A Blog to Strengthen Children’s Mental Health

I have had the privilege of working at Lutherwood for many years and by far, the most awe-inspiring experience is to watch the positive, life-altering changes in the lives of those who come through our doors. These changes have been so profound and long-lasting that some of our clients kept in touch and became friends while others have visited us years later to let us know that everything worked out just fine. Few things are more gratifying than when one of our kids comes back decades later to say we played a crucial part in helping them build a happy and productive life for themselves.

So why do former clients reach out to us? I think it is because our compassionate and caring staff value results and use their extensive knowledge and experience to help our clients succeed. For example, three years ago we launched our Jobs Blog through which our employment staff offer tips and strategies to finding and sustaining meaningful employment. It proved so helpful that it has expanded into a Career Coach column published in our community papers.

So after 44 years of service in the field of children’s mental health, we decided to launch a blog that will help parents and others who work with youth struggling with their mental health. Again, drawing on the experience and knowledge of our staff, we will offer practical and clearly-expressed information about adolescent mental health, some common disorders, as well as tips and strategies for coping with mental health issues. We will also talk about the children’s mental health system and ways to access it, as well as identify other helpful community resources.

In our next blog post, one of our clinicians will give you a better understanding of what exactly mental health is. This will be followed by a post about some mental health struggles adolescents experience while anticipating Christmas. Early in the New Year, we will explore a better way to communicate with our teens, how to regulate emotions and the impact of social media on teens.

We are at an important crossroads in mental health. We are finally starting to speak openly about it so that we can help tackle the stigma and reduce the “suffering in silence” that has done so much harm over the years. This blog is one more way we can shed light on a subject that affects all of us. I hope you find our blog useful, will carefully consider the topics our staff are writing about, and will join the conversation about mental health so that life will be easier and healthier for the next generation of children.