The program is free and open to anyone ages 8-11 and runs throughout the summer, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Beyond Healthcare is lending a helping hand to children in need.
“Our main goal is to get (kids) ready for school,” said Mackenzie Combs, clinical site director for Beyond Healthcare.
Beyond Healthcare provides mental health services to children and adolescents ages 8-17 through full-day and after-school programs.
One program being offered for the first time this summer teaches kids ages 8 to 11 who are struggling with mental health ways to cope with their emotions in healthy ways.
These programs are being implemented to curb the dramatic rise in self-harm across the United States.
According to the CDC’s 2021 Data Summary Report, about 40% of high school students “felt so sad or hopeless that they missed activities for at least two weeks.”
According to a 2021 report from the National Center for Health, 6,600 people in the 10-24 age group committed suicide in 2020.
Beyond Healthcare’s hope is to teach kids today coping skills that will help them when they’re older.
“We really wanted to provide a service to the community and to the kids, a place where they could learn skills that have a structure similar to a school environment that they can take with them when they go back to school in the fall,” said Dr. Mallery Neff, chief medical director at Beyond Healthcare.
Combs hopes that children and their families will pick up these skills.
“The younger you are, the easier it is to change habits, so by creating healthy structures and good support systems, like we do with our summer programs, kids can start to learn how to overcome the challenges they have,” she said.
However, Beyond Healthcare is reminding everyone to take care of themselves by advising them to look after their bodies as well as their minds.
“The greatest thing we can do for each other as a society is to treat the brain like an organ in the body,” Neff said.
The program is free and open to anyone within the age limits and runs throughout the summer, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The National 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline offers free and confidential support to those in distress and resources to those in need. Dialing 988 will connect you to a local crisis center for help 24/7. You can also chat online at 988lifeline.org.
The Lucas County Emotional Support Line is available from 8 a.m. to midnight at 419-442-0580 and offers peer support.
If you want to talk to someone but are not in immediate danger, text “HOME” to 741741 to connect you to the Crisis Text Line and our trained counselors. There is no charge and your information will not appear on your phone bill. You can also chat online at www.crisistextline.org.
If you are a young member of the LGBTQ+ community and need support in any way, please call the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386. Calls to the Trevor Project are free and confidential.
Emergency Mental Health Support
The Lucas County CRISISCare Line (419-904-2273) connects you with a local trained crisis counselor for mental health emergencies 24/7.
The Wood County Crisis Line offers immediate assistance by calling 419-502-4673.
If you’re in a situation where you or a loved one is in immediate danger, NAMI Greater Toledo says you may need to call 911 and speak with police. It’s important to tell 911 that you’re having a mental emergency and ask them to call a police officer who is trained in crisis intervention.
