Tag Archive for: YouthFirst2025

Helping Your High Schooler Manage Stress

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By Valorie Dassel, MSW, LCSW, LCAC – February 12, 2025 –

High school is a pivotal time in a teenager’s life, marked by academic pressures, social challenges, and the transition to adulthood. For many high schoolers, the stress associated with this period can be overwhelming. As a parent or guardian, it’s crucial to support your child in managing this stress effectively.

Here are some practical strategies to help your high schooler navigate this demanding time.

The foundation of stress management is open and honest communication. Encourage your child to express their feelings and concerns. Create an environment where they feel safe discussing their worries without fear of judgment. Regularly check in with your teenager about their school life, social interactions, and overall well-being. By maintaining a dialogue, you can better understand their sources of stress and provide tailored support.

Help your child develop a balanced schedule that includes time for studying, extracurricular activities, and relaxation. A consistent routine can help them manage their time effectively, reduce procrastination, and avoid last-minute cramming. Additionally, encourage them to establish healthy sleep habits, as adequate rest is crucial for stress management and overall well-being.

Introduce your child to various coping strategies and encourage them to find what works best for them. Techniques such as deep breathing exercises, mindfulness, and meditation can help manage anxiety and improve focus. Encouraging physical activity is also a helpful strategy. By incorporating these techniques into their routine, they can develop effective tools for managing stress on their own.

Help your teen develop a positive mindset by focusing on their strengths and accomplishments. Encourage them to set realistic goals and celebrate their achievements, no matter how small. Positive reinforcement can boost their self-esteem and motivation, which can be especially helpful during challenging times. Teach them to view setbacks as opportunities for growth rather than failures.

Participation in extracurricular activities can provide a valuable outlet for stress. Whether it’s a sport, music, or a club, these activities offer a break from academic pressures and can help your teenager develop new skills and interests. They also provide opportunities for social interaction and personal growth, which can be beneficial for emotional well-being.

Finally, be a role model for managing stress. Demonstrate healthy coping mechanisms and maintain a balanced lifestyle. Your behavior can influence your child’s approach to handling stress. Show them how you manage your own stress in a constructive manner, and they may be more likely to adopt similar strategies.

Helping your high schooler manage stress involves a combination of open communication, routine establishment, healthy habits, stress-reduction techniques, positive reinforcement, extracurricular involvement, and role modeling. By providing your child with these tools and a supportive environment, you can help them navigate the challenges of high school with greater resilience and confidence.

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Friendships Can Transform Lives

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By Holly Branam, MSW, LCSW – February 6, 2025 –

Many years ago, I was working with a student who was challenged in several areas. He was anxious, having trouble focusing on schoolwork, and was disruptive and attention seeking in the classroom.

Additionally, his parents noted he would become easily dysregulated at home and eventually did not want to come to school. As I worked with this student, we focused on each of these areas. We practiced skills to help him focus and techniques to help with anxiety. We also discussed appropriate ways to seek attention from others and tried both rewards and consequence-based systems to improve behavior.

I also met with the family and provided education, and they made changes in the home environment. After a year, and with support coming from every direction, the student had made only small improvements, until one day things abruptly changed. Suddenly, the student was not acting out in the classroom. He was engaged in classwork, wanted to come to school, and most importantly, he was smiling and happy.

What had changed? I knew I had not said or done anything profound and there had not been a sudden shift in medication. The answer was incredibly simple and tremendously eye opening. The student had made a friend!

Since then, I have watched this remarkable transformation happen again and again. Students struggling with a wide range of challenges from relative shyness to more severe behavioral concerns have all benefited greatly from the impact of having one good friend. I do not mean to imply that friendship is the cure for all the problems that children face, but research has shown that friendship can positively affect a child’s self-esteem and social skills while also decreasing stress and anxiety.

Friendships help children feel more connected, confident, and optimistic about the world around them. For some children it changes their perspective; for others it changes their need to seek attention in inappropriate ways; and for others it gives them a source of joy that was lacking in their lives. Together these things lead to better overall mental health for all children.

Friendship provides emotional support and teaches kids empathy and compassion. It also helps them develop some key social skills, including effective communication, how to handle and resolve conflict, cooperate in a group, and show respect to others. Friendship gives children a sense of belonging and helps them develop their sense of identity. Healthy friendships provide a sense of security and self-worth and will help kids develop more resilience for the inevitable challenges of life. It is not the quantity of friends they have that is important, but the quality of key friendships that will have the most impact on their lives.

