RAISING THE BAR: Ways to help your child’s mental health during summer

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - For years, we’ve reported on the rise in mental health issues among our youth.

Recent studies show anxiety and depression are the two most common mental health disorders. Educators say the summer break could be a good time for parents to help their kids.

In this week’s Raising the Bar segment, 13News’ Valerie Cavazos spoke with Krysti Hesse, a counselor in the Marana Unified School District, for some advice.

What advice do you have for parents during the summertime? Maybe a chance to regroup and talk about things that they might have not been able to during the school year?

“A lot of things that parents can do, that they can say is, ‘I’m here for you. I want to listen to your concerns. I want to listen to what’s going on. It’s okay to feel this way.’ Whether they’re anxious or upset, validating their feelings is very important that they’re safe,” Hesse said. “Making sure that these children know that they’re safe and that they can come to their parents, knowing that asking, ‘What can I do to help you? How can I help you through this? What can I do to help improve this situation for you?’”

A lot has changed even from when we went to school. So what what advice do you have for parents since what they experienced in school may not be the same as what’s happening today.

“It is definitely different than when we went to school, and I think keeping that in mind, I think recognizing we grew up in an era where social media wasn’t as prevalent as it is now, we were able to come home and get away from everything, where students now maybe aren’t able to do that,” Hesse said. “So, I think it’s really important to set limits on electronic devices, so that they have that break as opposed to it constantly being there.

“I think that’s really important. I think recognizing and allowing your children to recognize what their coping skills are, what can they do if they start to feel overwhelmed or they start to feel anxious? What are some things that they can do? Whether it be breathing, whether it be listening to music, journaling, practicing gratitude, what are the things that they can do, and recognize those, but let their children know, ‘Hey, these are some things that you can do.’ So they already have tools in their toolbox when they’re coming back to school.”

Every child is different. What works with one child doesn’t necessarily work with another child, so the key point here is to keep the communication open and know that you may have to adjust.

You can check out all our local “Raising the Bar” segments on KOLD.com. They include tips on how parents can help keep kids active and learning to help prevent the summer slide.

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