• National Institute of Mental Health

• Understanding for Learning and Attention Issues 

• CHADD: The National Resource on ADHD with links to local services like support groups 

• Article for parents of children with ADHD 

• Education World 

• ADD-ADHD Parent Brochure 

These resources cannot take the place of counseling, but you may find that they offer helpful insight into the dynamics of anxiety. For more support, or with assistance in finding a local counselor, please contact your child's school counseling department.

Fear is the emotional response to real or perceived imminent threat, whereas anxiety is the worry of a future threat. Some worry is normal for children and adolescents. However, when worry is extreme, or out of proportion to the actual threat, and/or lasting longer than 3-6 months, it may be important to have your child evaluated. This is especially true is the worry is making it difficult for your child to function well at school or at home. Some common symptoms include:

• Thinking about the worry for long periods of time

• Physical complaints (sore muscles, upset stomach)

• Difficulty sleeping

• Avoiding (not wanting to go to school, not wanting to leave parent, not wanting to be in the situation causing worry like taking a test or going to the doctor, etc)

• Feelings of impending doom (feeling like something bad is going to happen to themselves or someone they love)

• Feeling restless, keyed up, or on edge

• Irritability

• Difficulty concentrating

There are some types of Anxiety Disorders that are more common in childhood. These include:

Generalized Anxiety: The key features include persistent and excessive anxiety and worry about many different areas of life, including work and school performance, which the individual finds difficult to control. The worries cause the individual significant distress, and interfere with their ability to be successful in daily activities. In addition, the individual experiences physical symptoms including restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge; being easily tired or worn out; difficulty concentrating or mind going blank; irritability; muscle tension; and difficulties falling and/or staying asleep.

Separation Anxiety: When a child is fearful or anxious about being separated from a loved one, typically a parent, and the level of fear or anxiety is beyond what is developmentally appropriate for their age. There is persistent fear or worry about harm coming to the loved one, or events that could lead to the loss of the loved one. The fear of separation can cause extreme panic, nightmares and physical symptoms of distress.

Specific Phobia: Sometimes individuals develop an extreme fear of or anxiety about a specific object or situation. The fear, anxiety, or avoidance is almost always immediately induced by that object or situation, is persistent, and out of proportion to the actual risk posed. There are various types of specific phobias including animals (spiders, sharks, etc), things in the natural environment (heights, large spaces), blood-injection-injury, situational (driving, flying), and other.

Social Anxiety: The individual is fearful, anxious or avoidant of social interactions and situations that involve the possibility of being scrutinized or evaluated. This can include meeting new people, eating or drinking in front of others, or situations in which the individual performs in front of others (public speaking, test taking). The individual worries about being negatively evaluated by others, being embarrassed, humiliated or rejected, or of offending others. The fear and anxiety is excessive beyond typical “shyness” and is out of proportion to the actual risks involved.

If you are worried that your child may be struggling with anxiety, you can take the following steps to seek help:

• Talk to your school counselor: School counselors can talk with students about what they are experiencing, help them develop positive coping skills, and offer parents community resources for further support.

• Talk to your family doctor: Doctors can evaluate children and adolescents for anxiety and recommend further steps.

• Seek outside counseling: a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) can evaluate children and adolescents for anxiety and provide counseling and support to address it. Counseling is typically covered by health insurance, and your insurance company should be able to give you a list of in network providers. Your school counselor can also provide a list of counselors in our community.

• Learn more about anxiety and help your child develop positive coping skills in order to manage their worries in healthy ways.

For more information on anxiety, you can explore the following resources:

• Calming the Anxious Child  

• Worry Wise Kids This site is written for parents of children and adolescents who are struggling with anxiety. It includes information about a new online resource as well as a list of do's and don'ts for parents. 

• National Institute of Mental Health This site provides basic and helpful information such as the definition of anxiety, as well as symptoms and treatments for anxiety. 

• Psychology Today This site provides basic and helpful information such as the definition of anxiety, as well as symptoms and treatments for anxiety.

• Tips to reduce your child's anxiety can be found here.

• National Alliance on Mental Illness This site provides basic and helpful information such as the definition of anxiety, as well as symptoms and treatments for anxiety.

