Do you have children or teens whose mental health has been impacted by COVID-19? Not sure where to turn to get answers or help?
Meet Naim Korca, Chief Program Officer at Access. A proud father of two who has over 25 years of experience providing healthcare services to the most vulnerable people, Naim understands the concerns about how COVID-19 is affecting children’s mental wellness. While acknowledging that it’s difficult to give parents and caretakers advice with the constant changes posed by the pandemic, Naim provides two tips for families:
- Involve kids and teens in activities outside of school. Since communities are reopening, opportunities for in-person socialization are returning. While program closures in schools may still continue to happen, sports, music, arts, and social groups are so instrumental in providing supplemental opportunities for children to socialize.
- Be emotionally available for your kids/teens. Our children need parents and caretakers now more than ever. Exercising patience and compassion is critical, as well as fostering open conversations about the unique struggles caused by uncertainty, fear, and isolation.
As a reminder, there are resources available at Access for kids and teens who are struggling. We offer three walk-in mental health and substance use urgent care centers, 24/7 access to trained clinicians, along with mobile mental health teams who can come to your house during a crisis.
To find out more about how Access can help your child/teen, visit: Behavioral Health
