Mental health resources for parents and teens
Our report, Caring for the Caregivers The Critical Link Between Parent and Teen Mental Health, shows high rates of anxiety and depression among parents of U.S. teens. As part of our report, we developed the list below of recommended resources for supporting parent and teen mental health.
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. AACAP provides various resources for families, including information about topical issues affecting the mental health of children, teens, and parents, as well as helpful tools for people with depression in particular, such as CBT Diary and Mood Tools that can help users practice their cognitive-behavioral therapy skills.
Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA). ADAA offers extensive information about anxiety and depression as well as other issues like PTSD and suicide. There are resources for finding a therapist and/or joining free peer-to-peer support communities.
Brief digital interventions. Harvard’s Lab for Youth Mental Health lists a handful of brief interventions created for youth that can be used by all. While created for digital use, the PDF versions are also available and enable users to practice simple techniques, like turning unhelpful thoughts into helpful ones (e.g., Project THINK).
Jed Foundation’s calming strategies. Parents can share these calming strategies (intended for staying calm when stressed about school) with their teen children to see which ones might work best for them. Parents can also use or adapt the strategies for themselves; for example, getting organized or being intentional about spending time outside.
Making Caring Common’s mental health resources. Making Caring Common’s growing library of mental health resources for families and for educators includes cognitive-behavioral strategies; stress management strategies; suggestions for activities that build resilience and coping skills; and resources for building and maintaining strong, caring relationships.
Mindfulness resources & programs. Parents can explore several evidence-based strategies for practicing mindfulness, or learning how to be aware and attentive, non-judgmentally, to one’s thoughts and feelings. Health-based journalist and documentary producer and star of Living Mindfully, Shannon Harvey, overviews the research, some of these resources, including the Ten Percent and Unwinding Anxiety apps, and specific programs such as MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction), which could be particularly useful for treating depression (see here).
National Institute of Mental Health. A U.S. government agency that studies mental health and provides information on an array of topics, including about mental health disorders, treatments, and therapies, and where to find clinical trials. You can call 1-866-615-6464 or live chat.
Wondermind. Co-founded by Selena Gomez, this online resource provides expert advice, candid conversations, and exclusive, tailored content about mental fitness and mental health conditions. It also has a “filter by feels'' feature, allowing you to find content specific to how you feel.
Learn more about these resources and read our new report here.
Posted by Alison Cashin, Director of Communications
