Mental health “summer slide”
Updated: June 14, 2024 5:42 PM CDT
You, call me. Welcome back. Now we have a warning from mental health experts to help kids avoid the summer slide in mental health. Dr. Amanda Hines is a licensed clinical psychologist with Rogers Behavioral Health in Oconomowoc. She joins us live, so let’s talk a little bit about the summer slide. What do we mean by summer slide in terms of mental health? Well, when we talk about the summer mental health decline, we’re looking at making sure that just as we’re trying to continue the stamina that we’ve built up over the school year, we’re also trying to maintain our kids’ emotional stamina. So, Dr. Hines, what can parents and guardians do to support their kids? Absolutely. I think the most important thing is, if they’re already in treatment, talk to that treatment provider and see what pace of treatment we’re currently doing. Does it make sense to continue that? Um, and be aware and keep an eye out for any big changes in your child’s behavior. Kids thrive on regular lives and routines, so we know that over the summer, without the initial rules from school, they’re going to need some adjustments at first. So be on the lookout for any big changes in behavior or emotions as well.And you say that now is a good time to get your child into therapy. If your child hasn’t been in therapy before, that certainly is possible. Um, when you think about school, there’s a lot of things that create what we call busyness during that time of year. And a lot of kids aren’t doing full-time learning over the summer. So that might be a good way to kind of naturally, you know, gradually get them into mental health support. And this might be a little bit of a difficult conversation to start. With your child at home, how would you recommend parents take that first step? Absolutely. The first thing I would do is just come into the conversation with an open mind. And be curious and share any observations that you might be noticing. That might help them understand where this is coming from. Um, if you notice any changes in your child’s behavior again, what I’m noticing, have you felt or noticed that too? Um, and then what do you do? What’s the next step that we can take together to get additional support? Okay, Dr. Amanda, hello.
Mental health “summer slide”
Updated: June 14, 2024 5:42 PM CDT
Expert advice for supporting your children’s mental health this summer.
Expert advice for supporting your children’s mental health this summer.
