Families, 

 

Congratulations on the successful completion of the school year! 

 

 

Since we will be apart, we wanted to share few strategies to keep mental health a top priority over the summer break.

 

Start with the basics and get outside often! Exposure to the natural sun increases vitamin D and serotonin levels, which can help boost our mood. Choose an activity that allows you to spend at least thirty minutes outdoors. Whether you are gardening, paddle boarding, or bike riding, spending time outside is an essential element of self-care. Just because school is out for summer and your children can stay up late and sleep in does not mean they should. No matter the time of year, obtaining eight to ten uninterrupted hours of sleep is essential for our mental health. Finally, keep your children busy! Get them involved in an internship, a job, a summer class, or a volunteer position. In addition to providing a sense of structure, this work can help them apply knowledge learned in the classroom, meet peers with similar interests, and gain valuable experience and networking contacts. 

 

While your child's schedule might look vastly different in the summer than during the school year, please do not discontinue care with your child's mental health provider unless the provider deems the summer a healthy time for a short break. Consistency is essential, and having a session once or twice a month is better than an absence of care. Please be mindful that if you discontinue working with your child's provider now, you may not be able to reestablish care during the summer if a crisis should arise or in the fall if there are no open spots. Since the High School Wellness Team will be on vacation, please keep your child's providers (therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists) updated on their needs. At the end of the summer, a mental health and wellness form will be sent via Magnus to update our team on new medications, changes in providers, hospitalizations, etc. 

 

If there is a medical or psychological emergency over the summer, please call 911 immediately. For less urgent matters, collaborate with your child's providers. If your child does not have a provider, but you are interested in connecting with a counselor, or you need resources, please get in touch with one of the following: 

 

NYC Well is a resource that connects you to free, confidential mental health support. The platform allows you to speak to a counselor via phone, text, or chat and access mental health and substance use services in more than 200 languages, 24/7/365. You can text WELL to 65173, call at 1-888-692-9355, or visit the website at https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/en/. 

 

The Trevor Project specializes in supporting young LGBTQIA+ youth and has The Trevor Lifeline, a 24/7 confidential and secure support service that connects you to a counselor. You can text START to 678-678, call at 1-866-488-7386, or visit the website at https://www.thetrevorproject.org.

 

Finally, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress and prevention and crisis resources. You can call 1-800-273-8255 or visit the website at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org. 

 

Please reach out to us if you have questions or need support. 

 

With care,

The Wellness Team