychologist or counselor? Is there a policy for children who have to miss school for mental health treatment? You can check the student or parent handbook or ask the administration for information without providing personal details about your child. This information can help you determine how to proceed with sharing your child's diagnosis.

Ask Your Child or Teen if They Want to Share Their Diagnosis

Asking what the student wants to share may be important, depending on the student and their relationship with their teachers. Asking permission to share may be especially important for teens.

"If you ask permission to share, then you have to respect their choice," Dr. Prieur says. "It can be an interesting discussion, a chance to talk about how they are feeling and whether they think the school can help, or if they will be treated differently if others know they have a mental health disorder."

Another option is to teach teens and children how to advocate for themselves in school. Maybe there is a particular teacher, coach or counselor they can talk with confidentially. Everyone doesn't have to know.

"Many teachers have more experience helping students who have these diagnoses than parents do," Dr. Prieur says. "They have experience with various coping strategies, such as mindfulness, and can teach them to their students."

Communicate with Your Child's Teacher

Parents no longer have to rely on setting up a face-to-face meeting with a child's teacher or finding a time to speak on the phone. Teachers and parents often communicate through email or school apps that may also give parents and students access to assignments, due dates and information about upcoming events. Report cards may include comments from the teacher about your child's social and emotional development in addition to their grades.

Use these resources to partner with your child's teachers whenever you can.

"It can be very useful to have conversations with your child's teachers," Dr. Prieur says. "Many days, they see your child more than you do. Their insights can be invaluable."

If a teacher shares concerns about your child, try not to be defensive.

"Even if you think the behavior they're describing doesn't sound like your child, don't shut them down," she says. "You can say something like, 'I appreciate your telling me that. What else have you observed?' Then you can share what you've seen at home."

Parents may want to let teachers know if their child is going through something that could affect the way they behave or perform at school. For example, one child became anxious after she and her family were in a car wreck. She wanted to sit at the back of the class, where she felt safer.

"The teacher encouraged the child to share with him what was going on," Dr. Prieur says. "Then he asked the child if he could talk with her mother."

Other teachers will go directly to the parent if they sense something is wrong. But don't wait for the teacher to reach out to you, she says.

"Post-pandemic, there are a lot of kids with increased levels of depression and anxiety," she says. "Many have missed not just academic development but also social and emotional growth. With so much going on, the teacher may not observe the problems your child is having. It may be helpful if you let the teacher know what you are aware of."

Share Information About Learning Disabilities or Differences

Disorders that can affect how a child learns, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder, need to be shared with teachers.

"When there's a learning disability, then the earlier we can intervene, the better," Dr. Prieur says. "If a child gets behind, that just makes the problem worse. There are resources parents may not know about, but the school will."

Schools may offer programs to help children succeed in the classroom, such as behavioral classroom management or organizational training. Federally funded special education services and accommodations are available if the student meets certain criteria. These programs include Individualized Education Program plans (IEPs) and 504 plans for students who need special support, instruction or accommodations.

"Many times, a child's ADHD assessment comes with a report for the school, which is used to see what services and accommodations the child qualifies for and could benefit from," Dr. Prieur says.

Check Out Available Resources Outside of School

If your child needs treatment for mental health issues, including depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder, the school may not have enough resources to help. Talk with your pediatrician or family doctor, or with a mental health professional.

"Many pediatricians now routinely screen patients for anxiety and depression," Dr. Prieur says. "Wellness includes mental as well as physical health. Normalizing these diagnoses can help students get the support they need."

Support may include talk therapy, prescription medication or a combination of both.

"Kids might be embarrassed to talk about how they're feeling," Dr. Prieur says. "We want them to understand there's nothing wrong with them. And there are resources to help."
If your child is struggling in school academically, socially or otherwise, talk to their doctor. If you need a doctor, find one near you.

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How Parents and Schools Can Work Together to Support Mental Health | UNC Health Talk

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Schools often can help if parents inform the right people.

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Mental Health in Schools: The Kids Are Not Alright

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Mental Health in Schools: The Kids Are Not Alright

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The bottom line on student learning today is this: "You can't teach if you're not addressing mental health," says Rene Myers, an intervention specialist in St. Paul, Minn.

Myers has been working in public education for more than 33 years. Over the decades, the mental health needs of her students have grown, and grown, and grown, she says. The pandemic, coupled with decades of inaction by school boards and state legislators, has only made things worse.

About 214,000 U.S. children have lost a parent to COVID-19. They're adrift, grieving. Many other parents and caregivers lost their jobs. Today, 17 million U.S. children struggle with hunger-about 6 million more than before the pandemic. On top of that, recent years have reinforced how much this nation still struggles with racism and antiLGBTQ+ hatred.

So when Myers sat down at the bargaining table this year, seeking to negotiate a new contract between the St. Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE) and her school district, her number-one priority was students' mental health.

"To know what our students and staff have gone through in the past two years ... to say we don't need mental health supports? It's like saying you don't need air. It's unimaginable!" she said.

In February, St. Paul educators voted to strike. Then, in early March, just hours before hitting the streets, union negotiators reached an agreement to preserve the mental health teams that SPFE won during 2020 bargaining. Those teams include counselors, nurses, social workers, and school psychologists in every St. Paul school.

These professionals are essential to providing students with what they need, says Myers.

From Bad to Worse

In the past year, even as the nation has returned to "normal" life, the latest research shows that many students are still living in a state of mental health crisis. This data isn't at all surprising to educators and parents.

"Of course we see advanced need! On top of the pandemic, everything happening with the economy also is impacting our families," says Theresann Pyrett, a Michigan middle school teacher and president of the West Ottawa Education Association (WOEA). "It's like a perfect breeding ground for mental health issues to develop."

In an April poll, nearly three-quarters of U.S. parents said their child would benefit from mental health counseling-up from 68 percent in 2021. Additionally, about a third said their child has recently shown symptoms of mental health issues, including anxiety (19 percent) and depression (13 percent).

Among parents of students with disabilities-including learning, developmental, and physical challenges-almost a third said their child has anxiety, and rates of depression are higher as well.

"The biggest misconception is that COVID makes people mentally ill. From my point of view, COVID unmasked people who have underlying vulnerabilities," said John Walkup, chair of the behavioral health department at Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital, in an interview with the New York Times.

Before the pandemic, between 2016 and 2019, the number of children diagnosed with anxiety rose by 27 percent, while depression diagnoses rose by 24 percent. But recently, it's worse than ever.

In the past year, 15 percent of teens suffered at least one major depressive episode- that's an additional 306,000 teens over the previous 12 months, according to the 2022 data from Mental Health America. On top of that, nearly two-thirds of teens with major depression say they haven't gotten any help.

Demanding Help for Students

In West Ottawa, the local union is making sure students get what they need. That includes using local property tax revenues to hire 10 additional mental wellness coaches throughout the district and using federal pandemic relief funds to hire 16 additional interventionists.

WOEA leaders work closely with district administrators, all asking the same question: What's best for students?

"One thing I keep repeating, over and again, is that more hands on deck makes for a lighter load," Pyrett says. "We're focused on picking up kids-and if you have more hands to pick those kids up, it's so beneficial for those kids."

The Biden administration's pandemic relief plans have made the largest-ever, single investment in public schools. Now educators are making sure that money is used for the counselors, social workers, school psychologists, behavioral coaches, etc., that students need to be successful.

Unions also are bargaining contracts that include those supports. In Minneapolis, educators went on strike this spring for more than two weeks, finally settling a deal that doubles the number of nurses and counselors in elementary schools and provides a social worker in every school.

"Don't Say Gay" - Or Trans, Either

Maybe the most alarming figure in recent mental health data is this: Nearly half of young LGBTQ+ people have considered ending their lives in the past 12 months, according to a survey of 34,000 young people by the Trevor Project.

Among those young people with suicidal ideas, more than half are transgender and nonbinary youth and nearly half are Black. (Nonbinary is a term for people who do not identify as male or female.)

The numbers are troubling, but not surprising to Palm Beach County, Florida high school teacher Michael Woods. "Especially here in Florida, with the ' Don't Say Gay ' law, which should also be called 'Don't Say Trans,' we have a lot of kids in stress," Woods says. "They're just coming back to the rigors of school [after the pandemic]-and now this!"

The Florida law enables parents to sue school districts if they think their child has had inappropriate instruction on gender and sexuality. The cost of litigation will be borne by districts, which are already beginning to remove curricula on these topics.

Anti-gay laws are also spreading far beyond Florida. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered teachers to report parents of transgender youth for child abuse if the parents seek gender-affirming care for their child. NEA and state educators unions have spoken out against these laws.

For his part, Woods-an educator of 29 years-isn't afraid. He wears his "We're All Human" T-shirt and answers his students' questions. But he worries about younger teachers with less job security, living in more conservative areas.

"I tell the kids, I'm always here for you. I'm always a safe space for you. I'm not giving up on you, and you shouldn't give up on yourself," he says. "When young people don't feel like they have anywhere to turn or anyone to talk to ... well, I know why the stats are the way they are."

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Mental Health in Schools: The Kids Are Not All Right | NEA

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As students' mental health needs rise, so do educators' demands for help.

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Talking About Mental Health in the Latino Community

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Talking About Mental Health in the Latino Community

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Talking About Mental Health In The Latino Community

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Racism and Mental Health Guide for Parents

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Racism and Mental Health Guide for Parents

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Experiences of racism

Racism can happen anywhere. It can happen at school, at work or at home; it can happen online or in-person; it can even happen within families and relationships.

Sometimes racist abuse is obvious - for example, verbal abuse about the way someone looks, stereotypes about how someone might behave, or physical violence and bullying. Sometimes racism is part of the structures and systems that we live in. And sometimes it is 'subtle' and difficult for other people to notice.

Your child may also experience racism 'indirectly' - as the things going on around us, to people just like us, can feel like they have happened to us and make us feel personally attacked, helpless, or like our lives don't matter.

Racism, directly or indirectly, touches every person of colour and has an effect on our mental health.

The important thing for you and your child is how you see the situation and how it makes you feel - not what other people think or say about it.
We can spend a lot of time wondering whether we have been badly or unfairly treated because of our skin colour, race or ethnicity, or for some other reason, and it's not always totally clear. This can make us feel confused or even foolish for talking about our experiences, especially if the people we are talking to have never had to ask themselves these sorts of questions.

Sometimes, even when we are convinced we have experienced racist treatment, people around us might try to tell us we've got it wrong. This can feel very lonely and isolating. But remember, you are not alone and your feelings are valid.

If your child is struggling with the impact of racism on their mental health or wellbeing, there are things you can do to help them - including providing emotional support, working on practical strategies together and finding the right professional help if they need it.

How to support your child with their experiences of racism

Talking to your child about racism can feel like a difficult conversation, and it may bring up feelings of confusion, anger, hopelessness or isolation for you or your child. If you are feeling unsure about the conversation, you can read our guide to find lots of tips on starting a conversation with your child.

This can help them to feel empowered, reminding them that what they are experiencing is not okay and that no one should believe it is. You or your child can report any hate crime online via the True Vision website.

If you're experiencing racism online, reporting it is perfectly reasonable and the right thing to do because racial discrimination is illegal.

Young people tell us it helps to...

go on a social media detox - your mental health is important

take time for some self-care and do something for yourself - such as reading a book, playing a video game or watching some TV

do your research on your history and learn to love yourself and other people of your race

not put pressure on yourself - this is a problem you cannot solve on your own

talk to other people you trust

join a movement to create change

find supportive groups and communities who understand what you are going through

do physical exercise

learn mindfulness and yoga

speak up to your parents or other family members or even friends if they're being racist - you should never be afraid to speak up about something if it's wrong

It is the world that's wrong, not you. So embrace your identity and love what makes you, you.

Signs that racism is affecting your child's mental health

It is normal if your child's experiences of racism - whether big or small, constant or one-off, direct or indirect - affect their self-esteem or make them feel angry, low or hopeless. When they're going through this, validate just how difficult it is, reassure them they're not alone and remind them that while it might feel difficult to believe, things can get better.

If your child is struggling with their mental health over a longer period of time, they may need some more support - from you and from professionals if needed. If experiences of racism are more seriously affecting your child's mental health, they may:

have a continuously low mood, depression or low self-esteem

feel numb or empty inside

experience changes to their sleeping or eating habits

show changes to their mood and behaviour that feel out of the ordinary

feel worried or anxious a lot of the time

have a negative attitude towards their body image or ethnic identity relating to skin tone, hair texture, or the size and shape of facial and bodily features

experience flashbacks or intrusive thoughts about a traumatic incident

If your child is experiencing some of these things, it's a good idea to speak to your GP. You can find our tips on finding professional help below.

There is currently a huge discrepancy in racial equality which is why I think it's really important that we battle racism, so that everyone can live without fear or prejudice.

Where to find professional help

There are different places where you can find help for your child. Your GP, your child's school and considering whether counselling or therapy might help are good places to start.

You can find out more about speaking to GPs, finding a counsellor or therapist, accessing CAMHS, getting help from your child's school and finding local services on our guide to getting support from mental health services.

What can I do if I think a mental health professional is being racist?

Any mental health professional who you are interacting with has a duty of care to do their best to support you. If you are not happy with how a mental health professional is behaving towards you, you have a right to speak out.

How to raise a complaint:

Every NHS service provider (such as your GP or local hospital) has their own complaints procedure. You can find information on making a complaint on your service provider's website, in waiting rooms, or by talking to a member of staff.

