Dartmouth Health has published the latest webinar in its series, Heads Up: A Year-Long Mental Health Awareness Journey. This month, expert panelists discuss the topic “Parents and other adults: How do we support children who are struggling?” The video can be viewed at the Dartmouth Health YouTube page.
This segment features James Craig, PhD, MA, Child Psychologist, Dartmouth Health Psychiatry, Lisa Hayward, PhD, Prevention Coordinator, Office of Social Emotional Wellness at the New Hampshire Department of Education, and Diane Fitzpatrick, MS, Chief Executive Officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester. Together, they discuss the common issues affecting the mental health of young people, how adults can identify problems early and the best ways parents, caregivers, teachers, guidance counselors and other adults can be a part of the solution.
“For younger kids, in particular, we often look at: what are their physical symptoms or signs that they’re under distress. So, we’re particularly looking for kids that might be having a sudden change in their appetite, a sudden change in their sleep habits, kids who might be visiting the nurse more often or complaining of headaches or stomach aches to adults,” said Craig. “And those can be a really good sign that something is wrong, maybe, when a kid doesn’t have the words to tell you that something is wrong.”
The panelists also discussed the role of educators and community organizations in providing young people with social and emotional supports, essential life skills and a sense of belonging and connection.
In partnership with the New Hampshire Union Leader and the Seacoast Media Group, The Heads Up series is a mental health awareness campaign that provides online resources, offers fresh perspectives and highlights community events on mental health-related topics.
To learn more about the Heads Up Series, resources on mental health or to view past newspaper feature articles and webinars, visit our Mental Health web page.
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and largest private employer, serves patients across New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,300 providers in nearly every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH. Its network of hospitals, outpatient centers, clinics and home care facilities, spans a broad geographical area. Year after year, DHMC is named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is consistently recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, northern New England’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and one of less than than 60 total nationally; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital (Children’s Hospital at DHMC/CHaD) and more than 20 locations around the region; eight member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont, Hampstead, and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Dartmouth Health Home Care; Dartmouth Health Connected Care Center for Telehealth, serving patients as far away as Texas; and more than 30 primary and multi-specialty clinics across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its partnership with Dartmouth College, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and the White River Junction VA Medical Center, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials with international impact. Dartmouth Health and its more than 16,000 employees are committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in the communities it serves and to providing every patient with exceptional, state-of-the-art, personalized care. Learn more at dartmouth-health.org.