Back to School

With school in full swing for students across the country, parents and caregivers could begin to see signs of school refusal. Rogers Behavioral Health’s Dr. Heather Jones explains how to identify it and provides strategies for helping your child overcome it.

The start of the school year means new routines, classmates, and teachers. While returning to school brings anticipation and excitement, many students struggle with worries and fears beyond what’s considered the first-day jitters.

As parents we don’t like or want to see our children struggling. But worries, fears and anxieties are a natural part of life, and we have to understand that children go through these processes just like adults do. But as parents and caregivers, we should also be in tune with the degree, severity, frequency, and nature of our children’s fears and worries and know when a child might need some help.

You could not be happier for your child/nibling/client. They’ve finally made it to grade 12 and have been wanting to leap into their future for ages. You thought now would be a quiet and calm few months as they wait to hear back, but instead it seems as though their anxiety is reaching new heights. Should you be concerned?

As summer comes to a close, whether parents, caregivers, educators or therapists, we all understand that while exciting, the return to school can also be fraught with anxiety.

To help with back to school, this blog features 8 strategies to cope with fears of school shootings.

Wherever you and your kid fall on the continuum of "I hope you never leave" to "I can't wait until you move out," your child's sudden absence is likely to stir up some stuff. I am a parent and a psychologist. I went to school longer than I needed to and spent the last 20-plus years working with college students. Here's what I've learned about how to handle this change.