The National Quality Improvement Center for Adoption and Guardianship Support and Preservation (QIC-AG) has developed two fact sheets about adoption tailored for teachers and pediatric healthcare providers. The fact sheets are designed to raise awareness about the unique needs of children who have been adopted, and to provide concrete tips on how these professionals can effectively work with these children. Read more ›
Social-emotional health is fundamental to life and learning: in fact, research shows that it is a greater predictor of academic success than IQ. As our kids head back to school, we are mindful of what they have been through in the past few years and the youth mental health crisis in our midst. Read more ›
Parenting is hard work, and parenting a child with mental health issues is exponentially harder. You’re almost certainly putting in more effort than any other mom or dad you know, yet your kid may still be at risk, struggling, or making less progress than her peers. This raises a crucial question: How can you keep going without becoming exhausted? Read more ›
Before board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Alexa Wilmarth came to CHC, she worked at a residential eating disorder treatment center for children and adolescents.
Alexa recommends the following books for those who are seeking information and support for disordered eating. Read more ›
The holiday season is upon us, bringing joy, festivities, and a whirlwind of activities. While it’s a time for celebration, it can also be a source of stress for children, particularly those with learning differences or mental health considerations. Read more ›
Parenting can be stressful under the best of circumstances, but moms and dads of children with developmental and mental health challenges often have to deal with strain of a different magnitude. Caring for a child with special needs can become a full-time job — and an overwhelming one at that, if you don’t have adequate support. Without enough help, parents may be headed toward caregiver burnout, which negatively affects everyone. Read more ›
The coronavirus pandemic has affected the mental health of children and teens, and therapists are tapped out and booked up. But that doesn’t mean care is impossible. In fact, caregivers can learn therapeutic strategies to support, reinforce and teach our children healthy coping skills. Read more ›
The main predictor of how well your child will do in school and in life is the strength of the relationship he or she has with you, the parent or primary caretaker. This relationship impacts your child’s future mental, physical, social, and emotional health. It is not founded on quality of care or parental love, but on the nonverbal emotional communication between child and parent known as the attachment bond. While it’s easiest to form this secure attachment bond with an infant, it can be formed at any time or at any age. Read more ›
When a friend, partner, family member or co-worker is upset, you’ve probably wondered how best to make them feel better. Let them vent? Offer a chocolate bar? Give them space so they can have a good cry? The ideal approach depends on the person and the context, experts say. But a limited yet growing body of research suggests that one of the most powerful ways to soothe a person’s feelings is to start a conversation. Read more ›
You may be wondering why mindfulness is important for your child. Mindfulness gives kids the habit of focusing on the present moment and ignoring distractions, promotes happiness and patience by lowering social anxiety and stress, teaches them to stay calm in the face of life’s stressful times, improves attentiveness and impulse control, creates good habits for the future, and so much more. Read more ›
