As we all cope with changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents and caregivers may be faced with questions about how to support the emotions and mental health of children, young adults, and themselves. For guidance on how to navigate these challenging and uncertain times, take a look at the following resources:
- JED’s Mental Health Resource Center has information for family members and friends on how to support the teens and young adults in your life.
- Seize The Awkward tips and resources around maintaining mental health during the coronavirus and connecting with friends and family.
- Five Ways to Manage the College Search and Stress During COVID-19, a blog by Sofia Pertuz, mother and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer & Senior Advisor for JED Campus at The Jed Foundation.
- JED webinar on Parenting During the Pandemic: Challenges, Strategies, and Tips for Empowering Families of Teens.
- In this webinar, JED Senior Advisor Janis Whitlock MPH, Ph.D discusses protecting children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The JED Voices video series features celebrities and influencers who talk about what mental health means to them. Sharing these stories can be a powerful way to reduce shame, prejudice, and secrecy, and inspire young adults to be proactive about their mental health.
- Families can implement JED’s evidence-based Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention at home to support students in developing the life skills and self-care routines that will help them stay connected to their networks and thrive.
- Parents should encourage social connectedness. Family, friends, and peers can be excellent “gatekeepers” to first notice a distressed student and their need to be connected with professional help. Check in with your young adult and encourage them to reach out to friends.
- If the means to self-harm are removed or limited in an environment, it can be protective for youth who are experiencing suicidal thoughts, severe anxiety or other mental health challenges. Check your home to make sure it’s secure and safe for those who are in distress or at risk for self-harm. Limiting access to firearms, poisonous chemicals, prescription medicines, and rooftops, windows or other high places are all ways to do this.
- For the latest updates on protecting mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit our COVID-19 Tips and Updates page.
Additional outside resources
- Ohio State News on ways parents can support their college-age children who’ve been forced to return home due to COVID-19.
- COVID-19 Psychological Wellness Guide: Families with College Students at Home from Caring Communities.
- National Association of School Psychologists resource center on COVID-19.
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) Resources to Support Mental Health and Coping with the Coronavirus.
- COVID-19 Multilingual Resource Hub
- My OCD Care webinar on Coping with Corona Virus Related Challenges.
- The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds guide to Coronavirus and Family Mental Health.
- The Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress, part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, has released new materials in the Health Care Toolbox for families about managing the stress and psychological impact of COVID-19.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness COVID-19 Resource and Information Guide.
- This blog post from Dr. Laura S. Zapanta, a University of Pittsburgh professor, with helpful advice, including how to be mindful of what your student is going through right now, their schedules, and changes to their social life.