You can choose to complain to the NHS service provider directly, or to the commissioner of the services, which is the body that pays for the NHS services you use.

You can make a complaint verbally, in writing, or by email.

Once you have made a complaint, you should expect an acknowledgement and the offer of a discussion about the handling of your complaint within working days.

Visit the NHS webpage on making complaints for more guidance.

If you need help and support with making a complaint, you can contact your local NHS Complaints Advocacy service. This is a free and confidential service, independent from the NHS. Contact your local council to find out who the advocacy provider is in your area.

Tips for looking after yourself as a parent

Where to find further support

Useful helplines and websites

While we take care to ensure that the organisations we signpost to provide high quality information and advice, we cannot take responsibility for any specific pieces of advice they may offer. We encourage parents and carers to always explore the website of a linked service or organisation to understand who they are and what support they offer before engaging with them.

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Racism & Mental Health | Guide For Parents

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If your child experiences racism, it can negatively affect their mental health. Here are some ways you can support them and places you can get help.

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Racism's Impact on Mental Health of Black Youth

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Racism's Impact on Mental Health of Black Youth

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On Sept. 25, 2023, the Biden-Harris administration announced that it will be investing some $200 million in the youth mental health crisis. Since youth mental health was declared a national emergency in 2021, multiple experts, including the U.S. Surgeon General, have cited social media and the COVID-19 pandemic, among other things, as major contributing factors.

But what has not been talked about to the same extent, is how anti-Black racism is fueling the youth mental health crisis. Racism has a crucial impact on the mental health of Black youth, and the current mental health system is not equipped to address it.

As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, I've witnessed the depressive, even suicidal effects of racism on Black youth. The kindergartener who was sad and withdrawn for weeks after her white classmates said her skin was too dark to play with them. The fourth grader who said she wanted to die because her white neighbors told her that her black skin was ugly. The affluent high schooler who was hospitalized after a suicide attempt because she was ostracized by her peers and excessively punished by teachers at her predominantly white prep school. Each time, I was the only mental health clinician involved who cited the crucial contribution of anti-Black racism in their mental health assessment. Interpersonal experiences of anti-Black racism play a large role in the mental health of Black youth, and the current youth mental health crisis, but they are largely left out of the conversation in the mental health field.

The truth is that the effects of racism on the mental health of Black Americans start even before birth. The stress of racism experienced by Black mothers has been linked to low birthweight babies, which puts those children at greater risk for developing depression and other child mental health issues. Prenatal anti-Black racism can also have other persistent effects. Maternal reports of racism affect the socio-emotional development of Black children in their first year of life, with links to negative emotionality.

Yet another indication that the distinct experiences of racism in America affect Black birth outcomes in ways that do not apply to other racially minoritized groups: Foreign-born Black mothers who experience better birthweight outcomes lose the "healthy immigrant effect" after only one generation, according to a 2020 study published by Princeton University, while foreign-born Hispanic mothers retain it for generations.

More From TIME

Indeed, Black children and adolescents are suffering at unprecedented rates, and have been for over 20 years. Black youth are dying by suicide at rates increasing faster than any other racial or ethnic group: Black children as young as five years old are 1.8 times as likely to commit suicide compared to their white peers. The suicide rates of other ethnic groups, except for Latinx and American Indian/Alaskan Native youth, have remained virtually the same or declined, even from 2019 to 2020 in the height of the pandemic.
Read More: The Physical Toll Systemic Injustice Takes On the Body
By preschool age, Black children have their own experiences of anti-Black racism, in addition to those of their mothers and families. One study showed that anti-Black racist beliefs emerge as early as age four. In particular, white children have been found to have more negative attitudes towards Black peers and prefer white over Black children as playmates. Black children experience racism from adults, as well, and are disciplined more harshly in schools from an early age. Black preschoolers, especially Black boys, are significantly more likely to be expelled than white peers. This is not surprising given that teachers complain more about the behaviors of Black boys and white adults view them as more dangerous than their white peers.

Although sometimes overlooked, Black girls are not spared, receiving harsher school discipline compared to white girls. This criminalization of Black students leads to poor grades and overall school performance, which have been associated with low self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and even suicidality.

These "zero tolerance policies" in schools lead to children, especially Black children, being expelled, suspended, or even arrested by cops in schools. It also puts them at greater risk of being funneled into juvenile detention system, a racist phenomenon known as the school-to-prison pipeline, and is linked to higher rates of depression in Black males. Many of these children have learning problems and are struggling from abuse and neglect. In other words, they need psychiatric, not punitive, measures.

The harsh punishment of Black children is intertwined with the phenomenon of "adultification," the perception of Black kids as being older and more mature than they are. Adultification has anti-Black racist origins dating back to enslavement, and is a major contributor to Black children being not only criminalized, but also hypersexualized at an earlier age than their white peers. A 2020 Georgetown study found that Black girls as young as five and as old as 19, were viewed to be more knowledgeable about sex and less in need of nurturing and protection than their white female peers. This can lead to Black children receiving less emotional support than white children, which can in turn increase the risk of depression, stress, and suicidality.

As Black children age into adolescence, like all children, their social and cognitive abilities increase, including abstract reasoning. This development enables them to be increasingly attuned to experiences of anti-Black racism-which, on average, they report experiencing five times a day. But, even children in the preadolescent age range, from ages nine to 12, report increased suicidality with experiences of anti-Black racism and more experiences of racism overall compared to non-Black youth. In young adulthood, around ages 18 of 25, experiences of anti-Black racism continues to be predictive for depressive symptoms and suicidal ideations.

The racist mutigenerational wealth gap also continues to harm Black youth and families, playing an undeniable role in the declining mental health of Black youth. (It is tied to suicidality, as well.) But poverty is not the whole story. Higher socioeconomic status was associated with greater depressive symptoms in Black children living in predominantly white neighborhoods compared to those living in predominantly Black areas. For white youth, greater parental education was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. In Black youth, however, the opposite was true; one 2015 study found that Black youth with highly educated parents had higher depression and higher perceived lifetime discrimination scale ratings. These findings suggest that experiences of racism outweigh the protective effects of parental education.

Anti-Black racism is a driver of the Black youth mental health crisis, separate from socio-economic status, and solutions are urgently needed to tailor the mental health treatment of Black youth. Research funding is necessary for further studies examining the impact of anti-Black racism on child mental health throughout development. The topic remains understudied and underfunded, especially for very young children. We also need more funding for anti-Black racism-conscious mental health treatment tailored to Black youth-staffed by mental health clinicians who have expertise in providing anti-Black racism targeted care. Some organizations already exist, such as the AAKOMA Project, Therapy for Black Girls, and the National Black Child Development Institute, but there are not enough.

Standardized medical education does not teach the mental health effects of anti-Black racism, so traditionally trained psychiatrists are ill-prepared to help Black children navigate these harmful complexities. Curricula for psychiatrists that specifically deal with anti-Black racism are very limited, with only a few published in the literature. I was fortunate to study under one of these, the Social Justice Health Equity Curriculum at Yale Department of Psychiatry. The landscape is gradually changing, with an increasing number of medical schools working to educate students and residents about the impacts of racism. For example, an anti-racism curriculum tailored to child psychiatry, the first known of its kind, was piloted at UCLA in 2021.

But education is just the start; accountability is also necessary. Mental health clinicians cannot provide anti-Black-racism-informed care for children if they are engaging in racist behaviors themselves. Leaders of mental health institutions, like hospitals and clinics, must take an active role in ensuring that, when Black children do seek help, that their mental health is not further harmed by racism in medical care. Black children are more likely than white children to be diagnosed with stigma-laden disruptive mood disorders and physically restrained in emergency departments, so it is crucial that leaders ensure anti-racist hiring practices and reporting systems are in place to recruit and retain staff. When racist behaviors do occur, leaders need to hold mental health staff accountable, even if it means penalizing highly prized colleagues or close friends.

The youth mental health crisis will not end until the mental health of all children stabilizes. I refuse to let Black children be left behind-and that means facing anti-Black racism head on.

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How Racism Affects the Mental Health of Black Youth

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Mental health system is not equipped to address the critical impact racism has on Black youth, writes Amanda Calhoun.

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Section 504 is a federal civil rights statute that says schools cannot discriminate against children with disabilities. It says that schools that receive federal dollars must provide eligible children with disabilities with an equal opportunity to participate in all academic and non-academic services the school offers. The school must also provide appropriate accommodations based on their individual needs.

These accommodations are often simple changes that can help the child with the disability. Sometimes these accommodations include special services such as using a tape recorder for note taking, giving the student a quiet place to work, or access to a computer in school for written work. Students who are eligible to receive services under Section 504 receive instruction through the regular education curriculum and at the same level as their peers without disabilities. Students under Section 504 must also participate in state required assessments.
Who is Eligible?
A student is eligible for Section 504 if the child has a physical or mental condition that substantially limits a "major life activity." Major life activities for a child in school include learning and/or activities in addition to walking, talking, breathing, caring for oneself, etc. Additional major life activities added by the 2008 reauthorization of the Americans with Disabilities Act (and now called the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act [ADAAA]) include such things as reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating with others, and major bodily functions.

To qualify under Section 504, a child's disability must be serious enough, or "substantially limiting," that the child needs specialized services or accommodations. All determinations of substantial limitation must be made without regard to the "ameliorative effects of mitigating measures." This means that the question of whether or not a child has a "substantial limitation" in a particular area is answered before, and not after, any intervention for that limitation is implemented. "Mitigating measures" includes such things as medication, assistive technology, learned behavioral modifications, psychotherapy, and/or reasonable accommodations. Children covered under Section 504 are usually children with less serious disabilities, or children who do not otherwise qualify for services under IDEA but still have a disability that is substantially limiting in the educational setting.
What Does Section 504 Provide?
If a child is determined to be eligible under Section 504, the school must develop a Section 504 Plan. The plan must include appropriate accommodations, evidence-based interventions, and/or related services that are also scientifically or research-based. The plan must provide the eligible child with an equal opportunity to succeed based on the child's individual needs when compared to same age, non-disabled peers. This is defined as a "free appropriate public education" (FAPE) under Section 504. (Although similar to FAPE through the IDEA, FAPE through Section 504 is an equal opportunity standard, whereas it is an educational benefit standard under IDEA.) Many mistakenly think that a Section 504 Plan is a standard checklist or form used for all eligible children. It isn't. While a form or checklist may be a helpful starting point, a good Section 504 Plan is developed to meet the child's specific, individual needs and not merely some template that the school district may have available.

Accommodations should be documented in the written Section 504 Plan (sometimes referred to as an Individual Accommodation Plan, or IAP, and not to be confused with an Individualized Education Program, or IEP). Here are several examples of appropriate accommodations that might be included in a Section 504 Plan for a child with ADHD:

Reducing the number of homework problems without reducing the level or content of what is being taught.

Giving the student a quiet place to work, free from distractions.

Providing clear and simple directions for homework and in-class assignments.

Giving tests in a quiet place, breaking tests into small pieces, modifying test format, and/or providing extra time.

Using audio recording devices or giving the student a copy of notes.

Using positive behavioral intervention techniques, including positive reinforcement.

Having a nurse or administrator oversee a student's medication administration and/or monitor a medication's effects.

Meeting with the school counselor to work on academic and/or behavioral challenges.

Creating a communication notebook so that parents and teachers may keep each other informed of the child's progress or difficulties.

Evaluation
Section 504 requires a child to have an evaluation before receiving a 504 Plan. An evaluation does not have to be formalized testing, but it must consider information from a variety of sources (parent notes, doctors' notes if available, test scores, observations, etc.). Decisions about who qualifies for Section 504 cannot be based solely on a single source of data (i.e. a doctor's diagnosis or grades). A medical diagnosis is NOT required under Section 504. Once a child has been deemed eligible for accommodations, a Section 504 Plan is then developed by a Section 504 committee. Before any significant changes are made to an existing plan, the child should be evaluated again. A significant change in placement includes changes due to disciplinary actions longer than 10 days as well as changes that result from moving from one grade to another.

Parent participation is not an entitlement right under Section 504 as it is under IDEA. Depending on the procedures used by your local school district, parents or legal guardians may or may not have a right to active participation or decision-making through Section 504. Parents should check with their child's individual school district to determine what their procedure is for implementing Section 504.
Discipline under Section 504
Students with disabilities under both Section 504 and IDEA are provided with special procedures in situations involving disciplinary removals from their regular educational setting. Discipline procedures under Section 504 are similar, but not identical, to discipline procedures under IDEA. Students with a Section 504 Plan may be suspended or expelled in the same manner as any child without a disability for up to 10 school days. After removals of 10 consecutive days, or a pattern of short term removals amounting to 10 days or more, a meeting (called a manifestation determination) must be held to determine if the behavior subject to disciplinary action is linked to the child's disability. If there is a direct link between the behavior and the disability, the child may not be sent to a disciplinary or alternative education placement. If there is no link between the behavior and the disability, the child may be disciplined in the same manner as any other child without a disability. There are two exceptions to this rule:

If a child who is being served by Section 504 is caught "currently engaging in the use of illegal drugs or alcohol," the child forfeits all rights and procedural protections under Section 504, including the right to a manifestation determination, and may be disciplined in the same manner as any other child without a disability.

A child caught in possession of a firearm in any manner may be immediately removed to an alternative education placement where a manifestation determination must be conducted within 10 school days. If there is a link to the disability, the child may still be removed for up to 45 school days. If there is no link to the disability, the child may be disciplined in the same manner as any other child without a disability.

