Tag Archives: Mental Health

Special Parents Confidential 66 Mental Health America

Mental Health America.

Mental Health is a subject that has taken center stage in large areas of our conversation. Everywhere you look in the media, people are talking about mental health. Certainly within the special needs community, the awareness of mental health for both people with special needs, and their caregivers, has become a major priority.

But where do the standards of care come from? How has the conversation changed over the years to get where were are now; that mental health is a major issue? And who is providing the oversight for how this condition is diagnosed and treated?

Mental Health Is Physical Health.

One of the major organizations for mental health awareness is Mental Heath America. Founded in 1909, MHA is the nation’s leading community-based non-profit dedicated to helping all Americans achieve mental well-being. MHA’s work is driven by a commitment to promoting prevention services for all. This includes early identification and intervention for those at risk, and integrated care and treatment for those who need it. They also work for policy standards and changes, with both local governments, and on the Federal level.

Online Screening

In this episode we talk to Theresa Nguyen, the Vice President of Policy and Programs with Mental Health America. She discusses the growing awareness of mental health issues, and some of the significant gains that have been made in diagnosis and treatments. For example, Theresa talks about MHA‘s new Online Screening Tools that can help you determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition. This offers many supports including DIY tools to help you get better.

Links Mentioned In This Episode.

MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA – The main website for MHA.

MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA’S ONLINE SCREENING TOOLS – Their free, private, online screening tools. These can help you determine if you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition.

ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA’S ONLINE SCREENING PROGRAM  – Explains all the details about how the screening is done and the results and where to get further help.

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be nice campaign – Revisiting Special Parents Confidential 53

Bullying and social problems in school are a continuing problem. While improvements have been made in how some school districts handle these issues, the problem is still unaddressed in many cities, towns, and states. So we’re reposting SPC Episode 53, in which we learned about the ‘be nice’ campaign.

be nice. 

A new program called the ‘be nice’ campaign has been started in West Michigan to help end bullying. One of the hardest issues to deal with for parents of special needs kids – as well as parents of any child – is bullying in schools and online. What do you do if your child is the victim of bullying? For that matter, what do you do if you discover your child is bullying other children?How far does bullying affect a child? What kinds of impact does this have on a child’s mental health? 

Learn About Mental Health.

Did you know that problems with bullying are the leading cause of suicide in children and teenagers? Bullying can also cause issues of depression, drug abuse, and other mental health problems that can affect people for their entire lives.

In this episode we’re going to talk to an expert in the subject of bullying. Christy Buck is the executive director of the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan, and they have a new program that offers a solution. It’s called the ‘be nice’ campaign and it’s designed to to help kids, families, schools, and communities work to understand and end bullying. We’ll also learn about mental illnesses, how to recognize when problems escalate to thoughts of suicide and what to do in these situations.

We also talk about the common myths and stigmas associated with bullying, depression, and mental health issues that can cause problems for kids as well as adults. For example, a person doesn’t need to ‘bottom out’ before they should get help. We discuss ways to overcome these myths and stigmas.  You’ll also learn how the ‘be nice’ campaign can be used by your school or other organizations.

Links Mentioned in the Podcast.

be nice. campaign official website

The Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (website)

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255.

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Please share Special Parents Confidential with all your favorite social media sites. Use the buttons below to easily repost this episode and any other episode you found helpful. Thanks!

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Special Parents Confidential 53 be nice campaign.

be nice. 

A new program called the ‘be nice’ campaign has been started in West Michigan to help end bullying. One of the hardest issues to deal with for parents of special needs kids – as well as parents of any child – is bullying in schools and online. What do you do if your child is the victim of bullying? For that matter, what do you do if you discover your child is bullying other children?How far does bullying affect a child? What kinds of impact does this have on a child’s mental health? 

Learn About Mental Health.

Did you know that problems with bullying are the leading cause of suicide in children and teenagers? Bullying can also cause issues of depression, drug abuse, and other mental health problems that can affect people for their entire lives.

In this episode we’re going to talk to an expert in the subject of bullying. Christy Buck is the executive director of the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan, and they have a new program that offers a solution. It’s called the ‘be nice’ campaign and it’s designed to to help kids, families, schools, and communities work to understand and end bullying. We’ll also learn about mental illnesses, how to recognize when problems escalate to thoughts of suicide and what to do in these situations.

We also talk about the common myths and stigmas associated with bullying, depression, and mental health issues that can cause problems for kids as well as adults. For example, a person doesn’t need to ‘bottom out’ before they should get help. We discuss ways to overcome these myths and stigmas.  You’ll also learn how the ‘be nice’ campaign can be used by your school or other organizations.

Links Mentioned in the Podcast.

be nice. campaign official website

The Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (website)

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255.

Reminder

Please share Special Parents Confidential with all your favorite social media sites. Use the buttons below to easily repost this episode and any other episode you found helpful. Thanks!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

New Episodes Coming Soon

New Episodes Coming Soon.

We’re working on more interviews in the next few weeks. Some of the subjects we’re covering:

Did you know Dyslexia is only recognized in 24 states as a learning disability, with specific definitions and guidelines for special education? We’re doing  two episodes devoted to living with Dyslexia. We will be talking to an elementary school teacher who has Dyslexia to learn how she dealt with Dyslexia while growing up and how she now teaches. We’re also going to talk to a mother and son (the son has Dyslexia) who are working together on trying to get Dyslexia recognized as a learning disability in their state and other states.

We’re also going to talk to an RN with our local health department for medical advice and health issues that are important for special needs children and adults.

Be sure to subscribe to our social media pages, we’re on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Linked In, and others where you can comment and give us suggestions for future episodes! Don’t forget you can subscribe to our email list, and find our podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

We’re working on some big plans for this year to make Special Parents Confidential even better, so be sure to connect with us for all the news and updates as we go!

Finally, be sure to share our site with your friends and family. You never know who might be interested or have a need to know something we have here. We do these podcasts for you and your help in spreading the word is what keeps us going!

Thank you for your support!

John