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A solutions-oriented journalism initiative covering mental health issues in Southwest Michigan.
A Way Through: Strategies for Youth Mental Health
Mental health issues among American youths are a growing concern — for parents, educators, health officials, and the children themselves.
When social worker Jim Henry met the 7-year-old, she was living with an aunt after her mother had died. The girl was struggling in school. Wasn’t sleeping. Had emotional issues.
What type of support does a child need to recover from the trauma of being shot? A Kalamazoo mother is on a lonely search for that answer.
Eight-year-old Margot Weiner hams it up during the Zoom interview, flooding the chat with emojis and grinning right into the camera. Her brother Jonah is two years older, and Margot wants nothing more than to play with him.
It can be hard for a kid to navigate the pitfalls of adolescence. The staff at Three Rivers Middle School wants to help. That help comes in many forms, one of which is a program called TRAILS – Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students.
For years, Lesa Brenner has been advocating for educators to address her daughter’s mental health needs. This year, she used Schools of Choice to switch her eighth-grader to Portage Public Schools to see those needs met.
Overloaded and (Often) Unpaid: Caregiving and Mental Wellness
Claudia Holewinski was 16 and her sister Marilyn was 24 when their mother, Mary Beth, was diagnosed with leukemia.
Their lives changed overnight.
When our body or mind, for one reason or another, fails us — these are the people who step in to help. Professional caregivers are the front-line heroes who nurse us back to health, who hold our hands when we are alone or hurt, who administer medicine to heal us, and who help us up when we fall.
But who helps caregivers when they are in need?
Four days a week, Judith Wright pushes her walker to board a bus that takes her to a bustling Sterling Heights center where she mingles with friends, sees her doctor and healthcare team, eats two hot meals and works out in a physical therapy session to build her walking and balance.
Claudia Holewinski was still in high school when she and her 24-year-old sister became caregivers after their mom was diagnosed with leukemia.
Mental Health
Holistic approaches to mental health and wellness have been catching on in popularity in Western culture, appealing to those who are looking for a different approach to feeling better.
COVID-19 increased mental health issues for many Americans. Now that the restrictions on daily life have largely lifted, the aftermath of months in isolation is still playing out in many people’s lives. Aside from problems brought on by the pandemic, mental illness is a reality for almost one in five people in the U.S., according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Experts in the field agree that some old methods of treating mental illness belong in the past. But one may be due for revival, a professor at Western Michigan University said.
When Jeffrey Tavarez and Agustin Leal-Diaz heard yet another story of suicide among college youth, they knew they had to do something to help — and they had to do it loudly, with the sound of thunder.
The two recent graduates of Western Michigan University also wanted an effort specifically targeted for Spanish-speaking young adults, like themselves.
A sudden lack of baby formula can be another mental health stressor for parents at a time of intense pressure. Formula can be a nutritional life saver, but its prominence has come at the expense of unrivaled mother nature’s milk.
In 2006, Susan Brown lost a close friend to suicide. Another friend died the same way in 2011. The two incidents left her reeling. Both men were highly accomplished, with plenty of resources at their disposal. If even people in that position could succumb to mental illness, what did that say about the status of mental-health care?
A Way Through: Strategies for Youth Mental Health
Mental health issues among American youths are a growing concern — for parents, educators, health officials, and the children themselves.
When social worker Jim Henry met the 7-year-old, she was living with an aunt after her mother had died. The girl was struggling in school. Wasn’t sleeping. Had emotional issues.
What type of support does a child need to recover from the trauma of being shot? A Kalamazoo mother is on a lonely search for that answer.
Eight-year-old Margot Weiner hams it up during the Zoom interview, flooding the chat with emojis and grinning right into the camera. Her brother Jonah is two years older, and Margot wants nothing more than to play with him.
It can be hard for a kid to navigate the pitfalls of adolescence. The staff at Three Rivers Middle School wants to help. That help comes in many forms, one of which is a program called TRAILS – Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students.
For years, Lesa Brenner has been advocating for educators to address her daughter’s mental health needs. This year, she used Schools of Choice to switch her eighth-grader to Portage Public Schools to see those needs met.
Spanish