How do I file a complaint about my school or school district?
Local school districts are responsible for putting the provisions of Section 504 in place. However, ultimate responsibility for enforcing these provisions rests with the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education.

If you believe that a school or school district has violated this law and your complaint has not be resolved at the local level, you may file a formal complaint with Office of Civil Rights by contacting the nearest state/regional office. You may also call the OCR Hotline at 1-800-421-3481. A complaint may also be filed using the OCR Online Complaint Form.
Additional Resource:
Free Appropriate Public Education under Section 504
Official Department of Education requirements for FAPE for students with disabilities under Section 504

Dear Colleague Letter and Resource Guide on Students with ADHD
United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights

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Section 504 is a federal civil rights statute that says schools cannot discriminate against children with disabilities. It says that schools that receive federal dollars must provide eligible children with disabilities with an equal opportunity to participate in all academic and non-academic services the school offers.

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Mental Health For Kids – Positive Habits For Good Mental Health

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Did you know that anger isn't all bad? Find out more in this article for kids.

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Television and radio news, social media and neighborhood conversations are sometimes dominated by violence and conflict stemming from racism. Many adults across our nation continue to try to make sense what is happening in our world today, and parents face the added struggle of thinking through how to talk about racism and violence with children. These stories, and adults' reactions to them, are being seen and felt by children, including babies and toddlers. While we hope that they don't know what's going on, even young babies pick up on and react to the emotions of those they depend on.

This resource provides thoughts and guidelines for talking about these complex issues of racism and equity in age-appropriate ways with children aged two to five years of age. These are difficult and uncomfortable discussions for which there is no recipe. You will know how to adapt these ideas in a way that reflects your unique situation and the individual needs of your child. You might also find it helpful to seek input from your family and trusted sources like religious and other community leaders.

Guidelines for Talking about Racism and Violence

1) Limit access to media images and discussions about frightening events. Young children are taking in everything they see and hear, and are working to understand what it all means. They are careful observers, closely attuned to and affected by the events happening around them. But, between ages two and five, children lack the reasoning skills to make sense of complex issues. Parents have an important role in helping young children understand, manage and process what they have seen and feel. By limiting your child's access to screens and keeping her away from adult conversations (including your own very natural worries about your child's safety), you can protect her from scary events that she has no way of understanding yet.

2) Stay calm when answering, as hard as that may be. This can lessen children's fear and help them to feel safe. There will naturally be times when you just can't be totally calm. If you are upset, you can explain in simple language why: "I'm crying because I see that man is hurt. I feel so sad for him and his family. I'm sad and that's why I'm crying."

Children are very sensitive and know when there are topics mommy or daddy don't want to discuss. Even babies as young as 3-5 months old can sense if you are upset or sad! So, as much as you can, try not to expose young children (even babies) to your anxiety.

3) Answer your child's questions using simple language that they understand. Let your child know that he can come to you with any questions he has and that you are not afraid of talking about difficult issues. This makes it more likely children will turn to you as a resource, and not struggle alone with their questions.

If children ask questions about events they have seen or heard adults talk about, parents can provide short answers responding to the child's specific question. For example, a child might ask: "Why is he hitting that man?" You can answer: "He is afraid of him and angry, and has lost control. He is hurting the man and that is not ok." Then pause and wait to see if your child has another question.

If your child stops asking questions, then stop providing details-even if you haven't fully explained the situation. Children decide what and how much they can take in at a given time.

Following your child's lead is a good strategy since it gives you information about what your child is thinking about, worried about, and what he is trying to understand.

4) Tailor how you talk with your child based on his age and stage of development. When young children witness events that involve people that "look like me", these events command great attention and are meaningful to young children. It is natural for them to have questions. Depending on what your child asks and her level of understanding, she may be ready to talk about differences, equality and racism in simple, age-appropriate ways. For example, between ages four and five, children understand the concept of fairness more than ever before. For preschoolers, this means that discussions about racism can be framed as unfair behavior because people see differences in skin color as better or worse. Explaining this word and idea to your child is a starting point. Sharing storybooks on the topic is a good idea as well.

Ideas for Answering Difficult Questions

Here are some ideas for how to approach challenging and complex topics about racism, safety, and police violence are below-although it's important to modify messages for your individual child's age and stage.

Are police officers good guys or bad guys?
The job of police officers is to protect people. Police officers are just people. And there are some people who are good and kind, and some people who are not. Some police officers are good, helpful men and women. And some are not. But I believe that most police officers want to keep us safe (if you do believe this).

Why are people being mean and hurting others?
These people don't like anyone who is different from them. They only like people who look like them. And they want everyone to think the same way they do. It can feel sad and scary to see them being so mean. I'm glad that so many kind and caring people are saying, "Hey, it's not ok to be mean and hurtful to others."
If your child has seen footage of people being injured and asks about it: Sometimes people get so stressed that they do things they should not do. It is never okay to hurt people because we disagree with them. The person who was hurt has gone to the doctor for help.

What is going to happen?
Many good people are really upset about this. I don't know what is going to happen, but we're together. I love you and I will keep you safe.

Is Daddy safe? Is Mommy safe?
Grown-ups can take care of themselves and keep themselves safe. You don't have to worry. Mommy/Daddy always try to be safe in everything we do. Remember how we always look both ways before we cross the street? That is one way we stay safe. And there are many other ways that grown-ups stay safe too.

Am I safe?
Mommy/Daddy will keep you safe. That is our job. Your job is to be a kid and have fun. We love you and we will keep you safe. There are many people-black people, white people, and kind police officers-who are also working to make sure you are safe.

Police Violence:
Some police officers see an African-American person and think they are going to make trouble because of their skin color. That is wrong and there are many people trying to change that. The job of a police officer is to keep all people safe, no matter what their skin color is.

[If your child is looking for additional information:] Sometimes people get so stressed that they do things they should not do. [Consider giving an example that your child might be able to relate to: Remember how I yelled when I lost my wallet?] That happens to police officers too and sometimes it means they act badly and are too rough and hurt people.

If you don't know the answer to your child's question, that's okay. These are complex issues. It builds your child's trust in you when you are open about not always knowing the answer.

Your child may be upset or confused following these challenging discussions. Watch for these signs and respond with extra support, hugs, and time together so that your child feels secure. Point out positive, supportive members of her community (family members, religious leaders, teachers, home visitors, physicians and others) who also care for and nurture your child. Let children know they have a network of people who are there for them.

How to Help Your Child Respond to Traumatic or Scary Experiences

If your young child is a witness to violence or has seen his/her caregiver in tense or frightening interactions with the police or others, watch for behaviors like:

Increased clinginess, crying, and whining

Greater fear of separation from parents or primary guardian

Increase in aggressive behavior

More withdrawn and harder to engage

Play that acts out scary events

Changes in sleeping and eating patterns

More easily frustrated and harder to comfort

A return to earlier behaviors, like frequent night-time wakings, toileting accidents, or thumb sucking

These are signs that a child is struggling with making sense of a scary or traumatic experience and needs additional support. Reach out to your child's health care provider or to a counselor with experience with young children to plan how to move forward.

What You Can Do

Create an environment of safety and consistency. Children who have been exposed to traumatic images or experiences benefit from an environment that is safe and predictable. Regular daily routines (like at mealtime, bath-time, hair-combing, and bed-time) help children trust and anticipate what will come next. Remember that these routines are as important to babies as they are for older children for feeling safe and secure. Maintaining a child's school or child care attendance is also helpful, since this is a familiar routine that offers a sense of consistency and normalcy. If you can, try to limit changes (like switching preschool/child care providers) during this time. For children having a hard time with transitions, offer a comfort object like a special blanket or stuffed animal, or even a favorite action figure to hold.

Harness the power of positive touch. If your child is having a hard time, offer extra cuddles or add a massage to your child's daily bedtime routine. Deep pressure touch can help some children feel more 'together' and regulated.

Build children up. Point out your child's strengths and abilities. Give him opportunities to experience successes and achievements. Celebrate these milestones together. A strong sense of self and family begins with your child's relationship with you.

Use the daily routine of combing hair to connect with your young child. As a parent you can make this routine a relaxed, predictable time to talk, touch, and listen to your child. Sitting on your lap or snugly between your legs allows your baby or young child to be physically connected to you as you carry out this routine. The soothing and repetitive gentle hair-brushing of a boy or girl communicates warmth, caring, and a sense of security. Allowing your child to participate in the task (choosing bows or the number of braids) also reinforces a sense of control.

Tell the story of your family. Use stories to communicate the strength, resilience, courage, humor, and intelligence of your family members. You can also highlight different themes like safety, courage, and adults providing protection. Storytelling is an ideal way to communicate your values, rich heritage, and traditions, and build a sense of family and cultural identity and pride.

Make time for laughter and fun. Let your child see you laugh out loud while telling a story or going about your daily routines. Laugh together as a family. At the same time, be honest with your emotions. If the current tragedies are triggering memories of your own losses, be mindful of your feelings and seek support for yourself.

Protecting Children While We Work for Social Justice

As our country grapples with the complex issues of race and violence, you have the ability to build a safe haven of love, joy, hope and protection within the relationship you develop with your child. Children dream, children play, and children have hope-because of all you do.

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Racism and Violence: Using Your Power as a Parent to Support Children Aged Two to Five

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Read more about the guidelines for talking about racism and equality with children aged two to five in age-appropriate ways.

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Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare

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Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare

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Transforming how systems interact with children and families of color

This project is no longer active, but we believe that the outcomes and resources generated through the work are still of value.
What We Work For
The Alliance boldly identifies policies and practices (both intended and unintended) that harm children and families of color and promote anti-racist intersectional policies that will result in better outcomes for children and families of color.
How We Do It

We rely on tools such as research, policy, and practice to understand and educate others on the legacy of racism that the child welfare system continues to operate from today; to imagine the possibilities if we shifted the foundation of child and family well-being to an anti-racist one; to mobilize policymakers, practitioners, researchers, advocates, and constituents who value equitable and just systems of care that promotes healing; and to create a universal system which works first and foremost for children, youth, and families impacted by the historic impact of racism and oppression.

We create innovative solutions and mobilize public system practitioners, advocates, constituents, and leaders to develop and share knowledge with the field and use this network to increase overall awareness about how public systems contribute to racial disproportionality and disparity. Most of all, we open the lines of communication between Alliance members and those whose work can most dramatically impact racial disparities in this country, starting a dialogue and ultimately effecting change in communities, systems, and policies.

We recognize deep systemic racial bias in this country, and, with our network of devoted partners, work together to dismantle entrenched inequities and set a course for a future where racial and ethnic equity and justice is assured.

The Alliance for Racial Equity provides national leadership in support of improved outcomes for children and families of color involved with the nation's child welfare systems. Since our start in 2004, we have developed a network of child welfare and juvenile justice administrators, advocates, policymakers, researchers, and constituents who are directly impacted by structural and institutional biases.

We work to eradicate systemic bias and inequity in all intervening public systems through a coordinated effort with our partners. This work is achieved by:

Sharing information and knowledge about barriers and successes with stakeholders in the field.

Providing data and analysis to the field relevant for local and national action to promote racial equity.

Creating resources, like inSIGHT: A Workshop on Implicit Racial Bias for Child Protection (our curriculum on implicit racial bias), for frontline staff working directly with young people and our Institutional Analysis (a diagnostic process to reveal and address the disconnect between what a child or youth and their family need to be safe, and how institutions are organized to act.

Juanita Gallion

Director, Capacity Building & Leadership Development

SEE FULL PROFILE

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Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare - Center for the Study of Social Policy

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This project is no longer active, but we believe that the outcomes and resources generated through the work are still of value.

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Black Families Are Outraged About Family Separation Within the U.S.

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The parents whose children are seized by the child welfare system are not the monsters they've been painted-with the help of racist imagery-to be.

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People of color and all those whose lives have been marginalized by those in power experience life differently from those whose lives have not been devalued. They experience overt racism and bigotry far too often, which leads to a mental health burden that is deeper than what others may face.

Racism is a mental health issue because racism causes trauma. And trauma paints a direct line to mental illnesses, which need to be taken seriously.

Past trauma is prominently mentioned as the reason that people experience serious mental health conditions today. But obvious forms of racism and bigotry are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to racial trauma.

Every day, people of color experience far more subtle traumas:

People who avoid them and their neighborhoods out of ignorance and fear;

Banks and credit companies who won't lend them money or do so only at higher interest rates;

Mass incarceration of their peers;

School curricula that ignore or minimize their contributions to our shared history; and

Racial profiling.

Types of Racism

Researchers have identified several different types of racism.

Racism: A broad term describing the combination of race-based prejudice and power. Without the power differential (one person/group/institution has more power than another), "racism" is just prejudice and carries less weight and fewer consequences.

Systemic/Structural Racism: Systemic/Structural racism has three components: history, culture, and institutions/policy. Historical racism provides the framework for current racism. Any structure built on a foundation (history) of racism will be a racist structure. Culture, which is ever-present in our day to day lives is what allows racism to be accepted, normalized, and perpetuated. Institutions and policies make up the fundamental relationships and rules across society, which reinforces racism and give it societal legitimacy (which makes it so hard to dismantle).

Interpersonal Racism: Racism that happens between individual people. When individual beliefs or prejudices become actions toward others.

Institutional Racism: Institutional racism occurs within and between institutions. Institutional racism is discriminatory treatment, unfair policies, and inequitable opportunities and impacts, based on race, produced and perpetuated by institutions (schools, mass media, etc.). Individuals within institutions take on the power of the institution when they act in ways that advantage and disadvantage people, based on race.

