It may seem like 5 items or less aren’t a reason for alarm but every item on the list indicates something that your child is struggling with unnecessarily.  Whether it seems like a big deal or not, these items contribute to their overall health, development, and life satisfaction.  Any one of these can negatively impact their development, school performance, relationship development, or general well being.

While they may not need to process a deep trauma or process stressful experiences, a couple sessions with a professional would be a great way to proactively create change, growth, and positivity in their life.  Getting feedback from a professional about minor adjustments to thoughts or behaviors that can create long standing change is a simple step that can have a huge impact on their life down the road.  

Being able to have an outside perspective to find ways that still fits your parenting style and can be naturally incorporated can have profound change.  It can be not knowing how or what to change that often leaves us feeling “stuck”.  Sharing a couple hours with a professional can help add the right tools to your tool box that allow you to teach your child to approach life differently and feel better equipped to face daily challenges.

Mental health is more important than ever.  We are seeing so many side effects and long term changes in people as a result of living through the first airborne pandemic in many of our lifetimes.  We are seeing more national and international studies that are expressing concerns about areas within our lives getting better and other areas getting worse.  What’s important right now is advocating for the mental well-being of you and your community.  We can’t start creating change and large scale support without starting in our own homes.

As the pandemic began to sink in during the spring of 2020, many people started to report increases in anxiety, trouble sleeping, substance use, and poor ability to cope.  It makes sense that these numbers have not been able to restabilize.  We are still watching and waiting to see what life looks like on the other side of this international catastrophe.

As mental health professionals right here in Northeast Louisiana, we are recognizing a need for mental health support like never before.  We are all so used to living with a need of survival and feelings of helplessness that we aren’t as easily able to identify when something is within our control to improve.  The mental health community, leadership individuals, and partners within Finding Solace Counseling, are coming together in order to advocate for each of you to to know how to advocate for your own mental health.

If you were struggling with your physical health, you would not (or at least should not) wait to seek help from a professional.  There is no reason for your mental health to be any different.  Whether it is a sore throat or body aches, depressed mood or feeling anxious, there are professionals there to help.