05/05/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/05/2022 10:09
Posted on May 5, 2022
Topics: All articles on Spotlight
Summary:
For Children's Mental Health Week, SickKids mental health experts share their strategies and tips to support the mental wellbeing and foster resiliency in children and youth
For Children's Mental Health Week, Dr. Dentakos, alongside Ruth Masliyah, a social worker at SickKids, and Jennifer Bassin, the Professional Practice Lead for the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Program at SickKids, share their insights, strategies and tips for parents and caregivers to support the mental wellbeing and foster resiliency of their children and youth.
While families may have been exposed to more stress, anxiety and uncertainty over the past two years, there are strategies that parents and caregivers can use to help their children successfully manage and cope with mental health concerns.
"Children are inherently incredibly resilient," says Dr. Stella Dentakos, a clinical psychologist at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). "Sometimes, all that's needed is some extra support to access that capacity for resilience."Stress responses to stressful events are normal for anyone, including children and youth, explains Dentakos. For Dentakos, resiliency is about much more than 'bouncing back' from adversity or a stressor. Resiliency, she says, is the capacity to navigate and adapt to a stressor, which she calls 'bouncing with.'
"Whenever we face adversity, we are changed or impacted by it. Whether it's a new context we find ourselves in, or because our kids have developmentally grown, things will be different. To be able to label and validate what you're feeling, and based on that, to then incorporate adaptive strategies to successfully navigate the stressor, that's resiliency."
To support resiliency and 'bouncing with,' Dentakos offers some simple strategies:
Understanding how children and youth display their emotions is important to know what is 'normal,' and at what point additional support may be needed, according to Masliyah.
Younger children and older children and teenagers will show symptoms of anxiety and depression in different ways, she explains.
When it's time to seek assistance can differ from child to child but here are some signs to look for:
While she says parents and caregivers can try to contextualize any changes they see in their child, she recommends that they check in with their child's school or paediatrician or family physician, adding that parents and caregivers should not hesitate to seek help if they feel their child needs it.
One of the best tools parents and caregivers have at their disposal to help their children build resiliency is modelling emotions and coping strategies, says Bassin. Parents and caregivers can demonstrate this by openly talking about their own happy, uncomfortable or tough emotions, and how they make them feel.
"Adults play a pivotal role in emotional development. Though we can't avoid kids feeling stressed, we can help them express their feelings," Bassin says.
Encouraging children and youth to open up and talk about their emotions may require different approaches:
"Resilience comes from knowing it's ok to express feelings. Emotions are vast and can be confusing. As parents and caregivers, it's our job to identify and help them express their emotions and help get their feelings out in healthy ways."
Additional resources about mental health and mental wellbeing for children and youth are available through AboutKidsHealth for caregivers and teenagers, Kids Help Phone, Children's Mental Health Ontario and Help Ahead.
If you or your child need urgent mental health support, reach out to speak with a trusted adult, seek help from a community mental health centre or contact Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or text TALK to 686868 to chat with a volunteer Crisis Responder 24/7. If it is an emergency, immediately visit your local emergency department or call 911.