Internalized Racism: When racism and white supremacy affect the minds of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) to the point where they begin to believe that they are inferior because of their own race. This can sometimes lead to "inter-racial hostility" in which BIPOC treat other BIPOC in a way that mirrors how white racists might treat them. Another way internalized racism can manifest is by BIPOC accepting and internalizing Eurocentric ideals and values.

"Reverse Racism": This term is in quotes to emphasize that it's a made-up term that shouldn't carry any actual value. It was a term created by and for white people who want to perpetuate racism by denying their privilege in all its forms and by claiming that fighting to improve the lives of BIPOC is somehow "racist" against white people. MHA considers this term invalid because racism in any form depends on the presence of a power differential. White people have historically always fallen on the powerful side rather than the powerless side. Reverse racism is therefore impossible, as long as we live in a society that perpetuates white supremacy.

Oppression: The use of power (by a system/institution/group/individual) to dominate over another OR the refusal of a system/institution/group/individual who possesses this power to challenge that domination.

Racial Trauma: Simply, traumatization that results from experiencing racism in any of its many forms. Importantly, this doesn't have to be one major isolated event, but rather it can result from an accumulation of experiences like daily subtle acts of discrimination or microaggressions.

Racism in Mental Health Services

Misdiagnosis of schizophrenia: When treating Black/African American clients, clinicians tend to overemphasize the relevance of psychotic symptoms and overlook symptoms of major depression compared to when they are treating clients with other racial or ethnic backgrounds. For this reason, Black men in particular are greatly over-diagnosed with schizophrenia-they are four times more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia than their white male counterparts. Furthermore, Black people in general are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia alone when a mood disorder is also present than white people. Schizophrenia is a disorder that (by definition) must be diagnosed by exclusion, meaning that the symptoms of it can't be explained by another psychiatric disorder (like a mood disorder). Therefore, the fact that Black people end up with schizophrenia diagnoses without a mood disorder diagnosis despite the clinical presence of a mood disorder means that these symptoms are being ignored, and explains in large part why the diagnosis rate of schizophrenia is so much higher in Black populations than white.

BIPOC Youth: BIPOC youth with behavioral and mental health conditions are more likely to be directed to the juvenile justice system than to specialty care institutions compared to non-Latinx white youth. This is likely because BIPOC youth are much more likely to end up in the juvenile justice system as a result of higher rates of harsh disciplinary suspension and expulsion practices against BIPOC youth in schools compared to white youth.

Racism and Individual Mental Health

Depression is the most commonly reported condition across BIPOC. Additionally, racial trauma can increase the risk of BIPOC meeting the criteria for PTSD. Importantly, stress plays a crucial role in how racism affects both physical and mental health. Stress hormones are released during stressful situations and research has shown that both the experience of and the observation of racial discrimination is stressful for children and adults who identify as BIPOC. The frequent presence of these stress hormones can lead to physical conditions like high blood pressure and heart disease, as well as mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and overall poor health outcomes. Discrimination is typically something that occurs frequently and as a result, creates a sustained level of stress and stress hormones in those who are the most likely to experience this discrimination (BIPOC).

Quick Stats

Although rates of mental illness in some BIPOC populations are sometimes comparable or slightly lower than the rates in the white population, BIPOC often experience a disproportionately high burden of disability from mental disorders.

Black adults are 20 percent more likely to report serious psychological distress than adult Whites.

Although rates of depression are lower in Black people (24.6 percent) and Hispanic people (19.6 percent) than in White people (34.7 percent), depression in Blacks and Hispanics is likely to be more persistent.

People who identify as being two or more races (24.9 percent) are most likely to report any mental illness within the past year than any other race/ethnic group.

Native and Indigenous Americans report higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol dependence than any other ethic/racial group.

Mental and behavioral health conditions are common among people in the criminal justice system, in which BIPOC are disproportionately overrepresented. Approximately 50 percent to 75 percent of youth in the juvenile justice system meet the diagnostic criteria for a mental illness.

Cultural incompetence of health care providers likely contributes to underdiagnosis and/or misdiagnosis of mental illness in BIPOC. Language differences between patient and provider, stigma of mental illness among BIPOC, and cultural presentation of symptoms are some of the many barriers to care that explain these errors in the diagnostic process.

One study found that physicians were 23 percent more verbally dominant and engaged in 33 percent less patient-centered communication with Black patients than with White patients.

Compared with White people with the same symptoms, Black people are more frequently diagnosed with schizophrenia and less frequently diagnosed with mood disorders.

Native and Indigenous American adults have the highest reported rate of mental illnesses of any single race identifying group.

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Racism is a mental health issue because racism causes trauma. And trauma paints a direct line to mental illnesses, which need to be taken seriously.

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Black/African American Mental Health Resources

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Black/African American Mental Health Resources

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Overall, mental health conditions occur in Black and African American (B/AA) people in America at about the same or less frequency than in White Americans. However, the historical Black and African American experience in America has and continues to be characterized by trauma and violence more often than for their White counterparts and impacts emotional and mental health of both youth and adults. (See prevalence statistics below).

Historical dehumanization, oppression, and violence against Black and African American people has evolved into present day racism - structural, institutional, and individual - and cultivates a uniquely mistrustful and less affluent community experience, characterized by a myriad of disparities including inadequate access to and delivery of care in the health system. Processing and dealing with layers of individual trauma on top of new mass traumas from COVID-19 (uncertainty, isolation, grief from financial or human losses), police brutality and its fetishization in news media, and divisive political rhetoric adds compounding layers of complexity for individuals to responsibly manage.

Help-seeking behavior is affected by mistrust of the medical system and often begins with faith-based outreach. However, MHA screening data shows that Black and African American people who screen positive for depression self-identify as planning to seek help at higher rates than the general population says they will seek help. Unfortunately, Black and African American providers, who are known to give more appropriate and effective care to Black and African American help-seekers, make up a very small portion of the behavioral health provider workforce (see treatment statistics below). Because of these factors and more, Black and African American people are more likely to experience chronic and persistent, rather than episodic, mental health conditions. Yet, hope for recovery should remain, as light is shed on these issues - and the general public holds accountable policymakers and health systems to evolve better systems which eliminate inequities in mental health services.

Demographics/Societal Issues

13.4 percent of the U.S. population, or nearly 46 million people, identify themselves as Black or African American and another 2.7 percent identified as multiracial.

According to the most recent Census data available, 55 percent of all Black and African American people lived in the South, 18 percent lived in the Midwest, 17 percent in the Northeast, and 10 percent in the West.

The Black immigrant population in the U.S. increased from 816,000 in 1980 to over 4.2 million by 2016. Thirty-nine percent were from Africa and nearly half were from the Caribbean.

Overall, 24 percent of Black and African American people have a bachelor's degree or higher as of 2017.

More than 1 in 5 Black and African American people in the U.S. lived in poverty as of 2018.

Women are the heads of household in roughly 30 percent of Black and African American homes, compared to 9 percent of white homes.

Historical adversity, which includes slavery, sharecropping, and race-based exclusion from health, educational, social, and economic resources, translates into socioeconomic disparities experienced by Black and African American people today. Socioeconomic status, in turn, is linked to mental health: people who are impoverished, homeless, incarcerated, or have substance use problems are at higher risk for poor mental health.

Despite progress made over the years, racism continues to have an impact on the mental health of Black and African American people. Negative stereotypes and attitudes of rejection have decreased, but continue to occur with measurable, adverse consequences. Historical and contemporary instances of negative treatment have led to a mistrust of authorities, many of whom are not seen as having the best interests of Black and African Americans in mind.

Prevalence

According to SAMHSA's 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health:

Sixteen percent (4.8 million) of Black and African American people reported having a mental illness, and 22.4 percent of those (1.1 million people) reported a serious mental illness over the past year.

Serious mental illness (SMI) rose among all ages of Black and African American people between 2008 and 2018.

Despite rates being less than the overall U.S. population, major depressive episodes increased from 9 percent-10.3 percent in Black and African American youth ages 12-17, 6.1 percent to 9.4 percent in young adults 18-25, and 5.7 percent to 6.3 percent in the 26-49 age range between 2015 and 2018.

Suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts are also rising among Black and African American young adults. While still lower than the overall U.S. population aged 18-25, 9.5 percent (439,000) of Black and African American 18-25-year-olds had serious thoughts of suicide in 2018, compared to 6 percent (277,000) in 2008. 3.6 percent (166,000) made a plan in 2018, compared to 2.1 percent (96,000) in 2008, and 2.4 percent (111,000) made an attempt in 2018, compared to 1.5 percent (70,000) in 2008.

Binge drinking, smoking (cigarettes and marijuana), illicit drug use and prescription pain reliever misuse are more frequent among Black and African American adults with mental illnesses.

Attitudes

According to a study conducted by Ward, Wiltshire, Detry, and Brown in 2013:

Black and African American hold beliefs related to stigma, psychological openness, and help-seeking, which in turn affects their coping behaviors. The participants in this study were not very open to acknowledging psychological problems, but they were somewhat open to seek mental health services.

Thirty percent of participants reported having a mental illness or receiving treatment for a mental illness

Black and African American men are particularly concerned about stigma.

Cohort effects, exposure to mental illness, and increased knowledge of mental illness are factors that could potentially change beliefs about symptoms of mental illness.

Participants appeared apprehensive about seeking professional help for mental health issues, which is consistent with previous research. However, participants were willing to seek out some form of help.

Treatment Issues

Black and African American people are more often diagnosed with schizophrenia and less often diagnosed with mood disorders compared to white people with the same symptoms. Additionally, they are offered medication or therapy at the lower rates than the general population.

Black and African American people are over-represented in our jails and prisons. Black and African American people make up 13 percent of the general U.S. population, but nearly 40 percent of the prison population. In 2016, the imprisonment rate for Black and African American men (2,417 per 100,000 Black male residents) was more than 6 times greater than that for white men (401 per 100,000 white male residents) and the imprisonment rate for Black and African American women (97 per 100,000 Black and African American female residents) was almost double that for white women (49 per 100,000 white female residents). Black and African American people with mental health conditions, specifically those involving psychosis, are more likely to be in jail or prison than people of other races.

Because less than 2 percent of American Psychological Association members are Black or African American, some may worry that mental health care practitioners are not culturally competent enough to treat their specific issues.

Stigma and judgment prevent Black and African American people from seeking treatment for their mental illnesses. Research indicates that Blacks and African Americans believe that mild depression or anxiety would be considered "crazy" in their social circles. Furthermore, many believe that discussions about mental illness would not be appropriate even among family.

Access/Insurance

Disparities in access to care and treatment for Black and African American people have also persisted over time.

Fact Sheets
Bipolar Disorder and African Americans Clinical Depression and African Americans
Mental Health Resources for Black and African American Communities

Black Emotional and Mental Health (BEAM): BEAM is a training, movement building and grant making organization dedicated to the healing, wellness, and liberation of Black communities. BEAM envisions a world where there are no barriers to Black Healing.

Toolkits & Education: graphics on accountability, self-control, and emotional awareness; journal prompts; articles on Black mental health

Videos: trainings and webinars, recorded and available for free

The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation: changing the perception of mental illness in the African-American community by encouraging people to get the help they need; focuses on stigma/self-stigma reduction and building trust between Black people and the mental health field.

Therapy for Black Girls: online space encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls; referral tool to find a therapist in your area
Therapist Directory: find trusted therapists that can help you navigate being a strong, Black woman; can search for in-office therapist by your location or virtual therapist.

The Loveland Foundation: financial assistance to Black women & girls seeking therapy

Therapy for Black Men: primarily a therapist directory for Black men seeking therapy; includes some resources and stories.

Dr. Ebony's My Therapy Cards: self-exploration card deck created by a Black female psychologist for other women of color; created with the intention of helping other women of color grow and elevate in the areas of emotional and mental health.

Innopsych: InnoPsych's mission is to bring healing to communities of color by changing the face and feel of therapy. They strive to make therapists of color more visible in the community by creating a path to wellness-themed business ownership; to make it faster (and easier) for people of color to match with a therapist of color; and to create a major shift in how communities of color (or POCs) view therapy.

Safe Black Space: Safe Black Space is the umbrella under which various services are offered to address people of African ancestry's individual and community reactions to cultural and racial trauma.

Partnerships and Resources

The following organizations are among those that offer additional information on this subject, focusing on outreach to Black and African American communities:
Black and African American LGBTQ Youth Report National Black Nurses Association National Medical Association Lee Thompson Young Foundation

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Black and African American Communities and Mental Health

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Overall, mental health conditions occur in Black and African American (B/AA) people in America at about the same or less frequency than in White Americans. However, the historical Black and African American experience in America has and continues to be characterized by trauma and violence more often than for their White counterparts and impacts emotional and mental health of both youth and adults.

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SAMHSA Behavioral Health Spanish Resources

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SAMHSA Behavioral Health Spanish Resources

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The Latinx/Hispanic community is made up of diverse individuals oftentimes set apart by their country of origin or ancestral history.

For the Latinx/Hispanic community, mental health and mental illness are often stigmatized topics resulting in prolonged suffering in silence. This silence compounds the range of experiences that may lead to mental health conditions including immigration, acculturation, trauma, and generational conflicts. Additionally, the Latinx/Hispanic community faces unique institutional and systemic barriers that may impede access to mental health services, resulting in reduced help-seeking behaviors.

