SUPPORTING YOUTH: INFO FOR PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND CAREGIVERS

Feb 5, 2020 | Mental health resources

Do you remember riding a teeter totter (seesaw) when you were a kid? How it would move up and down in either direction. Never quite balanced for long, but with some mindfulness, skill, and the right weight on either side it was achievable for a time.

Photo credit: Mike Anderson

Life is like that. Childhood is no exception. Sometimes it swings towards risk. Sometimes it swings towards safety. Sometimes balance is found between the two. And, that’s a good thing.

Total protection offers limited learning opportunities. Total risk is full of learnings IF you survive it! So how do we help kids achieve the fine balance between risk and protection? They need our help.

This is where you come in.

VIDEO: HELPING CHILDREN IDENTIFY FEELINGS & COPING SKILLS

The following video illustrates how to help children identify, and talk about their feelings. It also illustrates them taking note of their own unique coping strategies for stress.

If a kid you work or live with is having a challenging time telling you how they feel, perhaps they don’t yet have the language to. Try offering them a menu of ideas they can say yes or no to. But, proceed with caution. Sometimes youth aren’t labelling feelings because they’re actually bringing up feelings of past traumas. If you suspect that might be the case please talk with a mental health professional who knows about trauma. Who can help your child process that trauma in a safe way, and find healing.