Desert Mountain Children's Center

“Our Mission: The relentless pursuit of whatever works in the life of a child.”

Women's History Month provides an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about mental health issues affecting young girls and women. As we observe Women's History Month this March of 2025, it is crucial to address the mental health challenges facing girls and young women in the United States. One particularly concerning issue is the prevalence of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among young girls and adolescents.

Given the recent fires in Los Angeles (LA) County and the impact these have had on the staff and students at some of the charter schools we serve, DMCC thought it was important to address the effects of a mass trauma event such as the fires in LA.

With a couple of holidays down and a few more to go, and as we head into the “most wonderful time of the year”

As we head into the holiday season, it is an important time to think about some of the ways the ways grief and loss, the holidays, and time and weather changes can affect children’s mental health. The month of November marks the observance of Children’s Grief Awareness Month in the United States (US) and it seems like a perfect opportunity to think about children’s bereavement and the ways it can impact children’s development.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) conducts the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) annually. This survey gives us an opportunity to see trends in substance use and abuse from year to year. The NSDUH has been conducted by the federal government since 1971 and is a primary source of statistical information on substance use and mental health of the civilian, non-institutionalized population 12 years of age or older in the United States (US).

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently released the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for 2021-2023 that also includes trends report from 2013-2023 1. This report provides information on the health behaviors and experiences of high school students in the United States. The survey covers six main areas of health-risk behaviors:

Revisiting the status of children’s and youth’s mental health feels timely as we head to the end of another school year and as we observe Mental Health Awareness Month. We are now four years removed from the unprecedented shutdown of our regularly scheduled lives and in a place where we can look back and see how that period affected all of us, but most especially our children and youth. Most of the information and research results show that we continue to grapple with the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising prevalence of mental health disorders among children and youth.

In 2022, the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, released a “Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health” as an answer to the spotlight the global pandemic shone on our nation’s mental health crisis. The master plan addresses the heavy toll being shouldered by the children and adolescents in the state of California:

Helping children develop healthy, meaningful friendships can have an enormous impact on their mental and physical health as making friends is crucial for the holistic development of children, influencing their social, emotional, and cognitive well-being.

Given that we are due to observe the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and are heading into Black History Month observances, it is an appropriate time to look at the status of the mental health of black children and youth.

As we continue to keep an eye on the state of mental health of our youth, one of the symptoms of increased stress and mental health challenges is the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs to help ameliorate the effects of these difficulties. It is essential to recognize that substance use among young people can have serious consequences on their physical and mental health.

The holidays can be a difficult time of the year for many individuals, including kids.he holidays can be a difficult time of the year for many individuals, including kids. The reasons that the holiday season can be stressful are as varied as the individuals affected – the stress can come from individual experiences, family dynamics, relationships, etc. In a survey conducted in 2021, 3 of 5 respondents stated that their mental health was negatively affected by the holidays.

Grief is an emotion that knows no age limits. Its impact on young children and adolescents is profound and often underestimated.

In the month of September our clients/students and staff settle into their daily school routines and are beginning to get to know each other better.

As we settle into summer break and our clients/students are enjoying their free time, it is time we talk about social media and youth. Recently the United States Surgeon General released an advisory on the effects the use of social media can have on the mental health of youth.

As we head into June and the varied celebrations for the month, one of the many things observed this month is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, plus (LGBTQIA+) Pride.

As we celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month this May, this year’s theme invites us to look around and look within.

We have spent much time in the past year looking at how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many areas of our lives, our work, our communities, and the children and families we serve.

In thinking about this month’s topic, I realized that last month I mentioned ACEs and assumed that you would know what ACEs are and the body of research that has sprouted after the initial ACE study. So, let me back up a little bit, and let’s talk about ACEs. ACEs are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), they are defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as “potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood.”

The importance of early childhood experiences to a person’s mental health cannot be overstated. As the study of early childhood continues to evolve, we learn more and more about the effects early experiences can have on a person’s physical and mental health.

As we settle into school routines and begin to see how our clients/students are faring three years into the COVID-19 pandemic I thought it wise to look at what some of the initial research on youth says about how they did during the pandemic and what this says about how we need to proceed with services.

As we head into the new school year with renewed enthusiasm and some trepidation, most of us recognize that we are doing a little bit better than we were at this time last year.

This June we celebrate Pride Month and on the heels of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, it is an opportune time to look at how LGBTQ+ youth and their families are faring in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the current socio-political climate, and how we can help improve mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth.

As we all begin to settle into the changes the COVID-19 pandemic has brought our world, we are starting to see variations on a theme. While the pandemic has certainly affected all of us, some communities were hit harder than others.

This May we celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month and this year’s theme allows us an opportunity to go “Back to Basics.”

The negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our clients/students have been discussed in depth over the past two years.

As we observe Women’s History Month DMCC started thinking about how girls and young women are faring in this time of instability and change.

The new year is upon us, and we continue to face a myriad of challenges as we do our best to meet the needs of the children and families we serve. The COVID-19 pandemic and all it has brought with it continues to challenge and stretch our community.

The month of November marks the beginning of the holiday season! While the holidays can be a time of hope, joy, and promise, for many, they are a time of sorrow, stress, and anxiety.

I hope that the transition back to school for you and your students has been a smooth one. While we have all spent the summer planning for the return to school, now that some of us have a few days, or weeks, under our belts, we may have a better idea of what the needs are for students and their families.

DMCC presented last month regarding the high likelihood that schools will have highly stressed families and kids returning in the Fall. Schools are encouraged to prepare for the onslaught of needs that is sure to come.