Mental Health America (MHA) works at both the national and local levels to raise awareness about mental health. We believe that everyone at risk for mental illnesses and related disorders should receive early and effective interventions based on the unique needs of the individual. We are focused on creating materials and content that help to bridge the gap in knowledge about mental health conditions with the goal of normalizing conversations around mental health in this community.

We strive to ensure that our Spanish language materials are translated and adapted to be reflective of the various sub-groups that make up the Spanish-speaking community. A complete list of Spanish language materials, including our Spanish-language screening tools, is provided further below.

Demographics/Societal Issues

By 2060, the number of Latinx/Hispanic people in the United States is projected to grow to 119 million, or 28.6 percent of the population. [1]

62 percent of U.S. Latinx/Hispanic people have a Mexican background, followed by 9.5 percent with a Puerto Rican background, 3.9 percent with a Salvadoran background, 3.9 percent with a Cuban background, 3.5 percent with a Dominican background, and 2.5 percent with a Guatemalan background. [2]

Thirty-three percent of U.S. immigrants are Latinx/Hispanic and 79 percent of Latinx/Hispanic people living in the U.S. are citizens.[2]

Overall, 16 percent of Latinx/Hispanic people have a bachelor's degree or higher. [2]

Nineteen percent of Latinx/Hispanic people in the U.S. live in poverty. [2]

Latinx/Hispanic people are highly concentrated in a few states in the U.S. There are one million or more Latinx/Hispanic people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Texas. [3]

Attitudes

Religion can be a protective factor for mental health in Latinx/Hispanic communities (faith, prayer) but can also contribute to the stigma against mental illness and treatment (demons, lack of faith, sinful behavior), so targeting religious institutions to help encourage good mental health and treatment-seeking is important. [4]

There is a perception in Latinx/Hispanic communities, especially among older people, that discussing problems with mental health can create embarrassment and shame for the family, resulting in fewer people seeking treatment. [5]

Prevalence

Research shows that in the Latinx/Hispanic population, older adults and youth are more susceptible to mental distress relating to immigration and acculturation. [6]

While rates of mental health disorders among Latinx Americans are lower than those for non-Latinx whites and are higher among U.S.-born Latinx/Hispanic people than those who are foreign-born [6].

Despite this, according to SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, overall mental health issues are on the rise for Latinx/Hispanic people between the ages of 12-49. [7]

Serious mental illness (SMI) rose from 4 percent to 6.4 percent in Latinx/Hispanic people ages 18-25, and from 2.2 percent to 3.9 percent in the 26-49 age range between 2008 and 2018.

Major depressive episodes increased from 12.6 percent-15.1 percent in Latinx/Hispanic youth ages 12-17, 8 percent to 12 percent in young adults 18-25, and 4.5 percent to 6 percent in the 26-49 age range between 2015 and 2018.

Suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts are also rising among Latinx/Hispanic young adults. While still lower than the overall U.S. population aged 18-25, 8.6 percent (650,000) of Latinx/Hispanic 18-25 year-olds had serious thoughts of suicide in 2018, compared to 7 percent (402,000) in 2008. Three percent (224,000) made a plan in 2018, compared to 2 percent (116,000) in 2008, and 2 percent (151,000) made an attempt in 2018, compared to 1.6 percent (90,000) in 2008.

Binge drinking, smoking (cigarettes and marijuana), illicit drug use, and prescription pain reliever misuse are more frequent among Latinx/Hispanic adults with mental illnesses.

Treatment Issues

The American Psychiatric Association digested several studies in a 2017 fact sheet. [6] Among its highlights, it found that:

Latinx/Hispanic people are more likely to seek help for a mental health disorder from a primary care provider (10 percent) than a mental health specialist (5 percent).

Poor communication with health care providers is often an issue. There is a shortage of bilingual or Spanish speaking mental health professionals.

Bilingual patients are evaluated differently when evaluated in English versus Spanish, and Latinx/Hispanic people are more frequently undertreated than whites.

Latinx/Hispanic adolescents use anti-depressants at half the rate of their white counterparts.

Latinx/Hispanic children use stimulants for ADD and ADHD at half the rate of white children.

Mental health problems can be hard to identify, because Latinx/Hispanic people will often focus on physical symptoms and not psychiatric symptoms during doctor visits.

Access/Insurance

Eighteen percent of Latinx/Hispanic people in the U.S. do not have health insurance, with those of Honduran and Guatemalan origin having the highest rates of being uninsured (35 percent and 33 percent respectively). [2]

In 2018, 56.8 percent of Latinx/Hispanic young adults 18-25 and 39.6 percent of adults 26-49 with serious mental illness did NOT receive treatment. [7]

Nearly 90 percent of Latinx/Hispanic people over the age of 12 with a substance use disorder did NOT receive treatment. [7]

In addition, in April 2014, MHA launched a suite of online mental health screening tools on its website (www.MHAscreening.org). In analyzing a sample of over 50,000 screens, MHA found that significant percentages of Latinx/Hispanic respondents indicated that they would either self-monitor their mental health or seek guidance from a peer.

Screening Tools

Taking a mental health screening is one of the quickest and easiest ways to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition.

MHA tiene dos pruebas en Español:
Spanish Language Resources
Mental Health Resources for Latinx/Hispanic Communities

Therapy for Latinx: national mental health resource for the Latinx community; provides resources for Latinx community to heal, thrive, and become advocates for their own mental health.

Latinx Therapy: breaking the stigma of mental health related to the Latinx community; learn self-help techniques, how to support self & others.

The Focus on You: self-care, mental health, and inspirational blog run by a Latina therapist.

Partnerships and Resources

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Latinx/Hispanic Communities and Mental Health

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For the Latinx/Hispanic community, mental health and mental illness are often stigmatized topics resulting in prolonged suffering in silence.

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Guía de recursos para el cuidado infantil para las familias

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Guía de recursos para el cuidado infantil para las familias

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Guía Michigan Alliance for Families de educación especial

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Guía Michigan Alliance for Families de educación especial

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In the interest of better serving the needs of Spanish-speaking families and professionals who work with them, Child Welfare Information Gateway developed this glossary to ensure consistency and cultural relevance in our publications. By making this document available to others, we hope to support other organizations that are also striving to improve their communications and to promote, where possible, consistency throughout the child welfare field. ( read more...)

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In the interest of better serving the needs of Spanish-speaking families and professionals who work with them, Child Welfare Information Gateway developed this glossary to ensure consistency and cultural relevance in our publications.

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Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences 

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Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences 

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

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Emotional Abuse is Just as Harmful as Physical Abuse

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Emotional Abuse is Just as Harmful as Physical Abuse

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Different types of child abuse have equivalent psychological effects, according to a study in JAMA Psychiatry. It has previously been assumed that emotional and verbal abuse could have different or less harmful impact on a child's psychology than physical or sexual abuse, but research now suggests that these forms of abuse can be just as damaging.

It is estimated that nearly forty percent of children worldwide suffer some kind of emotional abuse or neglect, referred to as child maltreatment (CM). Research has connected these non-sexual forms of maltreatment with a broad range of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance use, and suicidal behavior. However, legal punishments for many forms of maltreatment largely vary, with some carrying felony sentences while others may be frowned upon but legal. The standard "nonequivalence" assumption is that child maltreatment has less severe long-term psychological effects than physical and sexual abuse.

To test this hypothesis, a team of researchers led by David Vachon at McGill University studied 2,292 children enrolled at a summer camp between 1986 and 2015. The camp allowed for the children, who had previously suffered forms of maltreatment, to be psychologically assessed from multiple perspectives, including by their peers and counselors, over several years.

"Our results suggest that physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect are equivalent insults that affect broad psychiatric vulnerabilities," they wrote.

The study is limited by the fact that there is no way to separate out the effects of childhood sexual abuse because it co-occurs with other forms of maltreatment and it is often underreported.

They conclude:

"Finally, population-level prevention and intervention strategies should not ignore the considerable psychological harms imposed by emotional abuse, which rival those of physical violence and neglect. Taken together with high worldwide prevalence and evidence that emotional and physical pain share a common somatosensory representation in the brain, it is clear that emotional abuse is widespread, painful, and destructive."

*

Vachon, D. D., Krueger, R. F., Rogosch, F. A., & Cicchetti, D. (2015). Assessment of the harmful psychiatric and behavioral effects of different forms of child maltreatment. JAMA psychiatry, 1135-1142. (Abstract)

MIA Research News Editor: Justin M. Karter is the lead research news editor for Mad in America. He completed his doctorate in Counseling Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He also holds graduate degrees in both Journalism and Community Psychology from Point Park University. He brings a particular interest in examining and decoding cultural narratives of mental health and reimagining the institutions built on these assumptions.

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Emotional Child Abuse Just as Harmful as Physical Abuse

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Different types of child abuse have equivalent psychological effects, according to a study in JAMA Psychiatry.

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5 Parenting Styles and Their Impact on Life

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5 Parenting Styles and Their Impact on Life

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5 Parenting Styles and Their Effects on Life

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How Does Income Affect Brain Development

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How Does Income Affect Brain Development

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How does income affect childhood brain development?

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Neuroscientist and pediatrician Kimberly Noble is leading the Baby’s First Years study: the first-ever randomized study of how family income changes children’s cognitive, emotional and brain development. She and a team of economists and policy experts are working together to find out: Can we help kids in poverty simply by giving families more money? “The brain is not destiny,” Noble says. “And if a child’s brain can be changed, then anything is possible.”

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Parent Mental Health and Child Welfare: One Mother's Story

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Parent Mental Health and Child Welfare: One Mother's Story

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Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)

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Parental mental health and child welfare – a mother’s story

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Learning From Parents in the Child Welfare System

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Learning From Parents in the Child Welfare System

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Most people know that the child welfare system is set up to protect children - even the name says "child" welfare. Child welfare systems investigate reports of child abuse and neglect, provide services to families that need assistance, arrange for children to live in safety when they are not safe at home, and arrange for reunification, adoption or other permanent family connections for children leaving foster care.

But children always exist in families; not on their own. Both research and common sense tell us that the best way to help a child is to strengthen their parents or other family members to provide a safe, loving place for them.

For this reason, KVC Kansas, which serves thousands of families in the child welfare system each year, recently began some innovative approaches towards learning from parents in the child welfare system. Dr. Linda Bass, Vice President of Clinical Services and Wellbeing, launched a group for parents whose children had either been removed from home and placed in temporary foster care, or who were required to participate in state-funded services to prevent foster care. Her work was guided by a planning tool produced by the Annie E. Casey Foundation called "Engaging Parents, Developing Leaders."
James is a single father who overcame challenges in order to safely reunite his family after his children were placed foster care.
"Parents are the people we are serving, so we wanted their voices to be a central part of everything we do, from creating programs to training staff," said Bass. "Our goal was to find out what quality of services we were providing and if there were ways we could support parents more. These parents have already provided so many insights which we're putting into action, making our services better for the next family."

Dr. Bass started the group over one year ago, convening the group every other month. The parents themselves decided to take the meetings on the road, visiting each of KVC's 12 offices in Kansas. Each time, the meeting starts mid-morning with a gathering of the birth parents along with all the staff in that office. There is a parents panel in which the parents share their stories of facing the child welfare system. Few dry eyes are left in the room as parents express the fear, anger, frustration and deep pain they felt as a result of having their children taken from them. They recount the long, often difficult process of completing parenting classes; finding safe, stable housing or employment; working to overcome substance use or addiction; and moving toward that day when they would finally be safely reunited with their children.
When Breanne's children entered foster care, she embraced the support that was offered to her for becoming a successful and confident parent.
One common theme among the parents is that they lacked a support network of family or friends. When life dealt them hard blows, they felt alone in weathering those storms. Some even asked for professional help but didn't qualify for services. They were told that their problems were not significant enough to warrant assistance. Unfortunately, this reflects the nationwide reality that preventative services are often significantly less funded than higher-level interventions like foster care. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but taxpayers and state budgets don't always heed that logic.

After the panel discussion, the parents and staff mingle over lunch. Then the parents in the group have their meeting afterward. Each time the group meets, new parents from that county join and share their stories. It slows down the momentum, making it difficult to complete an entire agenda, but the stories are cathartic and they resonate.
When Alexia was removed from her home and placed in foster care, Shannon and Leah committed to making a change and overcoming their addiction in order to safely bring their daughter home.
The group is making big plans for June which is National Family Reunification Month, celebrating the families who did the hard work needed to bring their children safely home after foster care. Last year, KVC held three "Families United" picnic celebrations. This year, the group is quadrupling that effort to get to 12 events - one for every KVC Kansas office. This will allow parents from all 30 Kansas counties that KVC serves to participate. The parents are designing the t-shirt that will be worn at these events celebrating families. Staff are working to secure donations of hamburgers, potato salad, cakes and other items from local businesses. The invitation list has been expanded from families who have already reunified, to those who are in preventative services. Essentially anyone receiving child or family services is welcome to attend.

Beyond these summer events, the group is having an impact all year long. KVC now gives parents newly involved in the child welfare system a turquoise welcome bag with the words, "You are amazing, you are brave, you are strong" on the front. The bag includes a letter from the agency's leaders, a calendar, a water bottle and other items. The letter affirms that KVC Kansas' goal is to help the parent(s) bring their children safely back home. That is the happy ending for the majority of families in foster care. Sometimes just hearing that it can be done and that the professionals believe in the parents' ability to succeed helps the parents believe in themselves.
When Kassi and Michael's daughters were removed from the home and placed in foster care, the couple worked hard to learn healthy skills to help them manage stress and be successful, both as individuals and as parents.
The group is starting parent support groups in each office. The groups will meet twice a month and provide a safe place for parents at all stages of the journey. KVC has hired its first birth parent to be a KVC Parent Advocate, a paid position that helps to facilitate the support groups, and a second parent will be hired soon.

