{"id":1032,"date":"2024-05-09T12:14:05","date_gmt":"2024-05-09T16:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/?p=1032"},"modified":"2024-05-09T12:15:17","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T16:15:17","slug":"support-youth-mental-health-just-like-kids-in-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/2024\/05\/09\/support-youth-mental-health-just-like-kids-in-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Support Youth Mental Health Just Like Kids In Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1033 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-09-at-12.07.44-PM-300x126.png\" alt=\"Support Youth Mental Health Just Like Kids In Crisis\" width=\"300\" height=\"126\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-09-at-12.07.44-PM-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-09-at-12.07.44-PM-1000x420.png 1000w, https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-09-at-12.07.44-PM-768x322.png 768w, https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-09-at-12.07.44-PM-1080x453.png 1080w, https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-09-at-12.07.44-PM-400x168.png 400w, https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-09-at-12.07.44-PM.png 1534w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">May is Mental Health Awareness Month,\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a time to focus on the importance of mental health, especially for young people. Kids In Crisis works hard to support the youth in Fairfield County. Our 18 TeenTalk counselors, who all have master&#8217;s-level degrees, are in schools every day helping students with their mental health. This month, we asked them for their best advice on how to be there for your teenager or someone you\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">care about when they open up about their feelings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Here are the top tips they shared.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">First, take a deep breath. You do not have all the answers, but by listening, you can make a difference.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Do:<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Listen actively: Pay close attention to what your friend is saying. Let them know you are paying attention by making eye contact and using body language that shows that you are engaged.<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Resist talking about your own personal experiences unless they ask you.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Validate their feelings: Let them know their feelings are real and important\u2014use phrases like &#8220;It sounds like you&#8217;re going through a hard time&#8221; or &#8220;That must be really difficult.&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Normalize their experience: Reassure them that there are resources available, that mental health is common, and that talking about it is a strength, not a weakness.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Prepare to follow up; it takes courage for them to tell you how they feel. Follow up with them to see how they are doing and if there is anything you can do. If they are open to it, maybe come with resources on hand.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Don&#8217;t:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Avoid minimizing their feelings; avoid telling them how they should feel or that &#8220;it could be worse.&#8221; This could dismiss their experiences and make them feel unheard.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Automatically assume they are looking for advice. Ask if they would like suggestions before offering them.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">You do not have to solve their problems. Offer support but also understand that some situations require professional help.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What they share with you should stay confidential unless they express immediate harm to themselves or others.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Remember, being a supportive listener is about creating a safe space for someone to express themselves. Kids In Crisis is here to help you and your loved ones. Our 24-hour hotline is always a resource for an ear to listen to. You can reach us anytime, day or night, at 203-661-1911.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/get-help\/teentalk\/\">Click here to see if there is a TeenTalk Counselor in your child&#8217;s school.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Finally, thank you to all our donors for your generous support. Your monthly contributions keep our TeenTalk counselors in schools and support our 24-hour mental health Helpline. They keep the focus on mental health not just in May but 365 days a year. Your dedication to youth mental health in Fairfield County makes all the difference.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Support youth mental health just like Kids In Crisis. TeenTalk counselors provide support in Fairfield County schools. Read their tips for being a listener during Mental Health Awareness Month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":1033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[60,46,63,1],"tags":[68,69],"class_list":["post-1032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-60","category-family","category-teentalk","category-uncategorized","tag-mental-health-awareness","tag-youth-mental-health"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1032\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsincrisis.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}