5/26/23 blog post
3 ways to continue the conversation and support children's mental health year-round
On Our Sleeves is on a mission to make sure everyone can understand and promote mental health for our children. Our goal for Mental Health Awareness Month in May was to energize and empower our community to end mental health stigma and focus on getting mentally fit!
But we also know that mental wellness is a lifestyle change that takes time, practice, and commitment, and the journey doesn't end when May does. So here are three ways to continue focusing on mental health in your home and in your community!
1. Engage in education
Being educated about mental health can empower you to provide support and assistance to friends, family members or others who may be experiencing mental health challenges. You can become equipped with the knowledge that you need to listen non-judgmentally, offer empathy, and guide others towards the appropriate professional help. Mental health education also plays a crucial role in reducing the stigma surrounding mental health. You can increase your understanding, challenge stereotypes, and dispel myths, to create a more inclusive and accepting society that will encourage others to seek help without fear of judgment.
Get started improving your mental health education by taking a course like Youth Mental Health First Aid or QPR Gatekeeper Training, which Dayton Children's provides for free!
- Youth Mental Health First Aid is like CPR, but for mental health! You'll learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help to assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis. This course is offered in person and online for free. Find out more information by clicking here.
- QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Gatekeeper Training addresses the stigma, myths, and lack of understanding that create barriers to talking about mental health or approaching someone in a crisis. Mental health and suicide prevention education is available to anyone in the community, regardless of their professional background. This self-paced course is offered virtually. Learn more and get signed up by clicking here.
2. Explore resources
The On Our Sleeves experts create monthly content and helpful guides that are always available to access on our blog! This content is for any adult who has children in their lives that they want to support. Whether you're a parent, caregiver, educator, aunt, uncle or neighbor, you can explore our resources that cover topics ranging from anxiety, social media, grief and more!
And if you're looking to dive deeper, you can browse the On Our Sleeves interactive guides which were created to use with the children in your life. If you're not sure where to start, check out the most popular guides so far.
3. Empower others
Research has shown that when we share our stories about mental health, we empower others to speak about what they are going through!
Empower others by talking about what you're learning or even experiencing about mental health whether you're at the dinner table or on the playground! Or you could share your stories even further, by clicking here to tell us why you joined the On Our Sleeves movement. Let us know how you have been using the On Our Sleeves resources and what impact they've had in your life so far.
And photos are even better, click here to share pictures with us that show how you have been using the resources!
join the movement
We believe that no family should struggle alone in their journey with mental health. That's why we created the On Our Sleeves e-community. If you haven't already become a part of our community, click the button below to start! You'll be signed up to start receiving monthly free content and resources to help you support the mental wellness of children in your life and break the stigma surrounding mental health. You'll also be the first to know about special giveaways like our Activity Book and Conversation Starter Cards.
