Caregiver Mental Health Support

When a friend or family member develops a mental health condition, it's important to know that you're not alone. Family members and caregivers often play a large role in helping and supporting the millions of people in the U.S. who experience mental health conditions each year. Many family members and caregivers experience the same thoughts, emotions, and questions you might be having now.

You may be trying to help a family member who doesn't have access to care or doesn't want help. Or you may want to learn how to support and encourage someone who has been hospitalized or experienced a similar mental health crisis.

We realize that the challenges of mental health do not only affect an individual's family members but also friends, teachers, neighbors, coworkers, and others in the community. Here we use the term family member and caregiver interchangeably to refer to someone giving emotional, financial, or practical support to a person with a mental health condition. Whether you're providing a lot of assistance or very little, the information here can help you better understand the issues that you might face.

Source Credit: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Family Members and Caregivers

Benefits of Social Connectedness

A child's social connectedness, or their sense of closeness and belonging to a group, may be one of the most critical keys to their well-being. One notable longitudinal study followed found that social connection, not social class, IQ, or even genetics, was the best predictor of long and happy lives. The desire for belonging and connection is biologically hard-wired and we experience important physiological effects being in relationships with other people. Developing strong social connections in childhood can lead to them becoming happier and healthier adults, while social isolation and loneliness can lead to a myriad of negative health impacts.

Social connectedness and school engagement are intertwined. Middle school children with strong social connections and school engagement are shown to have less teenage substance use, fewer mental health problems, and greater academic outcomes in high school.

Source Credit: Greater Good Science Center, The Harvard Gazette, and Bond et al., 2007, Livermore USD

School Attendance

Being in school is important for students to maintain and grow behavioral, social-emotional, and academic skills. Excessive absences can serve as early indicators that a child is struggling, losing interest, or experiencing another difficulty while at school. If your child does not want to go to school, talk to them about the reasons for their aversion. Chronic absenteeism is the greatest predictor of school failure and is associated with engaging in risky health behaviors. Children who are absent miss valuable instruction time and are not able to be provided with the support they may need.

Mental Health Resources

Teletherapy Program for Students Ages 10+

Our district has partnered with Daybreak Health, a school-based mental health company, to offer 1:1 teletherapy services to our students, ages 10+, with qualified clinicians. These services will be provided at no cost to families.

If a student is struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, stress, or other mental health related issues, they can get referred to this program, have an intake appointment, and get matched with a therapist based on their individual needs within 1-2 weeks. The student will meet with their therapist once/week for 50-minutes over ~12 weeks. All sessions are hosted over Zoom and can take place before, during or after school hours, during the week or even on Saturdays.

During the program, the student’s therapist will help them understand their emotions and learn new skills and strategies to manage their symptoms that they can use in class, at home, and throughout their life.

If you have a student who you think could benefit from virtual mental health support click here to make a referral, or reach out to your school counselor, social worker, or building administrators for more information.

Teletherapy Program for All Students (ages 5+)

Our district has partnered with Daybreak Health, a school-based mental health company, to offer teletherapy services to our students, ages 5+, with qualified clinicians. These services will be provided at no cost to families.

The program looks different if it is an elementary-aged student or a middle or high school student participating in teletherapy. If it’s an elementary-aged student, the program is designed to include their parent/guardian in the sessions. If it is a child who is over the age of 10, they can meet one-on-one with their therapist.

These evidence-based programs are meant to help kids understand their emotions and learn new skills and strategies to manage their symptoms that they can use in class, at home, and throughout their life.

Connect with our Family Resource Center for navigation support

Call 510-317-3531, to visit the FRC follow this link

Connect with our Special Services staff. You can find more information about Special Education Workshops and support for families, follow this link

Parent Stress Line (available 24/7)

1-800-632-8188