February is Youth Mental Health Awareness Month, and we know it can be a difficult time for our students. We serve our community at Dove Academy of Detroit by putting our students’ wellbeing first, and we are committed to creating a supportive and caring environment. What better a time than Youth Mental Health Awareness Month to explore some ways that we can support our students this month.
Encourage Healthy Habits
Much of mental health can be attributed to physical health, and a good way to ensure your student is happy and healthy is to promote good habits at home. This can include exercise and time outdoors, a healthy diet and the proper amount of sleep. Though these are a few simple things that can be addressed at home, reach out to our support staff for more information on how to best support your student.
Find Online Resources
Mental health has become an important point of discussion between adults and children alike, and there is a wide range of resources available to students and families online. Listed below are a list of resources that are available online to those in need:
Crisis Text Line: The Crisis Text Line is a free and confidential text messaging service for people in crisis. For those who need someone to talk to, text “HOME” to 741741 to speak with a trained counselor.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a non-profit organization that focuses on supporting, educating and advocating for those affected by mental illness. The NAMI Basics Program is an excellent example of an initiative aimed to help children/adolescents and their families understand more about mental illness.
GoAskAlice: Go Ask Alice! is a database supported by Columbia University’s vast network of health care specialists, research specialists and more. The team holds degrees in public health, health education and a number of other relevant fields, and the website is aimed at answering health-care questions that young adults and adolescents may not feel comfortable asking an adult.
It is important to take care of your mental health, and if you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, we encourage you to reach out to the listed resources for support. We are in the final stretch of what has been another amazing school year at Dove Academy of Detroit, and are excited to finish the year strong. For more information on how we serve our school community, visit our Facebook and stay up to date on our blog.