With school in full swing, let your child know that you are thinking of them with our hope notes down below, which can be cut out and placed in their lunch box, backpack, book, or wherever you think seeing it will brighten their day!
Youth at our agencies often engage in art projects as part of treatment, education, or recreation while in our care. Here are some inspiring pieces created by our talented youth.
It feels like the last three years have seen an uptick in anxiety, especially for children. This time has been scary for adults, let alone developing children who are just beginning to learn and explore the world outside of their home. With all these recent stressors, how can we help keep kids feeling safe and secure in today’s world?
Luke Spiegelhoff, Clinical Director at Nexus-FACTS, joined KSTP's Minnesota Live to discuss suicide prevention for young adults as they move into adulthood.
As parents, caregivers, or guardians, the aspect of going back to school is often exciting. While this can be exciting for students, too, anxiety often rears its ugly head. There are simple things parents, caregivers, and/or guardians can do to minimize the anxiety students feel about going back to school.
My teen has no motivation to take care of himself - I have to remind him to shower. He sleeps all the time, and he has gained a lot of weight. How do I know if this is typical teen behavior or something more?
As we try to navigate the events of the past year, it is no wonder we are all experiencing added stress in our lives. Managing stress takes work, but if done regularly, you will feel like the stress coming in your life is more manageable. The goal is not to eliminate stress, but to deal with it more effectively through small shifts in your thinking, actions, and behaviors.
As a parent or caregiver, you anticipate and meet your child’s physical needs, such as hunger or tiredness, and are attuned to their mental and emotional needs. You can guess when your child feels sad, angry, anxious, or depressed. You can help identify why they are feeling this way. But how do you know when your child’s feelings won’t pass, and what meaningful actions can you take to help?
The struggle I see most in this caregiver/youth relationship is the desire to become the “Buddy.” The Nurturer helps with the behaviors that arise along the way so they can continue moving forward with the day or task at hand. However, the Nurturer can very easily slide into the Buddy role. When a youth enters any sort of residential facility or new foster care setting, they often don’t know how to create or maintain healthy attachments to the adults around them. It is our job as professionals and caregivers to model what a safe adult relationship looks like.