Youth Mental Health PROJECt

In 2024, Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative was awarded a collaborative reporting grant by Solutions Journalism Network to focus on youth mental health. The grant comes on the heels of the SWMJC’s successful two-year Mental Wellness Project, funded by Solutions Journalism Network, which produced 75 stories on mental health topics in the region, including 47 that were translated into Spanish. In addition, with the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent advisory report on the impact of social media on youth mental health, the importance of covering current solutions to address this issue became even more evident.

Read the U.S. Surgeon General’s “Social Media and Youth Mental Health” report here.

Media Projects

How to Discuss Mental Health Needs With Adults

Audio gathered by students in the Fall 2024 Multimedia Journalism course at Western Michigan University.

Western Michigan University students from Fall 2024 Multimedia Journalism Course.

In September, students in the Fall 2024 Multimedia Journalism course at Western Michigan University conducted a student-on-campus audio project, interviewing fellow students about youth mental health and how to speak to an adult about the need for mental health support. The project was led by Sue Ellen Christian, the WMU Presidential Innovation Professor in Communication, and is part of the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative’s youth mental health project supported by Solutions Journalism Network.

Tips From and For Young Adults and Teens
  • Ask parents about their own struggles to create a level of understanding and humanity.
  • Choose a calm, non-emotional time to discuss mental health issues, avoiding times when parents are exhausted from work.
  • Overcome the fear to ask for help. Taking the first step can be a significant breakthrough.
  • Reach out to school staff or friends, if parents are not open to talking about mental health.
  • Be direct and ask for help on specific issues. Trust that your parents are there to support and love you.

VIDEO PODCAST: Anxiety in Adolescents with Sierra Ward & Patti Criswell

Therapist and author Patti Criswell discusses anxiety, its different forms, and how it manifests in children and young adults, emphasizing the importance of addressing it early. Key points include the rise in anxiety among today’s youth, the role of sleep, diet, screen time, and physical touch in managing anxiety, and practical coping strategies like mindful breathing and challenging irrational thoughts. The therapist also touches on building resilience in young people and fostering healthy relationships.

Podcast hosted by Sierra Ward.
Produced by Public Media Network.

Check Out The Latest Stories From This Project

Megan & Molly - Covid Cohort

The ‘Covid Cohort’: How the ‘pandemic skip’ is affecting young adults

Pandemic restrictions, social isolation and missed opportunities for support in planning their futures, layered on top of the economic precariousness and social turmoil of recent years, left many in the Covid Cohort more emotionally uncertain and less prepared for adulthood than previous generations, professionals and parents say.
Patti Criswell - therapist interview

Youth Mental Health series explores solutions for teens in crisis

“Anxiety will take as much room as you give it,” says Patti Criswell, who has spent her career listening to and helping young people through mental health struggles. In a video produced by Public Media Network, Criswell offers advice for parents of anxious teens and gives young people tips for managing anxiety and depression.
One in 3 U.S. homes with children under 18 has a gun, according to information provided by Bronson Methodist Hospital.

Suicide in general is a very impulsive act, especially for teens

The nation’s mental health crisis can become increasingly fatal as firearms become more accessible, data shows. Michigan’s new gun safety laws and local health care-led initiatives are intended to help before that statistic hits Kalamazoo County.
One in 3 U.S. homes with children under 18 has a gun, according to information provided by Bronson Methodist Hospital.

“El suicidio en general es un acto muy impulsivo, especialmente para los adolescentes.”que encuentran ayuda

El creciente acceso a armas de fuego en EE.UU. está intensificando la crisis de salud mental entre los adolescentes, un grupo especialmente vulnerable a decisiones impulsivas. En Michigan, nuevas leyes de seguridad y programas comunitarios buscan abordar el problema, pero el riesgo sigue siendo alto.

As youth struggle with mental health, treatment using horses is helping

A counselor trained in equine-assisted therapy, Federinko says working with horses can provide an avenue for building self-esteem and confidence; for teaching problem-solving skills, impulse control, and emotional awareness; and for helping kids – as well as adults — learn how to build trust and empathy.

Uncovering Adverse Childhood Experiences and trauma-informed care intervention helps children thrive

The ACE scoring method is illuminating the relationship between stresses that children face that lead to public health problems later in life and the importance of preventing ACEs before they happen, a cause being promoted by a number of organizations across the region.

Adolescentes en crisis mental encuentran alivio en musicoterapia

Los musicoterapeutas utilizan la música para lograr objetivos no musicales específicos para cada paciente, dice Deanna Bush, instructora y coordinadora de experiencias clínicas estudiantiles en el programa de musicoterapia de WMU. Durante una clase de improvisación musical de verano, rodeada de una selección de instrumentos que iban desde sonajeros con cuentas hasta tubanos similares a bongós, Bush instruyó a dos estudiantes para que representaran una discusión utilizando xilófonos de madera en miniatura. Luego, los estudiantes discutieron lo que habían sentido durante el combate musical.

As teens experience mental health crisis, music therapy is one way they are finding help

Music therapists use music to achieve non-musical, patient-specific goals, says Deanna Bush, instructor and coordinator of student clinical experiences in the WMU music therapy program. During a summer music improvisation class, surrounded by a selection of instruments ranging from beaded shakers to bongo-like tubanos, Bush instructed two students to depict an argument using miniature wooden xylophones. Afterward, the students discussed what they felt during the musical combat.

[LISTEN] As teens experience mental health crisis, music therapy is one way they are finding help

Music therapy helps teens identify, verbalize, and study their emotions, empowering them to change the way they act and feel, says Hannah Joseph, a clinical social worker and music therapist specializing in therapeutic support for children and adolescents at Kalamazoo Child and Family Counseling. Listen to this story on WMUK.

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