CHILDREN AND MENTAL HEALTH

The introduction says, “When a flower does not bloom, you fix the environment in which it
grows, not the flower” this means child/ everyone is different. Parents/teachers should not
pressure or stress to reach others’ expectations. We need to find the identity or uniqueness of
each child and encourage them in each aspect.

Definition: 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 healthy choices.

Importance of good mental health:

• For optimal psychological development

• Productive social relationship

• Effective learning

• Ability to care for self.

• Good physical health

• Effective economic participation

Children’s mental health is essential to their overall health because mental health concerns affect
their healthy development, activities of daily living and academic and social functioning, often
impacting their adulthood. So, early diagnosis and treatment will help children with mental
health concerns. According to Children’s Mental Health Ontario, 15-21% of children and youth
in Ontario have at least one mental disorder. And 1 in 5 will experience some form of mental
health problem. 28% of students report not knowing where to turn when they want to talk to
someone about mental health. Canada’s youth suicide rate is the third highest in the
industrialized world. The major mental health concern is Anxiety, where ½ of Ontario parents
report having ever had problems with their child’s level of anxiety, whereas 1/3 of Ontario
parents have had a child miss school due to stress.

BASED ON CHILDREN’ REACTION TO STRESSORS OF CHILDHOOD DISORDERS

ARE CLASSIFIED INTO: Internal and External
Internal disorders: Internalizing behaviours, also referred to as overcontrolled behaviours,
including anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, somatization, and shyness.

External disorders: Externalizing behaviours, called under-controlled or outer-directed, generate

discomfort and conflict in the surrounding environment. Examples: Aggression, ADHD ASD

Overview of significant childhood emotional and behavioural disorders:

 Depressive and mood dysregulation disorders:

 Anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders

 Trauma and stressor-related disorders

 Disruptive Impulse control and conduct disorders

 Feeding and Eating disorders

 Neurodevelopmental disorders

What causes mental health concerns in children?

Mental health disorders in children don’t have a single definitive cause. Rather than having
several Biological, Psychological and environmental risk factors that contribute to their
development. Which Mental health symptoms may cause by Genes/ Genetical, Temperament
super-feeler, Family environment, Epigenetics, Social and cultural factors, Life stressors,
Puberty and Emotion avoidance. Children with emotional or behavioural disorders are like all
children who need to be understood and appreciated for their strengths and talents. They are like
other children who must belong to their families, schools, friends and communities.

Case Conceptualization and treatment planning

Case conceptualization is a process and cognitive map for understanding and explaining a client's
problem and guiding the counselling process. The case concept provides counsellors with a
coherent plan to focus therapeutic interventions, including therapeutic alliances, to increase the
likelihood of achieving treatment goals. Case conceptualization contains three processes
assessment, formulation, and treatment planning.

Assessment
 A comprehensive assessment-Methods include Intake report/ referral information, Interview
with the child and parents, Conducting behavioural observations at home, school etc., Review of
collateral reports from previous services, school, psychology, psychiatry, Standard assessment
tools- InterRAI Child and Youth Suite of Instruments, Behaviour Chain Analysis (BCA),
Functional Behavioural Analysis (FBA).

The formulation process consists of 4 ps,

Predisposing: Predisposing factors put a child at risk of developing a problem. These may
include genetics, life events, or temperament.

Precipitating factors: Refer to a specific event or trigger to the onset of the current problem—
feelings of disconnection from family and abandonment.

Perpetuating factors: are those that maintain the problem once it has become established:
hyperactivity, Low self-esteem.

Protective factors: These are the child’s strengths or reduce the severity of problems and
promote healthy and adaptive functioning—stable living conditions, physical health etc.