Source: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Fifth Edition. American Psychiatric Publishing: 2013.

These resources cannot take the place of counseling, but you may find that they offer helpful insight into the dynamics of depression. For more support, or with assistance in finding a local counselor, please contact your child's school counseling department. 

Everyone feels sad from time to time. Sometimes that sadness can even feel overwhelming. However, Depression is a serious disorder in which individuals feel sad, empty, or hopeless all day every day for at least two weeks. In adolescents, this may also present as an angry or irritable mood.

Children who are struggling with depression may also show signs of:

• Sadness or tearfulness

• Irritability

• Withdrawing from friends or activities

• Not wanting to go to school

• Eating too much or not wanting to eat at all

• Sleeping excessively or not being able to sleep

• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

• Thoughts of death or suicide

If you are worried that your child may be struggling with depression, you can take the following steps to seek help:

• Talk to your school counselor: School counselors can talk with students about what they are experiencing, help them develop positive coping skills, and offer parents community resources for further support.

• Talk to your family doctor: Doctors can evaluate children and adolescents for depression and recommend further steps.

• Seek outside counseling: a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) can evaluate children and adolescents for depression and provide counseling and support to address it. Counseling is typically covered by health insurance, and your insurance company should be able to give you a list of in network providers. Your school counselor can also provide a list of counselors in our community.

• Learn more about depression and help your child develop positive coping skills in order to manage their feelings in healthy ways.

If your child is thinking of, or talking about suicide, it is important to seek help immediately.

If you are in crisis right now,

• Call 911

• Go to your closest Emergency Room 

• Call the Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

For more information on depression, you can explore the following resources:

• Depression in Children

• Facts About Depression

• How Parents Can Help Students with Depression

Eating disorders are widespread in our society and they are underreported due to social stigma and denial. They are complex to understand but treatable, and people with suspected eating disorders should seek professional, competent treatment. Left untreated, eating disorder behaviors may become a person's coping mechanism for any unpleasantness, and eventually eating disorders can be fatal.

The roots of eating disorders are biological, genetic, psychological, social and developmental in nature. People of all shapes and sizes may be struggling with eating disorders. In other words, even people of normal weight or people who are overweight may be diagnosed with an eating disorder. The three most common eating disorders are Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating. Basic definitions of each are found below:

• Anorexia is self-imposed starvation. It frequently develops in adolescence. People with anorexia are dissatisfied with their body image and have a strong desire to lose weight. People with anorexia may be obsessed with food, but they deny themselves. There may be excessive exercising and weighing. As the anorexia progresses, there are physical symptoms caused by malnutrition.

• Bulimia is the repeated cycle of out-of-control eating followed by some form of purging, i.e. vomiting, laxative or diuretic abuse, or excessive exercising.

• Binge Eating is characterized by episodes of uncontrolled eating (binging) followed by deep feelings of guilt or depression. Binge Eating is different from Bulimia because it does not involve purging. These episodes occur at least once a week over a period of several months.

What do you do if you suspect a loved one is struggling with an Eating Disorder? This can be difficult because the loved one may be quite skilled at hiding the symptoms and may adamantly deny there is a problem. If you are concerned about your child, consult your pediatrician who can prescribe lab work to screen for malnutrition, and/or a dietician. Provide nutritious food in the home, along with a positive and warm environment at mealtimes. Be kind and be positive. Educate yourself. Some good places to begin your research are listed below:

• The National Eating Disorders Association 

• Mayo Clinic

• The Renfrew Center

• International Federation of Eating Disorder Dieticians

These resources cannot take the place of counseling, but you may find that they offer helpful insight into the dynamics of anxiety. For more support, or with assistance in finding a local counselor, please contact your child's school counseling department.  

What is grief? Grief is a complicated and normal response to loss. We quickly associate grief with death, but grief is also a normal response to a divorce, a move, the loss of a friendship, and any significant life change or loss. 

There is not a "right" way to grieve and there is not a "normal" amount of time that a person feels grief. Grief can involve many experiences, including shock/denial, sadness, guilt, anger, fear, and physical symptoms like changes in appetite or sleeping patterns, a preoccupation with thoughts related to the loss, and other deviations from "normal." Remember, these deviations are normal. People who are grieving need the support of friends and family. Many also need the support of a mental health professional. 

