Since the start of the pandemic, the youngest in our county have been forced to bear the brunt of disrupted schedules.
They’re missing out on time in school, time with friends, and activities that they enjoy. As adults, we have all struggled to adapt to the new life that Coronavirus has brought.
Can you imagine going through all of that as a child?
They haven’t lived through the years of learning how to cope and deal with stress, or how to get help when you need it.
This is the reason why kids may be increasingly moody, depressed, angry, disrespectful, or aggressive. Parents and caregivers may notice that smaller problems that existed before quarantine have suddenly become unmanageable, fights happen more frequently, and that they may be at their wit’s end.
Some kids, feeling overwhelmed and isolated, are experiencing increased depression and suicidal thoughts.
September usually means time and space apart that can be crucial when tensions rise in households and access to school staff and counselors for kids who are struggling, but now all of this is uncertain.
Spectrum Health and Human Services’ Crisis And Restabilization Emergency Services (CARES) program is able to work with kids and teens in crisis.
CARES can assist them with strategies to problem solve and stay safe; while navigating moments of stress and tension and ensuring that they have the support they need when things go wrong.
CARES can do home visits, or work with families on the phone when mental health symptoms or suicidal thoughts worsen. If you are a parent/caretaker of someone under the age of 17, and you are noticing that the stress of coronavirus or quarantine is starting to become too much to handle- CARES is always open, and here to help.
Please call (716)882-4357 to speak to the CARES team.
By Rachel Hiller
Senior Crisis Clinician
Spectrum Health and Human Services