But making friends is not always easy for kids, and as parents and professionals we want to help foster these relationships in whatever way we can.

The first step I always recommend is open lines of communication both with your children and other adults that support them in their lives. Ask your child about their friendships and truly listen. If you are concerned, ask their teacher if they have noticed the child is challenged in this area. Find out if there is a child that they would like to develop a better friendship with and coordinate with their parents for a playdate. Meet with the parent and child in a park or somewhere where the children can play as you get to know the parents better.

Find out what your child’s current interests are and look for ways to engage them in that area, where they can meet other kids with similar interests. Practice friendship skills with your child by teaching them how to listen, share, and compromise. Be actively involved in their lives so that you can help them show kindness, respect and compassion to others.

Most importantly, be available for your child. As they develop new friendships there will undoubtedly be difficulties along the way, and your child will need a trusted adult to help them navigate new and challenging situations. Friendships can play a vital role in the development and happiness of a child, and your support can help them find success in this area.

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Becoming a Tuned In Parent

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By Jayme Waddell, MSW, LSW – January 29, 2025 –

Have you ever asked your child what they were thinking, only to get the response, “I don’t know?”

As frustrating as that answer is, it is probably true! The areas of the brain that handle planning and impulse control do not completely mature until about age 25. Therefore, while adults may see an unsafe behavior and avoid it, adolescents can’t always recognize the risk.

Without that impulse control, children are more likely to make quick decisions without thinking through the consequences. This is especially true when they see the behavior as something their peers or others on social media or video games are doing.

Staying connected with your child, knowing who and what they are involved with, and staying up to date about adolescent behavior trends will help you recognize signs your child may be engaging in something unsafe. Below are some tips to keep you “in the know” with your child.

  • Talk openly, talk often, and start now.

If you start talking with, and (most importantly) listening to, your child about things like peer relationships, substances, and personal safety at a young age, your child will know you are open to hearing what they have to say. Be careful that your words do not come across as a lecture. Instead, use open-ended questions to allow your child to talk freely. Remind your child it is safe for them to come to you about any topic.

  • Have clear family values.

What is important to you as a family? Does your child know what these values are? Make sure you are modeling family values and not just preaching them. Do not drink and drive, practice a positive online presence, and treat others with respect and kindness.

  • Have clear rules and consequences.

If you wait for a situation to arise to put rules and consequences in place, you are waiting too long. Work with your child to clearly define rules and consequences for breaking them. This encourages your child to follow them. Take time to redefine these with your child as they mature and are ready for more responsibility.

  • Monitor your child’s social interactions.

This applies to interactions both in person and online. Know who your child is spending physical time with and who the parents are. Take time to monitor your child’s social media, gaming, and texting interactions, as this is where some of the riskiest behaviors can occur. There are so many apps available to help in these areas. Make it an expectation that you are aware of these things.

  • Be a safety net when it comes to peer pressure.

If your child feels peer pressure to do risky things or is placed in an unsafe situation, help them think of ways to opt out. Develop a code word your child can text you that lets you know they need to be picked up immediately. Let them blame you for not being able to go somewhere they do not feel comfortable. Help your child come up with creative ways to respond when pressured.

  • Be a constant presence throughout the years.

We are sometimes fooled into thinking our teenagers no longer need us, a message that can be reinforced by their behavior. However, teens often need us even more as they navigate the world and are faced with more opportunities. Continue to check in, stay involved, and stay available throughout high school and beyond.


Adolescence is a time of exploration. Our children are trying to discover who they are, what group they belong to, what they like and do not like. Following these tips can help you be more tuned in to your child’s behavior and increase your success as a parent.

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Winter Wellness: How to Encourage Physical Play in the Colder Months

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By Katie Cox, MSW – January 15, 2025 –

As the temperature drops and the days get shorter, it’s tempting to avoid physical activity and stay cozy indoors. But cold weather doesn’t have to mean the end of active playtime for children.

