May Is Mental Health Awareness Month!
May Is Mental Health Awareness Month!
Mental health is all around us - WE ALL have mental health - it affects how we think, feel, and act everyday. However, mental health is often misunderstood. Mental Health Awareness Month provides a dedicated time to help demystify what is meant by “mental health,” how to talk about it, and why mental health matters. Supporting mental health is always in season in Mounds View Public Schools and there are ongoing efforts year round to lift up student mental health across the district. Please reach out to the dean at your student’s school or a member of the district student support and engagement team to learn more.
Check out the links below for simple suggestions for promoting healthy social emotional habits for children of all ages:
- 4 Simple Ways to Promote Optimal Health for Youth 12-18 Years
- 4 Simple Ways to Promote Optimal Health for Youth 5-12 Years
- 4 Simple Ways to Promote Optimal Health for Youth 0-5 Years
If you or your child is feeling overwhelming feelings, you may find it helpful to talk to a trusted friend or family member. Help can be found in many places and where you go depends on what type of support may be needed. We are here to help! Please reach out to the dean at the school your child attends and also check out the following resources:
Ramsey County Children’s Mental Health Collaborative (RCCMHC): Call or Text (800) 565-2575
Helps families find mental health resources (including free or sliding-fee-scale services). RCCMHC also offers parent/caregiver support (“check-ins”), educational trainings, and a variety of other resources
Parent Warmline: NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) MN: Call 1-888-NAMI-Helps (1-888-626-4435) or email parent.resources@namimn.org
Each member of the Parent Warmline team is a parent of a child or young adult with mental illnesses or challenging behaviors
Child Mind Symptom Checker
This interactive tool helps parents/caregivers learn more about their child’s emotional health challenges and understand if there may be an emerging mental illness.
Local Therapy Agencies A list of therapy agencies in the Mounds View area
Many Mounds View schools also have partnerships with community agencies that place mental health professionals in our schools. Services with those community partners are voluntary and require parent/guardian permission. Please talk to your student’s dean to learn more!
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline : Call or Text 988
When we receive support it helps us to learn coping strategies, heal pains from the past, build self-confidence and feel stronger in the face of life’s challenges. Talking with someone about overwhelming thoughts and feelings can save lives. If you or someone you know needs support now, there is crisis support available. Anyone can call or text 988 for free confidential crisis support. Local free, confidential crisis support is also available and more information about those resources is below.
Crisis Response Phone Numbers:
- Ramsey County Adult Urgent Care for Mental Health: 651-266-7900
- Ramsey County Children’s Crisis: 651-266-7878
- Try Out Finding the Pause: In these 4- to 7-minute videos, youth lead you in mind-body practices to help you calm and focus your mind and body as you move through your daily life.
- Visit the Virtual Calm Room and choose a few activities to try. Consider how using these activities regularly might benefit your family.
- Find More Resources about Emotional Well-Being from Sesame Street.
Please note this is a varied list of resources that provide support and is not an exhaustive list. Mounds View Public Schools does not endorse any particular resource or organization.
Julia Geigle, MSW, LICSW
Mounds View Mental Health Specialist
Call/text 612-790-4928
julia.geigle@moundsviewschools.org
Colleen O’Neil, LADC,CPP
Mounds View Chemical Health Prevention Specialist
Call/text 651-829-4708
colleen.o'neil@moundsviewschools.org
Chad Jayasekera, MA, LICSW
Mounds View Mental Health Specialist
Call/text 651-212-5291
chad.jayasekera@moundsviewschools.org
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Does it get any better than the month of May??
School is winding down, birds are chirping, trees are popping and flowers are blooming! As we all focus on the celebrations spring brings like prom, graduations and summer break, I wanted to remind everyone that May is Mental Health Awareness month. It is a great time to reflect, remember and be aware that mental health awareness is key to making sure those that we care about are being supported, understood and loved. It is also the time to raise awareness of and reduce the stigma surrounding behavioral health issues. Taking the time to highlight the ways that mental illness and addiction can and does affect us all will help break down the stigma that society often holds and allow those who suffer from a mental health challenge to feel supported and understood. Challenging negative stereotypes and prejudices by promoting understanding and acceptance is key in changing the stigma we often see and hear when it comes to mental illness. Now-how do we do this? How do we talk with our kids about topics that are heavy and concerning? While I don’t have the perfect answer, I can share something that does work for me.
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We have all been waiting for it and all signs point to it actually being around the corner:
SPRING (BREAK) IS COMING!
This can mean many different things to many different people, however, it is a safe bet that the majority of teens are looking forward to some well-deserved down time away from school work, from an alarm clock, from the regimented schedule they have been on since fall!
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As I prepare to share the monthly blog, I often look back on my daily connections with students and pull from those topics that I feel every parent needs to know. I recognize that I am privileged to see their honesty, their vulnerability and their incredible way of engaging in conversation when it comes to substance use issues which leaves me with this thought, “How can I help parents with having similar experiences around a topic that tends to carry such negative stigma”?
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We are back at it! Back-to-school season! With the return to school-some students may be showing an increase in anxiety. What does this mean? What can you do to help? Read the latest blog from the Student Support Team for more information.