"These parents are craving support and, because of what they've been through, they're also really good at supporting their peers," said Dr. Bass. "They can have those difficult conversations with each other and inspire hope. They are organically forming the support networks they need. That has big potential to not only help the families who have reunified, but to also help a family on the brink of a crisis, preventing the need for foster care in the first place."

KVC Kansas regularly shares videos and written stories of families who have successfully reunited after foster care. Check them out at www.kvckansas.org/reunify.

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Raw Emotions, Real Insights: Learning from Parents in the Child Welfare System

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Children always exist in families; not on their own. KVC Kansas, which serves thousands of families in the child welfare system each year, recently began some innovative approaches towards learning from parents in the child welfare system.

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Based on years of scientific research as well as his work with thousands of patients, renown child psychiatrist, Dr. Daniel Siegel, has concluded that the biggest predictor of a child's well-being is his parents' level of self-understanding.

None of us made it out of our childhoods unscathed; we all have childhood traumas and "attachment wounds" that need to be tended to. Reflecting on and making sense of our childhood experiences is imperative for being "good" parents and for ensuring that we don't repeat dysfunctional relational patterns with our kids.

Some of you are thinking, Ok, I see how this true for people who had 'bad' childhoods, but this doesn't apply to me, I had a great childhood! I mean, nothing horrible happened, my parents were great and, look at me, I turned out just fine!

This may be true. I'm sure you turned out better than fine! But, there are no exemptions, we've all had difficult childhood experiences, or "traumas," which impacted our development.

So, even if nothing horrible happened during your childhood, in order to understand who you are, what makes you tick and why you have certain challenges as an adult, you've got to spend some time making sense of your childhood. There's just no way around it!

Let me give you an example... (note- the client gave signed consent to have her story told)

M is a mother of three who came to me because she was struggling with her 8-year-old son whom she described as "demanding, out of control and intense." He had sensory processing issues and had been recently diagnosed with ADHD. His behavior had become increasingly challenging - aggressive outbursts, defiance and verbal attacks- and she was frequently losing her temper and had begun to experience physical symptoms of anxiety.

She was intent on keeping the focus on her son and wanted to learn "parenting strategies to help 'change' his behavior." During our second session, she mentioned that while she understood that her son's sensory issues were causing him to act out and she felt bad for him, the fact that he couldn't 'control' his emotions and that he was so 'intense,' made her very uncomfortable and concerned about his future.

Upon hearing this, my attachment antenna went up. I asked her how emotions were handled in her family when she was younger. How did her parents respond to her emotions? Was she allowed to have big emotions or was it considered "bad" and "unacceptable"?

There was a long pause. "Ummmm... I don't know how to answer that, I don't really remember much about my childhood. And I'm just not a very emotional person in general. But, I don't see how that's important. I need to focus on what to do to change my son's behavior."

Her response was indicative of an avoidant attachment style, one in which the primary caregiver is emotionally unavailable and does not allow for the child's emotional expression. As a result, the child learns to detach from her emotions and internalizes the message that she can't rely on others nor does she need others for emotional support.

Adults with an avoidant attachment style tend to be uncomfortable with and judgmental of emotions, especially big displays of emotion, and dismissive of the importance of their childhood relationships, which seemed to be the case with M.

Over the course of our next several sessions, M began to see that a big part of what was going on with her son had to do with her not him! As she began to work on her ability to allow more space for his big emotions, by allowing more space for her own, his outbursts began to lessen.

Instead of responding dismissively and immediately judging him when he acted out, she began to get curious about what he needed from her. We worked on ways she could mirror, validate and allow for his experience, while simultaneously providing firm boundaries around things like phyiscal aggression.

In M's words, "I'd never 'worked' on myself in terms of thinking about how my relationship with my parents and my childhood experiences affected me. To be honest, it was hard for me to wrap my head around. But, I was desperate to help my son, so I decided to give it a try. When Cameron gave me the parent self-reflection questions to answer, my first reaction was resistance. But, once I started answering them, I couldn't believe the connections I started making. Doing this work is the best thing I've ever done to help my son."

If you have a child who is struggling and whose behavior is causing you to struggle, answering the following parental self-reflection questions (adapted from Parenting from the Inside Out) will surely help and is a great place to start. As my incredible mentor, Allison La Tona says, "If you want to change your child, change yourself."

15 Parental Self-Reflection Questions

What was it like growing up? Who was in your family?

Describe your relationship with your mother and your father. Are there ways in which you try to be like or try not to be like each of your parents?

Did you have any experiences in childhood that felt overwhelming or traumatizing? Do these experiences still feel alive? Do they continue to influence your life?

What were the most difficult things about your childhood?

How were you disciplined as a child? How do you think this impacts your parenting?

How did your parents communicate with you when you were happy and excited? Did they mirror your feelings, share in your excitement? When you were distressed or unhappy, how did they respond to you? Were you "allowed" to feel your feelings?

How do you think your childhood experiences have influenced your relationships as an adult? Do you have patterns of behavior that you'd like to change, but are having difficulty changing? If so, what are they?

What impact do you think your childhood has had on your adult life in general, including the ways in which you think of yourself and the ways you relate to your children?

If you could go back in time and change anything about your childhood, what would it be?

What are your strengths?

What do you struggle with?

How do you cope with life's challenges? List your healthy coping strategies and your unhealthy coping strategies.

Choose a difficult experience from your childhood. If you could go back in time, what would you want yourself to know? Close your eyes, picture yourself at that age and give yourself the support you wish you'd had.

Where are you falling short? Instead of criticizing yourself for these challenges, extend yourself some compassion. Close your eyes and do a quick loving kindness meditation- "May I be happy, may I be healthy, may I be safe, may I live with ease."

What kind of parent do you want to be?

CLICK HERE to download the Parental Self-Reflection pdf
Our attachment with our parents and our childhood experiences are not the only factors that play in to who we are, how we perceive the world and how we parent our kids, but they are big pieces of the puzzle. Spending some time reflecting on and making sense of them, as hard as it may be, is an essential part of helping your child and becoming a better parent.

If you experienced significant trauma in your childhood and/or are struggling with mental health issues as an adult - anxiety, depression, addiction, an eating disorder - I encourage you to seek professional help from a therapist. To heal trauma, look for a therapist who is trained in EMDR, an evidenced-based therapy used to treat trauma.

If you're in the Los Angeles area, I recommend the following therapists: Lea Roussos (EMDR certified), Pam Siegel, Allison Schreiner, Jennifer Ollestad and Stephen Kenneally.

If you're in the north San Diego area, I recommend the following EMDR certified therapists: Janelle Nelson, Dr. Enid Singer, Dr. Craig Carlson, and Christie Turner.

Where are you in your parenting journey? Does thinking about your childhood experiences and the impact they had on you feel daunting? If you need extra support, CLICK HERE.

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Answer These 15 Questions to Improve Your Parenting

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Based on years of scientific research as well as his work with thousands of patients, renown child psychiatrist, Dr. Daniel Siegel, has concluded that the biggest predictor of a child's well-being is his parents' level of self-understanding. None of us made it out of our childhoods unscathed; we all have

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RWA Psychology - Psychologist in Beecroft & Hornsby Shire

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Rebecca Wheeler is a clinical psychologist who provides family counselling services.

Reflective parenting encourages connections between parents and their children. As parents, this means learning to observe, to reflect, and to respond respectfully to children's' feelings and behaviours.

Research has shown that parents who can make meaning of their child's behaviour provide children with a more secure connection. Essentially, children do better when they feel understood.

We know that when children feel more understood they have stronger relationships, not only with their parents but also with friends and the wider community. These children also perform better at school and have greater health and well-being.

Parents who are actively engaging in reflective parenting report lower stress and fewer behaviour difficulties. Whether you have young children or teenagers, the principles of reflective parenting can help you build a positive relationship with your children.

Building Connection

When we connect with our children they feel felt. They know that we are with them, right in the middle of whatever difficulty or experience they are going through. Children need to feel understood-even if we don't agree with what they are saying or finding their behaviours challenging.

Ways of connecting with your children

1. Communicate comfort
Get below your child's eye level, perhaps give them a loving touch, nod of your head or an empathetic nod.

2. Validate
Even if you don't like their behaviour, acknowledge what they may be feeling.

3. Stop talking and listen
Avoid lecturing, explaining or telling them they don't feel this way. Simply listen and look for the meaning and the emotions which your child is expressing.

4. Reflect what you hear
The goal here is to communicate back to your child that you have actually heard them.

What, why, and how?

Asking what, why, and how questions are one great way of engaging in reflective parenting. Particularly when it comes to matters of discipline, this can be more effective than mindlessly responding to challenging behaviours.

1. Why did my child act that way?
Be curious, try to understand why your child does something and step aside from tempting generalisations which are often fuelled by anger and frustration.

2. What Lesson do I want to teach right now?
The goal of discipline is not to simply punish or give a consequence but to teach a lesson that they can carry with them to help them navigate life - perhaps a lesson on self-control, sharing or acting responsibly.

3. How can I best teach this lesson?
Consider the age of your children as well as the context of the situation. Often we need to wait for our children to calm down before we can sit and talk with them about what has happened. When anyone is full of strong emotion it is hard to think clearly and calmly about what has happened.

Dan Siegel is just one of many authors who are writing about the importance of mindful or reflective parenting. His books such as "The Whole-Brain child", Brainstorm", and "No-Drama Discipline" are great resources for any parent and provide detailed information on the principles outlined in this blog.

If you're having trouble with your child, consider contacting RWA Psychology to discuss your issues and set up an appointment.

Rebecca Wheeler is a clinical psychologist who works with matters of parenting.

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Reflective Parenting: Fresh Approach & Discipline Principles

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Discover our guide on reflective parenting. Gain expert insights and practical tips from our latest blog post. Click to read more.

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What Is Gentle Parenting?

Gentle parenting is a philosophical approach to raising kids. With this method, parents eschew punitive strategies, such as implementing time-outs and denying privileges, in favor of positive guidance aimed at eliciting desirable behavior. Addressing pediatricians, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests the key to explaining this parenting approach is to underscore that discipline means to teach, not punish.

Gentle parenting is synonymous with labels like positive parenting, respectful parenting and non-violent parenting, says Leslie Priscilla Arreola-Hillenbrand, a certified parenting coach in Orange County, California, and the founder of Latinx Parenting. "[Gentle parenting] moves away from the idea that kids are either 'good' or 'bad'," she says. "[It] moves into the truth that kids are seeking connection and often haven't learned the strategies to meet that need."

A key component to gentle parenting, Arreola-Hillenbrand says, is to recognize that sometimes children communicate their needs through attention-seeking behavior. It's up to the parent to uncover this unmet need beneath the behavior, she adds.

What are the Benefits of Gentle Parenting?

Our early childhood experiences can have a lasting impact on our health, behavior and learning abilities later in life, finds research from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. This period, the organization notes, can provide a "pivotal window of opportunity for positive and negative impact."

While there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest the efficacy of gentle parenting, critics say there's simply not enough rigorous evidence-based research to measure its impact.

Though limited, here's what the current research has to say about the benefits of this parenting method:

Decreased risk of childhood depression: When compared to children whose parents used a more authoritarian approach to child-rearing, kids who were raised in a gentle parenting household showed lower rates of depression during childhood.

Better self-regulation: One longitudinal study suggested that gentle parenting may bolster what early childhood experts call "effortful control," or the ability to master self-regulatory tasks like focusing despite distractions.

School achievement: The same longitudinal study drew a potential link between gentle parenting and school achievement, though the researchers concluded further study was needed.

Secure attachment: This parenting approach promotes a secure attachment, or strong bond between parent and child. Research shows children who share a secure attachment with their parents display more curiosity, self-reliance and independence than their peers.

How is Gentle Parenting Different From Other Parenting Methods?

One of the main differences between gentle parenting and other parenting approaches is that the former focuses on building a healthy partnership between parent and child, says Chanel Johnson, a licensed clinical counselor and certified clinical trauma professional in Detroit, Michigan, and the founder of Altus Home Counseling and Behavioral Services. By contrast, any authoritative parenting method positions the caregiver as the one in power, continues Johnson. With an authoritative approach, "a child does what they are told because they are told to do so by someone in power," she adds.

Gentle parenting emphasizes a child's role within the family. "[It] encourages children to do what is asked of them because they see themselves as an individual, capable of affecting others and creating change in their environment," explains Johnson.

She also notes this parenting style focuses on how both parent and child navigate big feelings, with an emphasis on the parental modeling of emotional regulation. The approach steers parents away from labeling children as "good" or "bad" for experiencing big emotions, Johnson adds.

What are the Drawbacks to Gentle Parenting?

"It's not all rainbows and lollipops," says Arreola-Hillenbrand of this parenting approach. "[Gentle parenting] can get very gritty and messy and there are real challenges that come up to work through." One of the roadblocks she sees consistently in her practice is the assumption parents make about just who the method is for.

Arreola-Hillenbrand works with Latinx families and often hears them dismiss the practice of gentle parenting as one reserved for white families. However, she says, "It does not belong to one group over another, though folks who have been more historically marginalized have experienced more roadblocks to be able to parent in this way, because of the immense stressors and lack of support."

