CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES FREE VIDEO SERIES TO HELP PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS ADDRESS PARENTING CHALLENGES
SACRAMENTO — The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), in partnership with the Child Mind Institute, today released a new video series, Positive Parenting, Thriving Kids – championed by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. This new video series will give parents and caregivers additional resources to face potential parenting challenges they may encounter, particularly as it relates to the mental health of the children in their lives. Both Positive Parents, Thriving Kids and the previously released Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids series, are a part of the First Partner's California for ALL Kids initiative, and aim to address the youth mental health crisis through tangible, evidence-based resources and support.
“Our youth are facing a mounting behavioral health crisis. A vital step in addressing this crisis is empowering parents and caregivers by giving them the resources they need to help their children, youth, and young adults cope with common challenges that can negatively impact a child's health and well-being,“ said DHCS Director Michelle Baass. “As a parent, I know how important it is to support parents and caregivers so they can help their children thrive."
“Through the Positive Parenting, Thriving Kids series, we're equipping parents and caregivers with best-in-class tools to support their children's mental health and overall well-being," said First Partner Siebel Newsom. “This free series comes at a critical time for families, as young people continue to battle mental health issues and parents feel overwhelmed and desperate to help them. Positive Parenting, Thriving Kids is another tool for Californians to ensure every child feels supported and no parent feels alone as we tackle the youth mental health crisis head-on, and ensure all children and their families can thrive."
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Positive Parenting, Thriving Kids, produced in partnership with the Child Mind Institute, was launched as part of DHCS' CalHOPE program. Each video is accompanied by learning guides and additional resources adapted for diverse populations. The videos, available in English and Spanish, cover 20 topics that focus on a wide range of situations, such as promoting good behavior in children, talking to teens about alcohol and drugs, and making sure caregivers take care of themselves.
“The video series is designed to equip parents and caregivers with evidence-based strategies and practical tools to help children facing behavioral health challenges. Focusing on the needs of children and youth, the series offers accessible knowledge to tackle issues of equity, stigma, and access," said Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of the California Health & Human Services Agency.
“We are proud to expand our work with the state of California. The debut of the Positive Parenting, Thriving Kids video series marks a significant milestone for us in addressing the youth mental health crisis," said Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, founding president and medical director of the Child Mind Institute. “We are confident these innovative tools will serve families and caregivers as instruments for positive change, offering a renewed sense of optimism and prioritizing the mental health of our nation's children and adolescents."
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: Nationwide, rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm are climbing. Between 2019 and 2021, about one-third of California teens experienced serious psychological distress, with a 20 percent increase in adolescent suicides. Meanwhile, the nationwide mental health provider shortage is causing longer wait times for appointments to community-based mental health providers. Availability is particularly limited among the uninsured, people of color, people with low incomes, and people with disabilities.
ABOUT THE NEW VIDEO SERIES: The Positive Parenting, Thriving Kids video series topics were identified by a team of more than 40 experts from the Child Mind Institute, Harvard University, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Southern California, San Diego State University, Peer Health Exchange, and other leading institutions. Content was informed with the help of survey data collected from a Child Mind Institute and Ipsos survey of 1,000 California parents. The survey found that 85 percent of California parents and caregivers agree they would benefit from resources to support their child/teen when they show signs of stress or anxiety.
The video series features a diverse group of individuals, including 150 parents, caregivers, and children, and the topics cover four broad themes, including self-care and parent-child relationships, healthy child and adolescent growth, big changes and challenges, and family and community stress.
ABOUT THE CHILD MIND INSTITUTE: The Child Mind Institute is dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders by giving them the help they need. It has become the leading independent nonprofit in children's mental health by providing gold-standard evidence-based care, delivering educational resources to millions of families each year, training educators in underserved communities, and developing tomorrow's breakthrough treatments. For more information, please visit childmind.org.
BIGGER PICTURE: This video resource builds upon the successful Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids series, and is funded as part of Governor Newsom's Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI). The CYBHI is an important component of the Governor's transformation of California's mental health system. The strategies that the CYBHI is implementing are laying the foundation and developing the infrastructure to support a more coordinated, youth-centered, equitable, prevention-oriented, and accessible system, one in which young people can find the support they need when, where, and in the way they need it most. Learn more about Governor Gavin Newsom's and First Partner Siebel Newsom's “Mental Health Movement" for California.