Vanita Halliburton & Sierra Sanchez, MSSWwww.GrantHalliburton.org

Sierra Sanchez, LMSW, MSSWwww.GrantHalliburton.org

You are the ultimate vanguard of their safety and health.

If you're educated and have the tools, you can be at the center of influence for your teens.

We can give you some tips and tools on how to do this!

Major influences on a teen’s value system

TV/Movies

MusicPeers School

Money

Family

Internet

Spirituality

Find a balance between outside influences and your influence as a parent.

Drugs

Be secure in your role as a parent

Learn good communication skills

Be a parent, not a pal

Be a vigilant guardian of their safety and health

Find a balance between outside influences and your influence as a parent.

TIPS

Things you should know:

All of their friends

Where they are at all times

Passwords

When they go online/sites they frequent

Keep computers in common area

Utilize parental controls on cable, computer, phones

Collect devices at bedtime/keep chargers in your room

Internet accountability and filtering – Covenant Eyes

Do your own skills inventory

Strengths

Struggles

Triggers

Skills for coping

For your teen and for yourself…

Remember, your children

model what they see.

6

8

The Teen Brain: Handle With Care!

More gray matter

Faster Process new information 50x faster than adult brain

More intense

More sensitive to stress

9

The Teen Brain: Handle With Care!

BIG CHANGES

Judgment

Reasoning

Decision-making

Risk-taking

10

The Teen Brain: Handle With Care!

The most vulnerable time of the lifespan in terms of addictions, depression, and unhealthy choices.

TEEN STRESS

Teens don’t yet have the life experience to deal with failure, disappointment, or heartbreak.

Teens don’t have much control; many decisions are made for them.

Teen stress may look different but it is not less important.

TEEN STRESSORS

School demands

Changes in body

Friends/peers

Parents/family problems

Separation/divorce

Unsafe home life

Teen dating violence

Abuse/neglect

Chronic illness

Victim of bullying

Death of a loved one

Recent move/changing schools

Graduating

Trouble with the law

Social media

Too much on their plate

Family financial problems

Breakups

CyberBullying

Do not respond.

Print the document/Screen capture on cell phone

Remove “friend” who is bullying from their social

media account and/or cell phone

Tell School Officials

Have a meeting with an administrator, counselor,

and teacher

Make a safety plan for school

TEENS WITHOUT STRONG COPING SKILLS

Anger/rage – toward themselves or others

Substance abuse

Self injury

Risky behavior such as

the fire challenge,

choking game, etc.

Bullying/cyberbullying

POSITIVE COPING SKILLS

Encourage your teen to:

Talk to someone they trust

Journal…write down their thoughts

Listen to music and relax

Get physical exercise

Calm down and think

Also, practice self-care!

WHAT IS DEPRESSION?

An illness that involves the:

Body

Mood

Thoughts

Affects the way a person:

Eats

Sleeps

Feels about oneself

Thinks about things

SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

Depressed irritable mood or feeling nothing

Loss of interest in things they used to enjoy

Fatigue or loss of energy

Feeling restless (anxiety) or slowed down

Changes in appetite or weight

Sleeping more or less than usual

Difficulty concentrating

Feelings of guilt or worthlessness

Feel hopeless or helpless

Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

BUSTING MYTHS

Depression is not:

A sign of personal weakness

The same as being sad

A condition that can be wished away

Something where people can just

"pull themselves together" and get better

WHAT CAN CAUSE DEPRESSION?

Stress

Setbacks

Recent loss

Alcohol/drug use

Runs in the family

Family problems

High expectations

WHAT HELPS DEPRESSION?

Adequate and regular sleep

Physical activity

Healthy eating habits

Avoiding alcohol, drugs, destructive behaviors

Distracting activities (books, time with friends, movies)

Regular daily schedule

Therapy

Taking medication regularly (if required)

PROTECTIVE FACTORS

Connectedness is the number one protective factor

Family time

Communication

Compassion

Depression can lead to other problems.Depression can lead to a higher risk for suicide.Remember…

Depression is a

treatable medical condition.

Why is it important to treat depression?

Do we have a problem?

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death among all ages in the U.S.

3rd leading cause of death ages 15-24 in U.S.

2nd leading cause of deathages 15-24 in Texas and DFW

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

Texas Department of State Health Services

Do we have a problem?

In Texas, we lose a young person age 15-24to suicide at the rate of

1 per day

In the DFW area…

2 per week

CDC 2010 / Texas Department of State Health Services

Know the warning signs.

Know what to do.

AKE IT SERIOUSLY

SK QUESTIONS

ET HELP

TAKE IT SERIOUSLY

Listen for the underlying problems that death by suicide would solve.

• Give your full attention.

• Don’t act shocked or angry.

• Don’t interrupt. Don’t judge.

National Alliance on Mental Illness

ASK QUESTIONS

Do not be afraid to ask:

“Do you sometimes feel so bad you think about suicide?”

National Alliance on Mental Illness

ASK QUESTIONS

If the answer is “Yes:”

“Have you thought about how you’d do it?”

“Have you decided when?”

“Have you made a plan?”

Yes = very high risk of suicide

National Alliance on Mental Illness

GET HELP

Ask if you can help.

• Accept the reality of their pain

• Remind them there are better alternatives than suicide

• Focus on other solutions

• Offer hope in any form, any way

National Alliance on Mental Illness

If the situation is life-threatening:

• Call 911

• Call a crisis help line

• Go to the nearest emergency room

► Do not leave the person alone until help is available.

► Take away anything that could be harmful.

GET HELP

• Save this number in your cell phone

• Call for yourself or someone else

• Free, confidential, available 24/7

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)

GET HELP

HereForYouth.com

When you need answers, support and resources for mental health

Peer Support Groups

GrantHalliburton.org

GrantHalliburton.org

It’s about help.

It’s about hope.

It’s about peace of mind.

www.GrantHalliburton.org