Philadelphia psychologists say this is how families can support kids’ mental health as they go back to school

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Kids and teens will soon return to classrooms for another school year, and it can be a big adjustment for families as they transition from a relaxed summer environment into structured schedules again.

While there might be excitement and anticipation, Philadelphia psychologists say it’s also normal for students to feel anxious and worried about these changes, and there are things families can do to support their kids’ mental health and help them through the transition phase.

“Normalize it for them,” said Anna Cruz, a psychologist at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. “Parents saying like, ‘This is a new school year, how are you feeling?’ And seeing where their worries are and then coming together about how we can address it.”

Young children and teens are likely dealing with earlier sleep schedules, navigating new social groups, meeting new teachers and facing different academic challenges. All of that can create new stressors or exacerbate existing ones, especially for kids managing a mental health condition.

Nearly one in 10 school-aged kids have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, and over 4% are diagnosed with depression, according to federal data.

“Anxiety in novel situations or situations where there’s a fair amount of uncertainty is completely reasonable,” said Yesenia Marroquin, a clinical psychologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “It’s when we start seeing that this is leading to avoidance behavior, that’s where we want to take a step back and sort through, ‘How much is this [healthy] versus detrimental?’”

Typical worries can include kids asking about what their day might look like, their new teachers, having enough school clothes and supplies, and making new friends.

Cruz said parents and caregivers should be on the lookout for any signs showing that these concerns are developing into something bigger, or that new issues are coming up during the school year.

Higher levels of anxiety and stress might manifest in kids and teens as complaints of headaches, stomach pains or other physical ailments, especially in the morning before going to school or during the day as they request to leave school early.

“And if they are starting to refuse to go to school, now not only are they nervous but it’s impacting their functioning,” Cruz said. “We recognize that anxiety now has hit a point that it is concerning, it’s no longer at that stage where it’s helping us be productive and active.”

This is when it can be helpful for parents and caregivers and school staff to come together and figure out how to support a student who is struggling. For some, Marroquin said that might involve professional psychological help.

For others, she said families might be able to mitigate these anxieties, fears and stress at home by providing a safe space for kids to talk about what they’re feeling and dealing with at school.

“And then being able to revisit that conversation from a place of, what does this young person think that they want to do or how do they plan to manage it,” Marroquin said. “When a kid or teenager is in a place where they are able to actually access some creativity, which is critical for problem-solving, when their emotions are not so heightened.”

In addition to having open lines of communication with parents or caregivers, Cruz said it can be good for students to have at least one adult at school — a teacher, guidance counselor, coach — who they can trust and confide in during the year.