As the summer days pass and we move closer to a new school year, it’s a great time to take care of your children’s behavioral health.
Today’s world can be challenging for children, teens and their families. Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield is working to improve Arkansas youth’s behavioral and mental health by focusing on a whole-health approach.
How parents and caregivers can help
Brightline, a company that provides personalized, virtual pediatric behavioral healthcare for members of Arkansas Blue Cross and its family of companies, offers these back-to-school tips:
- Listen when your child shares a concern. More important than solving their problem is that you hear their concerns. Your support will help build their confidence.
- Create a plan. Think about ways your child can respond if one of their worries, like missing their bus, should happen.
- Practice calming skills. Explain that sometimes we can feel worry in our bodies. Teaching them how to control breathing with deep inhalations while focusing on senses like what they can hear, see, feel, taste, and touch is an excellent way to calm the nervous system.
- Remind your child that they can handle it. Recall other times they had worries and successfully overcame them.
- Focus on the positive. Having something to look forward to can help redirect your child’s worries. Ask them to share something that is coming up that they are excited about.
- Take care of yourself, too. Remember that children take cues from their parents, so stay calm, take lots of deep breaths, and focus on being a steady and calm example for your child.
- Don’t stress about getting it wrong. If you’re worried you may have said the wrong things in the past, acknowledge it, apologize and start fresh. No one is grading you on your parenting abilities; keep trying to do your best.
Supporting middle schoolers
Middle school students may need different reassurances. Here are some pointers for parents:
- Invite your children to share their feelings and check in on them often
- Reassure them that it’s normal to feel anxious about new beginnings and that others also feel this way
- Visit the school in advance to reduce any anxiety about the unknown
- Encourage social interactions by making new friends
- Help them prepare for school by making sure they are doing any summer work and completing reading lists
- Talk about ways to cope and manage stress
- Encourage personal responsibility
- Establish a daily routine before school begins
Helping high schoolers
There’s also an emotional health checklist for parents of high school students:
- Encourage their self-expression and resilience
- Help them develop time management skills
- Regularly check in on their academic and social experiences
- Offer empathetic listening and understanding
- Monitor their well-being, watching for signs of distress and changing emotions and seek professional support when needed
Get the support you need
Arkansas Blue Cross wants you and your family to have the mental and behavioral health resources you need for success. You can learn more about behavioral health at mymindhelp.com. To learn about your behavioral health benefits, visit the Blueprint Portal or call the customer service number on your member ID card.
A quiet place to take a break and restore
Another way Arkansas Blue Cross addresses the mental and behavioral health issues facing young people is by helping to create calming rooms in secondary schools across the state. As part of our 75th-anniversary, the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas awarded 75 $1,000 mini-grants to junior and senior high schools in nearly every county in the state to create calming rooms. The rooms offer students a place to take a break when feeling overwhelmed or to refocus before returning to class. The Foundation offers $1,000 mini-grants throughout the year that can be used by schools to start their own calming room.
Brightline webinar
A free webinar from Brightline, “Planning for Your Child’s Best School Year Yet,” will be held on July 31 for parents and caregivers. Topics addressed include tough transitions, academic and performance pressure, time management, peer pressure, bullying, etc. Click here to register.