March 2021 Newsletter
March 2021
Families Empowering Families
In this issue: 
Women’s History Month
De-escalation Techniques
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month in May!
Happy March! 
The first hints of Spring are here! As the weather grows warmer we hope everyone can find some time to get outside and shake off winter.
March is Women’s History Month. We wanted to honor the month by sharing information about girls and young women’s mental health, the health disparities they face, and ways families can support their mental health.
We also wanted to take some time in the newsletter to share de-escalation techniques and resources. Parents and caregivers often ask us for ways to de-escalate situations before a crisis happens. It’s important for parents and caregivers to have strategies in order to thrive when complex situations arise.
Last, but not least, May is coming. That means it’ll be Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week soon! We hope you’ll join us this year in celebrating!
-VFFCMH staff
Girls and Women’s Mental Health
For Women’s History Month we wanted to share some information on girls and young women’s mental health. From the ages of 2-8 boys are more likely to be diagnosed with a mental, health disorder, but by adolescence girls are twice as likely to develop a mood disorder compared to boys.
In Vermont, girls are two times more likely to report feeling sad or hopeless, self-harming, making a suicide plan, or attempting suicide in middle school. Even though these gender differences decrease in high school, girls still report significantly higher rates of all four measures than boys.
There are many theories about the mental health disparity between boys and girls from differences in maturing during adolescence to gendered socialization. What matters the most is knowing how to help and support girls and young women. Here are some resources that are available.
Young Women’s Health has an entire section on emotional health topics from dealing with cliques to handling panic attacks. Each article is written in clear and easy to understand language.
Girls Health has many resources to help girls learn how to cope with strong emotions and build resiliency including healthy ways to deal with stress.
De-escalation techniques
Many of the parents who call us ask for de-escalation techniques for when their child is struggling or starting to go into crisis. De-escalation techniques are an important tool for parents and families. Below are some tips and resources we hope families will find helpful.
Reachout.org has some amazing tips for de-escalation including keeping physically and emotionally safe during conflict. The first steps are to focus on body language and physical safety. Make sure the door to the room you are in is clear so that no one in the situation feels trapped. Next, increase your physical distance from the person you are in conflict with. Last make sure to keep your body language neutral. This is easier said than done, but try to keep your arms at your side and an easy posture.
Next is defusing the situation emotionally. It can be hard to stay calm when our children are not. Take a moment to check in with yourself and what you are feeling. Remember not to judge your feelings, it makes sense that you are feeling strong emotions. Next, remember to breathe! Take deep slow breaths to help calm down your nervous system. Afterwards make sure to debrief with someone you trust. If no one is available you can journal or call the VT Support Line.
Next is an amazing technique for talking to your children while they are angry. Let your child talk and don’t interrupt them. When they are done talking you can both count backwards from 10 together. When you respond to your child make sure to use I statements, validate their feelings, and ask specific questions about the situation. Remember, holding space for your angry or escalated child takes a lot of energy. Make sure to take care of yourself afterwards.
More resources for de-escalation:
You can also find more resources on our Facebook page!
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It’s finally starting to feel like SPRING! That means it’s time to start thinking about Children’s Mental Health Week in May! This year’s theme is “Flipping the Script”. Often when people speak of mental health, they speak of mental health disorders and struggles rather than ways to bolster mental health and resiliency. The National Federation of Families wants to change that! This year they hope to educate individuals and communities about the importance of teaching children and youth that:
  • Caring for mental health is a vital part of living a healthy, fulfilling life.
  • Experiencing mental health challenges during their lifetime is not uncommon (1 in 5) do. It not just ok, but important to, ask for help when they do.
  • Offering acceptance, support and respect for others who have mental health challenges in their lives and communities is part of creating wellness for all.
You can find out more about Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week here!
A message from your Vermont family run organization

Posted by on Wednesday, March 31st, 2021 @ 6:44PM
Categories: News, Uncategorized

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