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Constructively Communicating with Children About COVID-19
By Steven Sust, M.D.
Imagine a 9-year-old child comes home from school and asks about the “new coronavirus that came from eating a bat in China”. He seems nervous in asking about whether he can get it since everybody is being told to stay at home and stay away from one another. This child asks what’s going to happen to him if he gets sick and then everyone else gets sick too. What should any trusted adult say in this situation?
Biannual Newsletter
Check out what we've been up to in our most recent newsletter below!
Spotlight: Youth Voices Drive the Conversation on Improving Their Mental Health
A Stanford Youth Advisor Brings Her Message to an International Gathering
Youth voices were a driving influence in the fifth biennial International Conference on Youth Mental Health: United for Global Change, which was held in Brisbane, Australia, at the end of October, 2019, sponsored by the International Association of Youth Mental Health (IAYMH2019). This piece features the experiences of one of the members of the allcove Youth Advisory Group (YAG), Christie Maly, who was awarded a scholarship to attend the IAYMH2019 conference.
Social Media and Youth: Findings and Recommendations from an Investigation into Teen Experiences
The Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing collaborated with their colleagues at Hopelab to pursue an exploratory qualitative research project to understand how experiences with social media interactions and content both positively and negatively impact the routine mental health and wellbeing of teens.
Improving Mental Health and Student Success in San Mateo County
Both nationally and locally, schools are grappling with the challenges of unaddressed mental health needs and the resulting demands on them to provide mental health services for students. Over the past few years our Center has been collaborating with San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) and Peninsula Health Care District (PHCD) to strengthen mental health supports for youth in both the high school and K-8 districts. To better understand needs and areas for greatest potential impact, they invited the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and their Families to conduct a study designed to answer three research questions related to perception of needs, predictive factors and opportunities for intervention. The research brief and executive summary findings from that analysis offer actionable opportunities for improving support for student mental health.
– NIMHDEssay Challenge Winners
Winners of NIH's "Speaking Up About Mental Health!" essay contest, which explored stigma and social barriers in seeking mental health treatment, have been announced. Two youth advisors from the youth advisory group (YAG) for allcove, a project currently in planning by the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing, were recognized by the essay contest: Winner: "Find Your Center" by Sahithi and Honorable Mention: "Peer Programs: A Solution for Youth by Youth" by Samskruthi.
High School Youth Design Innovative Tech Solutions for Better Mental Health
What happens when a motivated, creative group of high school juniors and seniors is asked, “How might we use technology to create an innovative solution to improve the mental health of young people?” To answer this question, ETR conducted nine workshops from January through April this year. Seventy-seven juniors and seniors at De Anza High School in Richmond, CA, joined in. They were guided them through the youth centered design process, covering topics such as design research, synthesis, ideation and prototyping. This challenge was sponsored by Facebook for Education with substantial support from the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing.
The Youth Mental Health Centers that Don’t Look the Part
Redesigning the help-seeking experience to feel welcoming and free of judgment, regardless of where young people are in their journey.
As of August 2018, Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services—in collaboration with the Stanford Psychiatry Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing—secured state approval to use $15 million to open two integrated youth mental health clinics. But they’re probably not what you’re picturing.
A New Tool Helping Youth Safely Discuss Suicide Online
New guidelines for safe online interaction about suicide have recently been introduced in the United States. Originally developed and released in Australia by Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, #chatsafe: A Young Person’s Guide for Communicating Safely Online About Suicide was adapted for the U.S. through a collaboration with The Jed Foundation (JED) and the Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing. The #chatsafe guidelines are the world’s first to be informed by evidence, and developed in partnership with youth. Vicki Harrison, program director for the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing, explains the need for such online education and support in this post.
Orygen and The Jed Foundation Launch #chatsafe in the U.S., First Evidence-Based Guidelines to Help Young People Talk Safely Online About Suicide
The guidelines, which were originally launched in Australia by Orygen as the world's first guidelines to support young people in communicating safely online about suicide, are now available in the United States
#chatsafe: A young person's guide for communicating safely online about suicide
Following the impact of the #chatsafe guidelines in Australia, Orygen have collaborated with the Jed Foundation and the Stanford Psychiatry Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing to adapt the guidelines for a U.S. audience. The adapted guidelines provide information and resources relevant to young people living in the U.S., including national phone and text helplines.
Creating a Public Mental Health Continuum of Care for Youth in the US
In this webinar, Dr. Steven Adelsheim discussed how to create an integrated continuum which includes early psychosis services, with a particular focus on school-based services.
Stressed about the college admissions process?
Check out the latest white paper from Challenge Success, A “Fit” Over Rankings: Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity, to find out what really matters and dial down the stress and anxiety about this process.
Special mental health and media statements regarding the television series "13 Reasons Why"
Statement from Experts on the Upcoming Release of 13 Reasons Why, Season 2
Understanding the Mental Health Needs and Concerns of Youth and their Parents: An Exploratory Investigation
(Major Themes and Findings July 2016)
