Children's Mental Health

My teen is dreading school coming up and in the past gets extremely anxious in the morning. I don’t think he wants to go to school. I’ve tried to ask him what is wrong, and he says nothing, but I know something is wrong. He used to like going to school. How do I get to the bottom of this?

My 6-year-old son has a lot of nightmares and sometimes I wonder if he is having night terrors. Is there something that I can do to stop these from occurring?

Have you ever found yourself scrolling on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok and all of a sudden, you look up and four hours have gone by? Sometimes, when we are mindlessly scrolling, we start to go down a path that is not beneficial for our mental health. Check out some tips on how to help you take control of your social media and create a healthier online space for yourself.

Have you ever questioned why people make the decisions they do or why they act in a certain way? Choice Theory is one method that is used my many mental health professionals which stems from the belief that all behaviors are purposeful and are most often an attempt to satisfy one of our five basic needs – survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun.

Power struggles are not enjoyable – when two people or parties are competing for control or influence, it makes for a very uncomfortable and frustrating experience. The more we can self-regulate the better we will be at dealing with difficult situations. Check out four strategies that will help guide you to avoid power struggles.

For children, ages birth-5 years old, mental health begins with how they form close relationships with caregivers, manage and express their emotions, and explore the environment and learn. A child's development is cumulative, building on previous milestones, which is why it's important to establish safety early on, both physically and emotionally, so that children can thrive in these areas.

This past year, my oldest daughter has struggled mentally while our younger daughter has been thriving and adjusting well to change. I feel like we need to talk about mental health as a family so we can support each other, but I don’t know how to talk about it without making it feel like an attack on my oldest daughter?

Many of us are familiar with the concept of gratitude and thankfulness. Science says that feelings of gratefulness have many positive effects – from physical to psychological – making it the most popular topic for daily journals. At Nexus Family Healing, we see many youth and families who are going through difficult times and struggle to see the good in every day. That’s why we champion the practice of keeping a “joy journal.”

Based on what I am reading and learning about on the internet, I believe my 14-year-old daughter is showing signs of bipolar disorder. She has major mood swings. She will be really depressed one day and then hyper the next. How do I get her diagnosed so I can get her the help she needs?

Conversation starters to get past the generic “I’m fine” response and learn more about how your family is feeling.