For families of color, Arreola-Hillenbrand stresses the importance of working with therapists or parent coaches who factor historical and cultural trauma into the conversation, and understand the complexities that come with their family identity.

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How Do I Practice Gentle Parenting?

To start practicing gentle parenting, begin by adopting the three basic tenets of the philosophy:

Respond to Behaviors

How parents respond to a child's behavior is an important aspect of gentle parenting. When it comes to curbing undesirable behaviors, pinpointing your child's triggers may help ward off their troubling responses altogether.

Noting what happens right before and after an undesirable behavior may help parents understand how to respond differently, the AAP notes.

Implement the 'Time In' Approach

In gentle parenting, caregivers are encouraged to actively engage in play with their children, allowing little ones to lead the way. Taking this time and following your child's cues in play fosters language development and physical, emotional and social wellness, notes the AAP. As children grow, this time evolves from active play to an invitation for open and honest conversation.

Use Praise to Your Advantage

Use praise to encourage desirable behavior in your child. By taking the focus off negative conduct and issuing praise for positive behavior, parents help reinforce and promote those desirable actions again in the future.

How Do I Know If Gentle Parenting is Right for My Child?

It's important to note that no parenting style is one size fits all. But the beauty of the gentle parenting approach is that it can be made adaptable for almost anyone, explains Arreola-Hillenbrand. "For parents of children with special needs, there are challenges in applying some of the tools," she says. "But ... every child invites us to engage with them in a way that honors their needs."

Still, there's research to suggest that for children living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder, gentle parenting may not be the right fit. By contrast, there's robust research that shows how beneficial measures like time-outs and privilege losses can be for these individuals.

Common Misconceptions About Gentle Parenting

"Many who do not understand this kind of parenting will often mistake it for a permissive or totally hands-off approach, or go as far as to say it is neglectful," says Arreola-Hillenbrand. One of the most common misconceptions about gentle parenting is that, in the absence of punishments, parents who practice this approach do not enforce any rules or boundaries, adds Johnson. But she argues that the entire focus of the method is to teach children how to implement healthy boundaries and, in turn, impart vital lessons on independence and trust.

Where to Find More Information

To find more information on the gentle parenting approach, Johnson recommends seeking out the help of a parent coach. The Parenting Coach Institute offers a directory that is searchable by state. You may also ask your pediatrician for available resources, seek out the help of a qualified therapist or look to any number of books on the subject, such as Raising Good Humans by Hunter Clark-Fields, MSAE, The Conscious Parent by Shefali Tsabary, Ph.D. and The Gentle Parenting Book by Sarah Ockwell-Smith.

More Joy. Less Stress.

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What Is Gentle Parenting-And How Can You Practice It?

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What Is Gentle Parenting-And How Can You Practice It?

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Hands Across the Water Adoption Resource and Education in MI

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Hands Across the Water Adoption Resource and Education in MI

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Adoption And Foster Care Agency | Hands Across The Water | Michigan

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Hands Across The Water - foster care and adoption agency

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Once you've welcomed your child or children home, there are resources to help you become a strong, healthy and united family. From support groups where you can get to know other families who have walked in your shoes to case management services where a qualified post-adoption expert will come to your home to offer individualized assistance, there are supports designed to help your family at any level. Explore post adoption resources here!
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with private agencies provides Post Adoption Resource Centers throughout the state. Find and contact your region by viewing the Post Adoption Resource Centers Map to find support in your area.

This toolkit was developed by the statewide Adoption Oversight Committee, a collaboration of DHHS, MARE, SCAO, private foster care and adoption agencies, parents and other support organizations. View the toolkit and click on links of interest.

Our desire is to connect adoptive families with therapists who are competent in adoption-related counseling and who understand the complex needs of children and families touched by adoption. Please take the time to find a therapist that fits with your family dynamics and who is able to answer any questions or concerns you may have. This list is not comprehensive, so please feel free refer a therapist to us to add to this list.

Resources for Adopted Young Adults

The Michigan Resources for Transition-Aged Adopted and Guardian Youth provides information primarily to applicable youth, though this document may benefit parents and/or caregivers as well. Resources, descriptions, and contact information are listed for areas such as medical coverage, higher education funding, employment, transitional housing programs, and substance abuse. It is our hope that applicable youth benefit from this document and take advantage of the unique opportunities, services, and funding that are available.
View the toolkit and click on links of interest.

Click on the images below to download the wallet cards as a PDF document.

Version 1 (Single-Sided) Version 2 (for use with two-sided printers)

Essential Resources for Adoptive/Guardian/Kinship Families

Adoptive, guardian, and kinship families often face unique challenges. Specialized services and community based resources are available.
View the toolkit and click on links of interest.

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Once you've welcomed your child or children home, there are resources to help you become a strong, healthy and united family. From support groups where you can get to know other families who have walked in your shoes to case management services where a qualified post-adoption expert will come to your home to offer individualized assistance, there are supports designed to help your family at any level.

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Process / Timeline
for Becoming a Foster Parent in Michigan

The great thing about the journey to becoming a licensed foster parent is that you don't need to navigate the process alone. With more than 125 years of experience in caring for children and families, we know there are a lot of questions regarding the process that pop up, so don't hesitate to ask. It really is a privilege for us to be with you every step of the way, and we want you to feel as comfortable as possible. This means no questions are off limits.

Process / Steps

The number one question we hear is, "How long does it take to become a licensed foster parent?"

At Wellspring, we always say it usually takes 4-6 months from beginning to end in order to become licensed in Michigan. See below for more about each step.

Step 2: Enrollment / Foster Care Application

You will receive an application during your orientation meeting, which you can turn in at the end of your orientation or in the days following. Once the application is completed by you and submitted to your Wellspring licensing staff, this officially begins the licensure process. Submitting the application is referred to as "enrollment" because you are "enrolling" with our organization to become a licensed foster parent through Wellspring Lutheran Services. Once our licensing staff receives and processes your application, it will be submitted to the State of Michigan to notify them that you are officially beginning the process to become a licensed foster parent. There is no cost associated with enrolling to be a foster care applicant.

Step 3: Training

Wellspring and the State of Michigan want to ensure all foster parents receive the training they need in order to effectively care for the children who may be placed with them. So, all prospective foster parents must complete a standard training curriculum, which is offered regularly and free of charge throughout the state. The statewide curriculum is called GROW, with the exception of Kent County, which uses a model called Pressley Ridge. During your orientation meeting, Wellspring's licensing staff will assist you in locating and signing up for a GROW training near you. Training is usually done concurrently while paperwork is gathered and the home study process is completed (see steps 4 & 5, below). GROW is delivered in 9 individual sessions, which are generally offered back-to-back over two 8-hour days. The training focuses on preparing foster parents to:

Protect and nurture children;

Meet children's developmental needs and address their delays;

Support relationships with birth families;

Connect children to safe, nurturing relationships intended to last a lifetime; and

Work as a member of a professional team.

Becoming A Foster Parent

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Wellspring Foster Care|How to Become a Foster Parent in Michigan | Wellspring Foster Care

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The process to become a licensed foster parent in Michigan usually takes 4-6 months from beginning to end. Read our 7 steps toward becoming a foster parent, including training, paperwork, and a home visit. When you work with Wellspring, we'll be with you every step of the way!

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What To Do When Your Child Is Violent At Home

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What To Do When Your Child Is Violent At Home

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Arguments are a natural part of family life, and these can certainly start to happen more often, as your child enters their teenage years. Sometimes conflicts will turn into blazing rows, with your teenager insulting you or swearing. This can be hurtful and frustrating for any parent to deal with. Although a certain level of anger and frustration is common from teenagers, it is not acceptable for your teenager to use aggression, threats or become violent towards you.

Key Points:

Look after yourself - This is vital to cope with the anger and aggression from your teen. You probably feel exhausted, demoralised and are likely to be making huge efforts to get a tiny amount of control

Try to find the root of the anger - School pressures, bullying, friendships, mental health, family breakdown, illness can all be trigger factors that add to a child's stress levels

Keep yourself safe - This is so important and ensure you and other members of the family are safe. If you can spot the signs of the conflict turning into violence, have a safety plan for those times

Understanding child on parent violence

It can be difficult to know what defines this behaviour. The Government defines this as adolescent to parent violence and abuse (APVA), which is any form of behaviour by a young person to control and dominate over their parents. The aim is to instil fear, threaten and cause intimidation. APVA has a serious impact on parents and the wider family too. Although, there is no legal definition of adolescent to parent violence and abuse. However, it's increasingly recognised as a form of domestic violence and abuse and depending on the age of the child, it may fall under the government's official definition of domestic violence and abuse.

Met Police figures show reports of child-to-parent violent offences grew from 920 in 2012 to 1801 in 2016, which is a 95% increase. Thirty-five police forces in England and Wales shows officers probed 10,051 cases of domestic violence against adults by children in the year 2015/16. Comparable data for 19 police forces in England, Wales and the Channel Islands saw annual incidents jump from 7,224 in 2015 to 14,133 in 2018. During the pandemic, The University of Oxford carried out a study found 70% had seen an increase in violent incidents during the lockdown, while parallel research with 47 practitioners working in the field found most had seen a rise in referrals and recorded increased levels of violence. These figures are the tip of the iceberg.

How parents feel

"My son had a temper tantrum last night, over not doing his homework. I restrained him, as he was attempting to smash up his bedroom. My other children were terrified; my husband doesn't know what to do. He ripped my jeans, I have a huge bruise on my leg, he has smashed a hole in his door and ripped his light fitting out. We are all going to have to suffer this week because we have to pay to fix the damage. He just thinks it's all unfair on him! We are in a dark place right now, I know I need help with this, but am terrified of the consequences for him." (Mother of 13 year old son)

We have spoken to many families and often they get in touch when things have escalated. They describe their reluctance in seeking help as they feel ashamed or a bad parent and worried about being judged. When parents are going through this horrendous situation in their family life, they might also be feeling isolated and frightened to speak up and get some support.

As difficult as it may be, support is available and it is important to get some help and advice on dealing with this. The impact of this violence and aggression affects the whole family as everyone could be walking on eggshells and feeling constant dread.

What could be behind this?

A young person who is acting in an aggressive or violent way is quite likely to be struggling with their feelings or it could be a reaction to something that they are going through which they may have kept to themselves. Is this behaviour something that has been a bolt unexpectedly? On the other hand, is it something that perhaps has been increasing as they have been developing? It is important to try to put a timeline on when and how it started and what triggers could have been the catalyst.

We often find that there could be underlying emotional and mental health issues in the young people and they may be suffering from depression, anxiety or even harming themselves. Other triggers could include situations such as family breakdown, bullying or substance misuse. It is important to keep in mind that no child wants to behave in this way, frighten the people they love but it may have got out of control and they may be struggling on how to manage their feelings.

"Our eldest daughter started getting in trouble in school at about the age of 11. We tried being strong disciplinarians but it just made matters worse. Her behaviour deteriorated to aggression, violence, rudeness and self-harming. We eventually found out that serious bullying was going on, and she was bullying and playing truant to keep on their good side. When we got nowhere with the school we pulled her out and decided to home school. We have learned how to deal with her outbursts of misbehaviour and continue to listen to her and support her. She is now in a new school studying for GCSEs and enjoying it and her friends. It was tough but you must never give up on your child even if they say they hate you. That doesn't mean you have to be a pushover, remain firm and consistent in your rules and boundaries but equally consistent with your love and support." (Mother of 15 year old)

What to do if you are experiencing violence from your teen

If you are experiencing violence from your teen, it may be hard to admit that there is a problem, but if your teenager is hitting you, then this is domestic abuse. You deserve to feel safe in your own home and family life.

Look after yourself - This is vital to cope with the anger and aggression from your teen. You probably feel exhausted, demoralised and are likely to be making huge efforts to get a tiny amount of control.

This is not your fault - No parent can avoid making mistakes, life itself is an imperfect process full of disappointments, and difficulties and children need to be able to cope with these.

Choose your battles - You can't tackle everything at once, put some issues on the back-burner to be dealt with later.

Try not to take it personally - If your child is struggling, it's often because of a range of issues that may have been beyond your control. Once you are aware of them, you can give the support and help to address their fears and worries.

Separate the behaviour from your teen - You can still love your teen but not like their behaviour. It is not a package and it is important to try to view the behaviour as a stand-alone issue.

Use language that separates the behaviour from your teen - Family Lives works with parents on giving '3-part statements' that really do make a difference: "when you did... I felt... what I want to happen is...". Repeating this, and being consistent in using it, works. Avoid using language that blames and is negative. Think about what you are saying and how you are saying it, such as the tone, etc.

Ignoring the behaviour won't make it go away - It is really hard to go through this, but playing it down won't help it go away. If it is not addressed, the violence could increase and become a life-long pattern; help them break the pattern.

Keep yourself safe - This is so important and ensure you and other members of the family are safe. If you can spot the signs of the conflict turning into violence, have a safety plan for those times. Try to go to a place of safety while you decide what to do next. Call the police if you need to.

Calling the police - You may feel reluctant to call in the police as you may not want your child to get into serious trouble or for other reasons. The police have been working with many families on adolescent to parent violence and abuse and understand the impact. If you are in fear for your safety or you are feeling threatened it is ok to call the police to help diffuse the situation and for you to feel safe.

Redress the balance - Often the only attention you will be giving your teen is in response to negative behaviour. If you feel able to, find moments where you can show your appreciation when they are doing well.

