Mental Health

Children (6-12 years),  First Five Years (0-5 years),  Teenagers (13-16 years)

Mental Health

Laying the foundations for a happy and healthy life…..

From the first smile and first step to experiencing a whole range of emotions, your child is passing many important childhood milestones.

This is a time of growth and learning and an ideal time to start supporting your child’s mental well-being.

Your child looks to you for love, learning and safety. Try to spend as much quality time together as possible. Fostering a warm and tender relationship, and helping your child feel safe and cared for, go a long way to laying the groundwork for a lifetime of good mental health.

Young children are learning how to express themselves and manage big emotions. This can sometimes cause anger or stress when they cannot communicate their needs. When children feel stressed or overwhelmed, they need a loving adult to help reassure them and help them to navigate their feelings.

Avoid…

  • Any form of violence, including shouting and hitting. When a child lives in a negative environment it can cause “toxic stress” – harming the child’s growth and development – as well as long term problems in later life.
  • Frequent arguments between parents and people around the child. Tension in the environment can be stressful for children – they may feel neglected, powerless and vulnerable.
  • Any form of neglect. Children need consistent attention, love and care for their healthy growth and development
  • Remember: Take care of yourself as well

Whether you are a parent of a baby or toddler, you will experience a wide range of emotions at different times – this is normal. Emotions include joy, frustration, fatigue and nervousness. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, take time to manage your own stress.

  • Make sure you’ve got good social support around you. Try to have some alone time, so you can have some space for yourself.
  • Remember to invest in enough sleep, healthy food and physical activity.

Some form of stress is something every new parent experiences, but don’t be afraid to ask for support, and take time to look after your own needs.

Mental health – build their foundation 0-5 years

ABC_Infant_Mental_Health_Framework_2022

HSE My Child 2 to 5 book

Your Good Self – List of Resources for Parent

Mental health supports and services

This poster has been developed to give clear information on the mental health and wellbeing services and referral pathways available to children and young people in County Carlow – Carlow MH Referral Pathways (cypsc.ie)

You can access most of the services listed here Mental health supports and services – HSE.ie without a referral. Many of the supports are provided by agencies with the support of the HSE.

For more information, you can:

They can help you find supports and services for your needs.

Youth Mental Health

‘That Feeling When …’  is a youth mental health project which has been developed based on these findings. The concept behind this project is to raise awareness of and reduce stigma around a number of common mental health difficulties experienced by adolescents, and to provide tips and strategies on how to improve general health and wellbeing. We have developed a series of short, animated videos, each of which focuses on a different topic related to mental health such as anxiety, stress and low mood. These videos also include tips about using positive coping strategies such as regulation and relaxation exercises.