One in every five U.S. adolescents has a serious mental health condition and 10 percent will experience extended absences from school.

For these students, school re-entry can be overwhelming, fraught with problems including depression, anxiety, and fear of social rejection.

Weston offers many programs to help kids in our community!

Weston Bridge Program at the Weston HS 

• Bridge Program learn more: Weston Program guide
• Back to  School Night 2019 Bridge Program Presentation Slides

Compass Program Grades 6-12 

• Learn more :  Weston Program guide 

If you want more in-depth information about similar programs like Weston’s click here to see more about the BRYT Program.  

PARENT PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT

Families who have come through an acute crisis can provide an invaluable service to those who will find themselves similarly affected in the future.  If interested in speaking with a Parent of a child in this program please contact westonsepac@gmail.com and we can get you in contact. 

Keeping Our Kids Healthy and Safe

• Building Resilience in Children
• Weston Youth Health Assessment Report 2015
• Mental Health and Teens: Watch for Danger Signs
• Help Your Teen Cope with Stress
• Recognizing Teen Depression
• Anxiety Resources 
• Be There for Teens: A Guide for Parents
• Communicating Effectively With Your Son

Mental Health Resources

• Apple POD Cast – Mental Horizons – Legal Remedies to Mitigate Mental Health Crises with Lisa Cukier, JD– click here to listen 
• National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day 2018: Partnering for Health and Hope Following Trauma
• PPAL Toolkit
• Children’s Mental Health – CDC
• Mental Illness in Children: Know the Signs
• Children’s Hospital Boston – Department of Psychiatry – Conditions and Treatments
• The Human Relations Service – Wellesley
• Medline – Child Mental Health
• APA – Mental Health
• NIH – Treatment of Children with Mental Illness
• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry​
• National Eating Disorders Association
• ​Eating Disorders – Parent Toolkit and Educator Toolkit
• Click the video to watch the FCSN Webinar – “You Can’t Make Me Go!” Practical Tips for Dealing with School Refusal​​

Articles of Interest

• How to Help Your Depressed Teenager
• What If My Child Has an Anxiety Disorder?
• How to Help Kids Who Are Too Hard on Themselves
• What Parents Can Do to Promote Mental Wellness in Our Children​​
• What’s wrong, and how do we help? Getting children the right mental health support.
• Recognizing Eating Disorders in Time to Help
• Child Mind Institute – 2017 Children’s Mental Health Report
• Acton-Boxborough Wellness – Mental Health
• 6 Questions Answered About Anxiety in Children and Teens
• Why Are More American Teenagers Than Ever Suffering From Severe Anxiety?
• When Anxiety Keeps Kids from School​​
• Cyberbullying: Detection and Advocacy
• Child Mind Institute – Parents Guide to Getting Good Care
• The Promise of Self-Compassion for Stressed-Out Teens​
• Connections Go a Long Way for Students with Trauma
• Students are pushing themselves to unhealthy limits. Here’s how teachers can help​
• Boston Globe – Secrets of a Lost Girl
• In High School, the Kids Are Not All Right
• Managing anxiety in primary care pediatrics
• Finding a Therapist for Behavioral Health Conditions
• ​NYTimes – When Your Child’s Friend Is In Crisis
• Does My Child Have a Mental Health, Emotional, or Behavioral Disorder?
• The Mental Health Crisis in Our Schools
  • A Silent Epidemic
  • Here’s How Schools Can Support Students’ Mental Health
  • 6 Myths About Suicide That Every Educator and Parent Should Know
  • Middle School Suicides Reach an All-Time High 
  • Preventing Suicide with a “Contagion of Strength”
• Is the Drive for Success Making Our Children Sick?
• Ideas for Raising Awareness in Your Community
• Spreading First Aid for Teens’ Mental Health by Training Adults to Help
• Why Your Grumpy Teenager Doesn’t Want to Talk to You​