Resources For Caregivers

We hope caregivers find these resources helpful.

Let us know what additional content you want to see!

Email us at machold.se@augusta.k12.va.us

Suicide Prevention

Warning Signs

  • Talking about wanting to kill oneself or having the desire to die

  • Increased feelings of hopelessness

  • Researching methods to commit suicide

  • Isolating oneself from friends and family

  • Having a detailed plan of how, when, and where

  • Refusing help and/or believing that there is not help for them

  • Giving away prized possessions

  • Withdrawing from activities

  • Aggressive Behaviors

  • Decline in appearance and hygiene

  • Sudden positive change in mood

  • Expressing death/suicide themes in writings and art


VDOE Suicide Prevention Resources

Suicide is Preventable

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

Valley Community Services Board Emergency Services in Staunton, VA: 540-885-0866 or Toll Free: 886-274-7475

General Counseling Hotline: Text your message to 741741 and they will connect you with someone who can help.

What Parents Should Know About Preventing Suicide

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

Talking To Your Child About Suicide

NASP Suicidal Thinking and Threats: Helping Handout for Home

Self-Harm REsources

"Self-harm and self-injury are any forms of hurting oneself on purpose. Usually, when people self-harm, they do not do so as a suicide attempt. Rather, they self-harm as a way to release painful emotions" -Crisis Text Line

What is Self-Harm?

What drives self-injury and how to treat it

How are self-injury and suicide related?

Facts For Families: Self-Injury

Mental Health Related

MentalHealth.gov : Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at ALL ages!

Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:

  • Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry

  • Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse

  • Family history of mental health problems

Mental Health Explained

"Mental health issues are common in children of all ages; with 50 percent of all lifetime cases of mental illness beginning by age 14.In Virginia, children’s mental health disorders are prevalent, with one in five children experiencing symptoms of mental health disorders." -Voices For Virginia's Children


Advice For Parents/Caregivers

Is this just a stage?

Voices For Virginia's Children

Mental Health Symptoms In School-Aged Children

The Child Mind Institute

Families for Depression Awareness

HealthyPlace

Child Mind Institute: Helping Teens Into Treatment

Empowering Parents

An excellent website that provides a variety of articles written by therapists and counselors for parents. The objective of the articles are to give parents tips on how to address different behaviors from Opposition Defiant Disorder to Attention Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder.

Guide To Mental Health Specialists

How does My mental health affect MY child?

"The fact that a parent has mental illness alone is not sufficient to cause problems for the child and family. Rather, it is how the mental health condition affects the parent's behavior as well as familial relationships that may cause risk to a child."-MHA Parenting

Be The Best Parent You Can Be

Mental Health Concerns In Families

Anxiety

ADHD

AUtism

Depression

Conduct Disorder & Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Eating Disorders

What Is An Eating Disorder

Eating Disorder Resources

http://youngwomenshealth.org/parents/ http://youngmenshealthsite.org/parents/

  • These websites provide information targeted at parents of adolescents, including guides on how to support children suffering from depression and eating disorders

NEDA Parent Toolkit

The NEDA Parent Toolkit is for anyone who wants to understand more about how to support a family member or friend affected by an eating disorder.

Healthy Teen Project

Stress Management & Self-Care

Discussing Covid & stress

SElf-Care

Local Counselors

Other Topics of Interest

Behavior Support Resources

Healthy relationships & Talking to your child about Them

Cyber Bullying & INternet Safety

what is Trauma?

What is Trauma?

"Childhood trauma refers to traumatic experiences that happen between the ages of 0–17. These traumas can be the result of intentional violence—such as physical or sexual abuse or domestic violence—or the result of a natural disaster, accident or war. When a trauma happens, the child is overwhelmed by terror and can experience a prolonged heightened state of alertness, stress or persistent fear for his or her safety."-Starr Commonwealth

Childhood Trauma

NASP Trauma Fact Sheet

Age Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event

Trauma ad Stress Related Disorders

Supporting Transitions

Understanding Trauma

ADHD and Trauma Overlap

RECOGNIZING Trauma

Signs of Childhood Traumatic Stress

The signs of traumatic stress are different in each child. Young children react differently than older children.

Preschool Children

  • Fearing separation from parents or caregivers

  • Crying and/or screaming a lot

  • Eating poorly and losing weight

  • Having nightmares

Elementary School Children

  • Becoming anxious or fearful

  • Feeling guilt or shame

  • Having a hard time concentrating

  • Having difficulty sleeping

Middle and High School Children

  • Feeling depressed or alone

  • Developing eating disorders and self-harming behaviors

  • Beginning to abuse alcohol or drugs

  • Becoming sexually active

About Childhood Trauma


Trauma Signs and Symptoms

Why are these children any different?

What is Resilience & How to Promote Resiliency

Resilience is: the ability to cope when things go wrong or the process of handling stress and recovering from trauma or adversity.

Parental Resilience

What is Resilience?

Building Resilience


As a family member or other caring adult, you can play an important role. Remember to:

  • Assure the child that he or she is safe. Talk about the measures you are taking to get the child help and keep him or her safe at home and school.

  • Explain to the child that he or she is not responsible for what happened. Children often blame themselves for events, even those events that are completely out of their control.

  • Be patient. There is no correct timetable for healing. Some children will recover quickly. Others recover more slowly. Try to be supportive and reassure the child that he or she does not need to feel guilty or bad about any feelings or thoughts.

Review NCTSI’s learning materials for parents and caregivers.


Protective Factors and Ties to Universal Needs

  1. Positive supportive relationships (belonging)

  2. Self-efficacy and perceived control (mastery)

  3. Adaptive skills and self-regulation (independence)

  4. Sources of faith, hope and cultural traditions (generosity)


Lightening The Load

3 R's: Regulate, Relate, Reason

Self-Help Books for Tween Boys


Adverse ChildHood Experiences (ACEs)

What Are Aces?

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events occurring before age 18. ACEs include all types of abuse and neglect as well as parental mental illness, substance use, divorce, incarceration, and domestic violence. A landmark study in the 1990s found a significant relationship between the number of ACEs a person experienced and a variety of negative outcomes in adulthood, including poor physical and mental health, substance abuse, and risky behaviors.The more ACEs experienced, the greater the risk for health issues BUT there is still ways to help!

Understanding ACEs

What are ACEs and How They Relate To Toxic Stress

How you can help

So what now? How can you help children in your life overcome adversity and lead healthy productive lives? Click the links below for supporting resiliency.

Trauma Informed Support For Children

Parenting To Prevent and Heal ACEs

Essentials For Parenting

Apps For Kids & Teenagers

Helping Kids Cope App

Helps parents talk to their kids about the disasters they may face and know how best to support them throughout—whether sheltering-in-place at home, evacuating to a designated shelter, or helping your family heal after reuniting. This mobile app is also a great resource for teachers and other professionals involved in children's lives. This is the iOS version of the app.

Mind Yeti

A research-based tool with guided mindfulness sessions, Mind Yeti helps kids and adults settle the Hubbub and create safer, kinder communities.

Calm App

Meditation and relaxation aid

Headspace

Meditation to reduce anxiety and stress

Stop, Breathe, and Think

Check in with how you’re feeling, and try short activities tuned to your emotions.

Daylio Journal

You can record your moods and activities. This format will help you to understand your habits better. Keep track of your activities and create patterns to become more productive.

Big Life Journal Podcast