Back to School: Supporting Youth Mental Health
How can we work together to support the needs of youth as they transition back to the classroom? Here are some ways to help support student mental health.
Request an Ending the Silence presentation at your school.
Ending the Silence is NAMI’s groundbreaking school program designed to give students, teachers, and parents an opportunity to learn about mental illness through an informative presentation. Our Westside Los Angeles team speaks to middle and high school students about mental health conditions, including warning signs, facts, and statistics, and we share how they can get help for themselves or a friend. Find out more and request a presentation.
Watch NAMI’s virtual #NotAlone Conversation: Heading Back to School.
Find out more from NAMI’s guides.
Visit NAMI’s online section for support for Kids, Teens and Young Adults; download their one-page Back to School Wellness guide (PDF); download their Student Guide to Mental Health (PDF).
Learn about NAMI On Campus: High School.
Find out about the NAMI On Campus: High School program to support youth-led school clubs. Also: The California Department of Education (CDE) and NAMI California’s NAMI on Campus High School (NCHS) Program Coordinator will conduct a webinar to inform the field about establishing NCHS Clubs on their school sites. This workshop will also promote the fall NCHS Workshops hosted by the CDE in partnership with NAMI California. Register for the free webinar on August 24.
Watch NAMI California’s Town Hall Meeting: Supporting Youth Mental Health In the Transition Back to the Classroom, with the California Department of Education.
Support state legislation to provide student mental health education.
Find out more about and sign NAMI California’s letter to support Senate Bill 224, a bill cosponsored by NAMI California, to mandate mental health education for students in K-12.
Learn about steps to prevent suicide.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34 and the fourth leading cause of death for people 35-54. Our suicide prevention guide has valuable information on how to spot warning signs and help those in a crisis.
Find out more.
Let’s Talk about Mental Health in School blog post by our Executive Director, Erin Raftery Ryan (The Milken Family Foundation website)
Supporting Kids’ Mental Health During COVID-19 (NIMH director Joshua Gordon and Rachel L. Levine of the Department of Health and Human Services)
Supporting Adolescent Mental Health During a Pandemic and Back to School (NAMI blog)
Back-to-School blog post by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr.
Back to School Guidance from the CDC
How to protect teens’ mental health as school year begins amid pandemic (Good Morning America)