Be aware of your own responses and reactions to conflict - You might be inflaming the situation without meaning to, for example, by shouting or responding back with aggression. Keep yourself calm. Leave the room for a while if you need to. Respond rather than react.

Acknowledge their feelings - "I know you're really angry", recognises the fact without criticism. "What would help you now", offers support but does not have to be agreed to, as does, "I'll see what I can do and we'll talk about it later". A gentle look, a kind touch can convey this without hostility and before trying to talk about what is wrong.

Try to find the root of the anger - School pressures, bullying, friendships, mental health, family breakdown, illness can all be trigger factors that add to a child's stress levels. They are not excuses but may be reasons for it. Talking through the pressures, listening to your teen attentively, without judging, interrupting or directing them can help them to offload their feelings and release the pressure constructively.

Help them develop self-strategies - Helping your teen to understand the triggers and what to do when they are angry is crucial to help them overcome this. When things are calm, have a chat and find out what they think would work for them. It may be a case of trial and error but it is good to help them manage their emotions and find a different outlet for their angry feelings. They might want to use calming down strategies for their anger or an alternative option is meditation to help them quieten down their mind. Let them know that you are there for them.

Give them space - Recognise that your teen is taking anger out on you and may not know how else to deal with difficult feelings. Once they have calmed down, you may be able to talk to them about what has happened and suggest they let you find them some help.

Don't fight fire with fire - Avoid using violence with your teen. If you are hitting your teenager in response, then you are giving them the message that it is OK to use violence to solve disagreements. By avoiding using violence, you are setting a positive example of what you find acceptable.

Get support for yourself - Know what support you need, and pick and mix from your friends and relatives to get the best fit that you can. Contact supports services such as our helpline on 0808 800 2222 for support and advice.

Choosing your moments

You can choose a quiet moment, preferably one on one, to find out what is the route of their frustration and aggression. Listen to your teen and try to see their point of view. Even if you only see it slightly, let them know, instead of just disagreeing with everything. When your teen trusts that you can hear their views, they may be more likely to talk calmly instead of shouting.

Try to resolve the argument with a compromise, or at least show that you have understood where their emotions are coming from. If the situation becomes too heated and you are finding it difficult to stay calm, walk away. Avoid blame, and let your teen know that you will be able to talk to them again when you have calmed down.

Local support

It might be difficult for them to realise they have an issue and accept help. You could ask their school or college to support them so it might be worth involving the head of year or college wellbeing advisor. Make an appointment with your GP and try to get a referral to your local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) as they will be able to give your child counselling or therapy to help them manage their feelings. Waiting times and referral procedures can vary. You could also ask your GP to make a referral to family therapy so everyone is able to work through this together.

It may also be helpful to contact your local Youth Offending Services (YOS) for support. They may have a local support programmes for parents that work to prevent the behaviour escalating. They may accept self-referrals and it is worth finding out if they have a programme running in your area. To find out the contact details of your local YOS team, please click here.

If you are really struggling and feel unable to cope, it may be helpful to speak to your local Social Services about getting some support with your child's behaviour.

How we can support you

At Family Lives, we do understand how different each situation is. If you would like further support and advice, you can contact us for advice and support. We always endeavour to help the parent understand that violence against them from their teenager is unacceptable and it is abuse. If their teenager behaved, in this way towards anyone else outside the family, they would have to face consequences and so they should understand they should be still accountable for their behaviour within the family. Our support is non-judgemental, supportive and confidential. We explore options such as:

Making sure the parent can protect themselves and other family member by removing themselves from the danger

Calling the police and talking this through

If they feel they cannot bring the police in then we speak to them about the possibility of a PCSO speaking to the teenager about possible consequences

Asking if the teenager is under any particular stress at this time in order to identify where the anger is coming from

Seeing if there is someone who will take the teenager in for a few days in order to let tempers calm

Exploring if there is anyone the teenager looks up to and will listen to

Supporting the parent to help break a deadlock and take themselves out of the situation

Other organisations that may be useful:

You can get in touch with the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247

PEGS provides support to parents who are experiencing violence from your child or teenager

Encourage your teen to speak to the team at The Mix who provide support to young people on any challenge they are facing

Young Minds who can give your teeen some much needed emotional support if they are struggiing with their feelings

Watch this video for further tips and advice

Further resources

It may help to chat to other parents on our forums to find out how they are dealing with this issue within their family life. You can also talk to us via our live chat service, email us at askus@familylives.org.uk or call us on our helpline on 0808 800 2222 to speak to trained family support worker.

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Teen violence help and advice for parents | Family Lives

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Read our advice about teenage violence and the factors that can cause a teen to become threatening in the home and the signs that things are going too far

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By Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Posted in: Parenting Concerns, Stress, You & Your Family

Topics: COVID-19 + Family Mental Health, Healthy Living, Stress

As parents, our main job is to take care of our kids, including our young adult children. It's hard to think of anything more important than our children's well-being. We worry about their academic success, social life, and recreational achievements. We worry about their physical health, emotional adjustment, and overall happiness.

And as adults, we have our own worries on top of these - finances, relationships with our partners, job performance, health, housing, and much more.

Sometimes it's overwhelming.

As a parent, you know best how many things your kids worry about - from social issues and over-scheduling, to broader political and economic concerns - and the obstacles they face when it comes to self-care. That's why we offer helpful suggestions from other young people in three recent short films.

But what about us? For parents, it's pretty much the same. We have so many obligations to our families and homes, in addition to juggling work, friendships, involvement in religious communities, community service, and nurturing hobbies. When do we fit in self-care for ourselves?

Many of the tips we suggest for young people are similar for parents: setting aside time for meditation, yoga, exercise, restful sleep, and screen-free time.

Here are some additional strategies to put in your self-care toolbox to promote your own well-being:

Carve out your TIME. This is super hard to do with all the duties and priorities we have. But just as the announcement on airplanes goes, you need to "put on your own oxygen mask first, before you can help the person next to you." If we care for ourselves, then we can better care for others, and scheduling time for self-care is one of the best ways to make it happen. Whether it's putting aside 20 minutes before bed to read or relax, setting an alarm for a daily work break, or creating a plan to rotate responsibilities with a partner to give the other a break - try to set aside some time each day for yourself.

Set priorities. As parents, we can't do everything. Try to set priorities within obligations. Usually, priorities will involve the kids and other family members first, and then choose one or two that are important to you, whether it's planting your garden or getting out to see a show. If you have a partner at home, sharing similar priorities can be valuable, as you can share childcare obligations and make tough decisions together about what to do and when to do it. Try not to commit to tasks that will make you feel like you're not accomplishing things, or doing things poorly. And give yourself permission to let go of some of the things that aren't priorities.

Choose fun things to do, in advance. Most of us have a variety of things we want to do for fun and relaxation. But even going over this list can become stressful! In the little time you have, do you want to learn to bake bread, read a good book, take a yoga class, watch TV, or get out for a walk? Keep things simple and doable. In advance, choose a couple of things you consistently look forward to doing and can realistically build into your schedule.

Spend time with family and friends. Humans are not meant to be solo pilots, though many of us as parents find ourselves swamped with taking care of the kids, working, and maintaining our homes. Yet we all need the pleasure of less structured time with loved ones and friends. Is there a certain day of the week that you can plan on family dinner? If you can't see your friends as much as you used to, what about checking in by text or a phone call? This too needs to be built into our schedules.

Find folks to take care of you. In our role as parents, we are the consummate caretakers. It's what we do. But, "we all need someone we can lean on." Separate from leisure time with family or friends, identify who in your life can be a shoulder for you to lean on when you need it. Who in your life cares for you? Who do you trust to nurture you - to give you advice, listen to you, or comfort you during a rough spell? This may be one person, or different people for different challenges. Then, find ways to allow these special people to nurture you. After all, "that's what friends are for."

Get out of the house. This doesn't mean going out to food shop or commute to work. We need to see more than our office cubicle and our kitchens. Going out for a walk, or even taking a scenic drive, can reduce the feeling of confinement and clear your head. Consider having a parent night out once a week, or every other week. If you schedule it, it becomes an expectation for everyone - especially for your kids, who will have a sitter or be on their own with homework - and give you something to look forward to.

Pamper yourself. From time to time, our kids expect that we go overboard to give them a treat - whether it's going out for ice cream or allowing them to stay up late for a movie. Shouldn't you also get a little something extra, every so often? This may be buying a new pair of boots, going out to a show or sporting event, or going out for ice cream yourself. Parents need treats, too!

See your doctors regularly. Everyone should have an annual visit with their primary care physician. Your doctor will help you maintain your health, prevent illness and, if needed, initiate early intervention for a newly detected condition. Meeting with your doctor is also an opportunity to discuss ways to improve your self-care. Beyond exercise and diet, there are things you might ask about to improve your strength and resilience, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, vision tests - even mindfulness classes! Visiting your dentist regularly for cleaning and x-rays is also important, as dental problems are preventable through frequent assessments and daily management. And schedule appointments with any specialists who care for chronic or other medical concerns - many of these doctors have waiting times, so there's no time like the present to get it on the calendar.

Stay organized. Managing your finances, keeping your home clean and orderly, and setting up schedules isn't always included in conversations on self-care. But think about it. If our chores at home and work are in disarray, we get stressed. If it's a challenge to manage the necessities of everyday life, how will we manage to find the time to relax? Whether it involves spreadsheets, closet organizers, a rotating cleaning schedule, or prepping dinner in advance for the whole week - finding the most effective ways that work for you to keep your life in order is essential in caring for yourself.

Plan for your future. Too often in the hectic days of caring for our kids and working, we forget to think about how we want to live in the next five to 15 years. As kids grow older and more independent, parents have more time to themselves. This means thinking about your dreams, lifestyle, changes in career, and more. It's helpful to start young and consider ways to save your money and plan for desired transitions. In addition to making your future hopes more possible, planning ahead adds a positive aspect to those years ahead when your children have left the nest.

There are surely even more ways to practice self-care, and we hope these ideas help you to think about what they are, for you. If you come up with additional ideas to share, please e-mail us. We will add them to future posts.

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10 Self-Care Tips for Parents - MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds

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As parents, our focus is often on caring for our kids. But setting aside time in our schedule for self-care can help us better look after our families.

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Importance of Self-Care: Why Parents Need Time Out to Recharge

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Taking small chunks of time for yourself as early on as possible is one of the best ways to keep yourself from feeling trapped as a new parent. Keeping yourself happy and healthy will allow you to give the best care possible to your new baby.

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Consequences of Student Mental Health Issues

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Consequences of Student Mental Health Issues

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Mental health problems can affect many areas of students' lives, reducing their quality of life, academic achievement, physical health, and satisfaction with the college experience, and negatively impacting relationships with friends and family members. These issues can also have long-term consequences for students, affecting their future employment, earning potential, and overall health. 1

Consequences for the Student

Mental health problems can affect a student's energy level, concentration, dependability, mental ability, and optimism, hindering performance. 2 Research suggests that depression is associated with lower grade point averages, and that co-occurring depression and anxiety can increase this association. 2 Depression has also been linked to dropping out of school. 2

Many college students report that mental health difficulties interfere with their studies. On the American College Health Association 2015 survey, college students identified the following mental health issues as negatively impacting their academic performance within the last 12 months: 3

Stress (30% of students)

Anxiety (22%)

Sleep difficulties (20%)

Depression (14%)

Consequences for Others

Peers, family members, faculty, and staff may be personally affected out of concern for these students.

Depression and anxiety can have harmful effects on relationships and work productivity.

Suicide and suicidal thoughts can affect the larger campus community.

Roommates, peers, faculty, and staff also experience profound grief over student suicides and suicidal behavior.

Consequences for Campuses

Campuses feel the burden when students with mental health difficulties do poorly on course work and drop out of school.

Colleges and universities must be prepared to address the psychological impact of suicides on other students, as well as on teachers and staff.4

Poor student retention can mean losses in tuition, fees, and alumni donations.

Consequences for Communities and the Larger Society

The community is negatively affected when students are unable to finish their degrees and contribute valuable skills in a competitive job market.

One study found that five percent of students do not finish their education due to psychiatric disorders and estimated that 4.29 million people would have graduated from college had they not been experiencing such disorders.5

References

Eisenberg, D., Gollust, S. E., Golberstein, E., & Hefner, J. L. (2007). Prevalence and correlates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality among university students. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 77(4), 534-542.

Eisenberg, D., Downs, M., & Golberstein, S. (2009). Stigma and help-seeking for mental health among college students. Medical Care Research and Review, 66(5), 522-541.

American College Health Association. (2015). National College Health Assessment II: Spring 2015 reference group executive summary. Hanover, MD: Author. Retrieved from http://www.acha-ncha.org/reports_ACHA-NCHAII.html.

Meilman, P. W., & Hall, T. M. (2006). Aftermath of tragic events: The development and use of community support meetings on a university campus. Journal of American College Health, 54(6), 382-384.

Kessler, R. C., Foster, C. L., Saunders, W. B., & Stang, P. E. (1995). Social consequences of psychiatric disorders, I: Educational attainment. American Journal of Psychiatry, 152(7), 1026-1032.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Consequences of Student Mental Health Issues

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mental health problems can affect many areas of students' lives, reducing their quality of life, academic achievement, physical health, and satisfaction with the college experience, and negatively impacting relationships with friends and family members. These issues can also have long-term consequences for students, affecting their future employment, earning potential, and overall health.

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The Parent Test is for parents of young people to determine if their child’s emotions, attention, or behaviors might be signs of a problem.

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Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

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How Anxiety Affects Teenagers - Child Mind Institute