In fact, winter presents opportunities for unique, creative ways to encourage and facilitate movement for children. Whether they are bundled up outside or busting out their best dance moves indoors, physical activity can be fun while still making a positive impact on their health. Encouraging physical activity is not only important for physical health, but it also helps to boost mood, support social and emotional wellbeing, and keep energy levels steady.

In this article we will explore exciting ideas and strategies to make sure your child stays active, engaged, and healthy all winter long!

Outdoor Adventures: Embracing the Winter Weather

While temperatures may be chilly, winter also brings a host of exciting outdoor activities that are impossible to replicate in warmer months. Outdoor play in the winter boosts vitamin D levels, strengthens the immune system, and invites children to use problem solving to explore the different conditions. Your children may enjoy playing in the snow, building snowmen, sledding, or having a classic snowball fight. These are all free activities that will not only keep your child moving but incorporate all members of the family, allowing extra time for bonding.

Indoor Activities: Staying Active When it is Just Too Cold Outdoors

When the temperatures are just too frigid for outdoor play, here are some ideas for keeping children active indoors. Dance parties are an engaging way to keep children moving. YouTube can be a great resource for this type of activity with channels such as GoNoodle and Danny Go. Another indoor option is creating obstacle courses using furniture, pillows, and blankets to create tunnels, balance beams, and jump stations for your child to race through. You can turn this activity into a challenge by using a timer to see how fast they can go.

Tips and Tricks to Encourage Engagement

The key to encouraging physical activity for children is to make it fun and engaging. They are more likely to be engaged if they are truly having fun. Some ways to make activities more engaging are to set up challenges or create goals for play. Children love to “win” and complete challenges. Some examples include challenging them to complete a certain number of jumping jacks or cartwheels or to hop on one foot for one minute. Getting the entire family involved can also boost engagement. When children see parents and siblings joining in the fun, they are more likely to stay motivated and engaged in the activity.

Beyond just burning off extra energy, staying physically active during the winter boosts endorphins, which improves mood, reduces anxiety, and helps fight off the winter blues. Physical activity has also been linked to improved focus, memory, and cognitive functioning, which can boost academic performance.

Winter doesn’t have to be a season of hibernation for children. With a little creativity and planning, physical activities can help children thrive. Whether you are embracing the cold outdoors or keeping warm inside, the winter months offer plenty of opportunities to stay active, healthy, and happy. Let’s bundle up, get moving, and make this winter your most active one yet!

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The Negative Impact of Social Media and Electronics Use

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By Audrey Bowlds, MSW, LSW – January 8, 2025 –

It is no secret that access to technology has grown exponentially in the last decade. The internet holds a vast amount of knowledge on many different topics, and technology has invaded every aspect of life.

While advancements in technology can be valuable to us, electronics can also be harmful to adults and children. We use technology when playing video games, video chatting with others, watching videos and movies, researching, calculating the tip at a restaurant, setting an alarm, and using the GPS app for a road trip. Children as young as preschool age are using iPads and laptops.

So, what do parents need to be aware of?

Social media can be a way for people to interact with each other in creative ways. People can also use social media as a platform to spread awareness on a topic they feel passionate about or educate and exchange knowledge with one another. Social media can also be used to spread awareness about mental health and what resources are available for those who are struggling or looking for help.

However, studies have also shown that social media can cause mental health issues, especially in children and young adults. The danger of being exposed to content that is not age appropriate combined with the negative impact of social media can cause addiction, depression, cyberbullying, self-esteem issues, and social isolation. According to the National Institutes of Health, social media and excessive screen usage can cause mood changes, trouble sleeping, physical changes in overall brain function, and “tuning out” when having conversations with others.

Research tells us how harmful technology and social media can be for a child’s growing brain. It is important to be aware of your child’s screen time and what they are using it for. Setting a screen time schedule for your child can be difficult at first, but it will be worth it for their mental health and brain development in the future.

A screen time schedule includes setting limits on how long, and when, your child can use their device. You can use technology for this with a parental control app to help monitor your child’s screen time. Encourage your child to do other activities outside of electronics, such as social interaction, hobbies, physical play, relaxing or even napping.

Creating tech-free zones around the house that your child knows are “technology free” can be a tremendous help in cutting down their electronics usage. Most importantly, stay consistent with a screen time schedule if you decide to implement it. Consistency is key with any new routine presented to a child. Show them you are consistent and eventually they will be too.

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