Students' Mental Health: Preparing for the first day of school

23ABC News

Local mental health professionals are encouraging parents to check in with their kids before the big day to ensure their mental health needs are being met.

Transcript

00:00 Good evening, everyone. Thanks for joining us for 23 ABC News at five. I'm

00:03 Mark Blaine. We begin with the new school year being right around the

00:07 corner. While a fresh start might be exciting for some students, it can

00:10 oftentimes be challenging for others. 23 ABCS Brianna Polk sat down with the

00:15 mental health professional to learn how parents can play a role in their child's

00:19 transition back into the classroom. The first day of school brings an array of

00:24 emotions, eagerness and excitement and for some nervousness and anxiety. And

00:29 that is why local mental health professionals are encouraging parents to

00:33 check in with their kids before the big day to ensure their mental health needs

00:37 are being met. New school year is a new beginning. It's a new start, but

00:41 sometimes our kids walk into these experiences with the baggage they've

00:46 had of what school's been like for them

00:50 previously. And that's a lot. That's a lot to carry. Stacy Kuwahara, director

00:55 of current behavioral health and recovery services, says it's important

00:59 for parents to create what she calls a safe space for their Children to talk

01:03 about any concerns they may have prior to heading back into the classroom. She

01:08 has oftentimes active listening and just being present holds a significant

01:12 impact more than one may think. It's validating what we're thinking, what

01:17 we're feeling and how we behave in the world. And when we create space to talk

01:23 about it, you're recognizing it. You're letting somebody know that this is okay.

01:28 This is where you're at. How can I help you? You're not alone. But the support

01:33 doesn't stop at home. Cody Stone is a varsity assistant football coach and a

01:37 math teacher at Bakersfield High School and says sometimes simply checking in

01:41 with the student makes all the difference and letting them know that

01:45 they too have a listening ear on campus as well. It's to make sure that you

01:49 relate to your students outside of curriculum and content because you know,

01:53 at Bakersfield High, we have 57 59 minute periods. You want to make sure

01:58 that your students really care about. And I think that's one of the most

02:02 important things is that students know, hey, you know, Mr Stone, sir, Mrs. So

02:06 and so they care about me more than my letter grade. Kuwahara says, in

02:10 addition to having open communication with your child, another important

02:14 thing parents can do is to create a morning and evening routine days or

02:18 weeks prior to the start of the school year so that students have an easier

02:21 time adjusting to their new schedules coming out of the summer months. New

02:25 beginnings are hard and just recognize it for what it is. It's a new start and

02:31 I think encouraging our kids to see the opportunity for a fresh start can be

02:38 really powerful. Kuwahara says some students may deal with stress, anxiety,

02:42 depression and in some cases eating disorders. Coming up tonight at six

02:46 will share more details about what science Kuwahara says parents should be

02:50 on the lookout for in Bakersfield. I'm Brianna Polk 23 bc News connecting you

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