If you notice that the grieving symptoms to not improve over time, or worsen, you are encouraged to seek the help of a professional. The staff of your school counseling department can help you locate a counselor in your area.

Here are some resources that may be helpful in understanding and responding to grief:

Children and Grief 

The Warm Place, A Grief Support Center for Children 

• This website includes important information about grief, particularly in children, about direct services provided by this organization, and about additional resources available. The excellent and comprehensive bibliography on this site includes picture books for children, as well as books for adults, who are coping with the death of a loved one, including pets, grandparents, siblings and parents.

National Alliance for Grieving Children

• This website offers resources and activities for parents and professionals who are caring for a grieving child/adolescent. 

Centering 

• This website offers books and other resources available at a cost. Resources available include books written for children who are experiencing grief, as well as books written for parents.

Camp Erin

• Camp Erin is a summer sleep-away camp for children who are dealing with grief. 

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

• This website is dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education, and advocacy.

Coalition to Support Grieving Students

• This website offers a variety of modules to address grieving needs.

Relationships are vital to our well-being. Relationships with friends, dating partners, teachers, and parents have a very real and important influence on who each of us is and who each of us will become. It's important to learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. This webpage contains links to a variety of sites to help you recognize and value healthy relationships, as well as ideas about how to distance yourself from unhealthy ones.

If you would like to discuss any of these ideas, please contact a trusted adult, your parent or your school counselor, for example.

If you are in imminent danger, call 911. 

Web resources: 

• National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233

• National Runaway Safeline 1-800-Runaway (1-800-786-2929)

• Safe Haven

• The Women's Center

• Love Is Respect

• Center for Disease Control Violence Prevention

• If Child Abuse or Elder Abuse is suspected: call 1-800-252-5400

Parenting is rewarding, and often difficult, work. There are so many aspects to parenting that we have listed quality websites that you can visit to personalize your search. If you have questions, or would like to talk more specifically about your child or teen, please feel free to contact your school counselor. 

• The Parenting Center

• Love and Logic

• Boystown

• The National Parenting Center

• Ask Dr. Sears

• Child Study Center

• Cook Children's Pediatrics

• Kids in the House

• Children and Divorce

• The Angry Child

• The Angry Child (Spanish)

These resources cannot take the place of counseling, but you may find that they offer helpful insight into the dynamics of self-injury and the healing process. For more support or assistance in finding a local counselor, please get in touch with your child's school counseling department.

Cornell Research Program on Self-Injurious Behavior 

• Cornell University has been a front-runner in the field of self-injury. This site offers access to respected research and resources. 

S.A.F.E. Alternatives 1-800-DONTCUT (1-800-366-8288)

• This site offers free resources and information, as well as access to research articles and additional resources available for sale (including Spanish materials).

Parent NSSI

• This is an online presentation created and shared by Mary Beers, LCSW, a social worker in Austin I.S.D., with the purpose of educating parents about NSSI (Non Suicidal Self Injury). This presentation is a Prezi. The link should take you to it directly on your computer. Prezi is an app that can be downloaded to your tablet if you prefer to watch the presentation on your device. 

Vann, L. (2014). A Caregiver's Guide to Self-Injury. Dallas, TX: World Gumbo Publishing.

Reviews of this book:

"Finally a book that helps readers better understand what self injury is and how to be a positive support for their loved one. In this book, Lori Vann is astutely mindful of not just the self injurer's journey to healing but the family's as well." Nanette Rousseau, LPC

 "Lori Vann has broken through the myths and misperceptions, to assist in understanding the dark emotions that surround self-injury. She provides caregivers, loved ones, and professionals with the vital tools needed to help those who suffer from this dangerous and widespread problem." Tiana Gooden, LCSW

Shapiro, L.E. (2008). Stopping the pain: A Workbook for Teens who Cut & Self-injure. Oakland, CA: Instant Help Books.

A note from the author to teens reading the book:

"If you want to stop hurting yourself, this workbook can help you: 

• Understand why you hurt yourself

• Find better ways to handle difficult feelings

• Control your desire to hurt yourself 

• Make a commitment to stop hurting yourself and get the right kind of support you need from the people who care about you." (p. vii)