(2022) Useful to Parent Centers as a resource to share with staff, parents, educators, and students
The California Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids project has produced an evidence-based video series with accompanying study guides. There are introductory videos for caregivers and educators, and videos to teach kids five clinically proven mental health skills. Young people have never needed these foundational mental health skills more than they do right now.
The topics addressed across 5 separate sets of videos/guides are:
Understanding Feelings | Students learn that better understanding and recognizing their emotions can be an important first step toward healthy coping and deeper relationships.
Understanding Thoughts | Students learn about connections between their thoughts, feelings and behaviors and how they can change thinking patterns to make them more helpful.
Relaxation Skills | Students learn specific relaxation skills, such as paced breathing, that they can use when experiencing intense or uncomfortable emotions.
Managing Intense Emotions | Students learn to recognize and manage intense emotions without giving in to the urge to act in impulsive ways that can make problems bigger.
Mindfulness | Students learn how paying attention to the present moment can increase self-awareness, improve decision-making, and make it easier to deal with uncomfortable emotions.
Each video comes with a brief companion resource that summarizes key ideas and includes an activity that can be practiced in school or at home.
All videos and supporting materials are available in English and Spanish. (How terrific is that!) The videos feature the voices and lived experiences of caregivers, teachers, and kids today. Videos for the elementary school age group use a whimsical story-telling approach to engage younger viewers and make lessons more memorable.
Access the series in English, at:
https://childmind.org/healthyminds/
Access the series in Spanish, at:
https://childmind.org/es/mentessanas/
The California Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids is an innovative partnership between the Child Mind Institute and the state of California.