Now Available!
BY RACHEL GOMES CASSERES, MD
The MMS Committee on Student Health and Sports Medicine and the Committee on Mental Health and Substance Use have worked together to create an online “toolkit,”
available on the MMS website, to provide mental health and substance use resources for school nurses and administrators, parents, caregivers, and students.
While the MMS Mental Health and Substance Use topic page already had resources aimed at physicians, patients,
and the general public, we felt it was important to expand this resource to address the growing mental health crisis among children and teens specifically.
Due to the current mental health care shortage, especially in pediatric mental health care, children are now more than ever facing their mental health challenges within the community. We wanted to provide an easy-access list of resources that anyone caring
for a child could use to learn more about mental health topics, seek mental health care for children, and help children cope with stress in a home or school setting. These tools may also be useful as an adjunct to any mental health treatment
that a child may already be receiving.
Our toolkit is presented in three sections to provide resources for specific audiences of caretakers.
- For professionals in a school setting, the tools include ways
that teachers can help children and teens cope with stress and encourage healthy living. It also links to the 988 mental health crisis hotline, which can provide support for students having an emotional crisis or struggling with suicidality.
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For parents and caregivers, the second section includes resources for
finding a mental health professional as well as educational materials on pediatric mental health, substance use, and youth violence.
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A self-help section for children and teens includes resources for those who may be
looking for ways to cope with stress and symptoms of mental illness and to improve sleep and physical activity.
This toolkit also provides additional resources that can be used broadly,
including a Department of Mental Health guide to supporting kids’ mental health and a link to yoga-based youth workshops that address emotional resilience and mindfulness.
We hope that this toolkit can help users feel more confident in supporting children and teens with mental health challenges immediately and during the year ahead.
Rachel Gomes Casseres, MD, is a Tufts Medical Center Psychiatry PGY-4 and a member of the MMS Committee on Student Health and Sports Medicine.