Treatment Plan

 Based on assessment and formulation, what services most appropriately meet Mas’s
client and family needs?
 Treatment hierarchy: decline-threatening behaviours – add therapy-interfering behaviours
– address behaviours/factors interfering with the quality of life.
 Behaviour stabilization for therapeutic effectiveness
 Motivational interviewing (MI) for treatment engagement
 Establishing clinical goals, clinical actions/objectives, and indicators.
 Disorder-specific psychoeducation for the child and family
 Individual therapy: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Unified Protocol (UP),
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS),
Trauma/attachment-based,
 Applied Behaviour Analysis based, Exposure therapy and Play therapy.
CAREGIVER INVOLVEMENT
Definition-
A caregiver is an adult who cares about or provides caregiving and is responsible for a
child’s welfare. Giving systems may include-
· biological parents or relatives
· foster or adoptive parents
· school systems
· residential programs
· clinicians, educators, healthcare workers, child welfare workers etc.
Importance of caregiver involvement-
· neuroscience supports the healing power of supportive caregiver-child
interactions.
· at least one stable and committed caregiver helps children to develop light
· in treatment sessions, the goal is to support caregivers to do differently than to do
more.
· childhood environment determines basic brain architecture.
· genes alone don't build brains; genes and experience build brains.
Fight-flight-freeze-response is the body’s automatic, built-in system to protect us from
threat or danger. In this learning or thinking, the brain and limbic systems will happen.
This is the survival mode.
Hand, Brain model-
1. Pretend your hand is a brain. Your wrist is your brain stem. It helps you with life
functions like breathing, your heart bloating and sleeping.
2. Place your thumb across the palm of your hand to make a number 4, pointing your
fingers straight up. Your thumb is your little brain. Your thumb is your tiny brain, where
emotions, memories, and senses are stored.it is the feelings part of your brain.
3. put your fingers over your thumb. That is your big brain, and it hugs your little brain.
The big brain helps you think, reason solve problems and have self-control.it is the
thinking part of the brain.
What is" Flipping My Lid."
 When you flip, your lid means that your feelings get so big that you lose control of your
ability to think and act clearly.
· kicking, screaming, pushing, throwing things.
· fidgeting, acting restless, trying to run away from a situation
· feeling numb, unable to move, finding it hard to speak
· feeling unable to control your reactions.
Self-care
· self-care is an activity we do deliberately to care for our mental, emotional and
physical health.
· Take care of yourself as kindly as you take care of others.
· get your source of strength first in order to be strong for others.
· when your are healthy and strong, you are a better caregiver to your child.

self-care activities

· change negative thoughts to positive ones.

· forgive
· meditate
· connect with old friend
· being watching series
· belly laugh
· being watched a series
· go to the spa
· drink plenty of water.

Caregiving/parent strategies in children’s mental health?

As parents and caregivers, we all want our children to be physically healthy, but we
also want them to be mentally and emotionally healthy. Children can learn healthy ways
to manage stress. They can learn about and use meditation, yoga, exercise, good sleep
habits, and positive self-talk. Play is essential for young children. Please play with them
and find ways to let them play with others or interact with them. Middle school children
are getting ready to break out and engage with the world in new ways. Being mentally
 and emotionally healthy does not mean children never experience disappointment or
challenges. Problems come up in life and can cause stress, sadness, and anxiety.
Sometimes, it may be best to consult with a mental health professional. Unconditional
positive love from a parent at these times is essential and communicates to children
despite their difficulties.

Tips for good parenting and the advantages of technologies for kids and kids’ anger
management. It is usual for kids to throw temper tantrums when they are young, but these
tantrums typically end around the age of six. By then, most kids can understand their emotions or
control themselves better. Studies show that using technology helps young children learn how to
multitask more effectively. While multitasking never allows you to focus on one area entirely,
students can learn how to listen and type to take notes or other multitasking activities that can
help them succeed in the future. The Golden Rule of Parenting. Always be the kind of person
you want your kids to be. So, if you want your kids to be respectful, considerate, and honest, you
must be kind and honest. And, then, you may expect that behaviour from your kids.