Newsmakers: PrairieCare Doctor Discusses Back-to-School Mental Health Challenges

Back-to-school can be stressful for school-aged kids and their families. Sometimes the transition and expectations can be tough to navigate.

“It’s a lot to think about and a lot to juggle,” aid Dr. Anastasia Ristau, executive clinical director at PrairieCare. “The biggest things that we hear about on our end professionally are things like anxiety, irritability, and worries.”

Ristau says parents should make sure they are in a good emotional place and giving ourselves the self-care we need.

“As parents, just to know that our emotional well-being and our emotional stability becomes a bit of a barometer for the entire family,” said Ristau. “Kids are sponges and no matter what their age, they’re absorbing and noticing what we are feeling, what we are thinking, and that can impact their own emotional well-being.” 

Ristau says it’s best set attainable goals that the family can work on all year. 

“Think of it as a family affair,” said Ristau. “We all sit down and we think about the top two or three things we want to work on throughout this school year. Those goals can become our guideposts throughout the year.”

Don’t know where to start with goals?  Ristau recommends families think about the time before and after school as “bookends” and try to develop good habits and positive experiences before and after school in a way to set your student up for success.    

You can find more information on Prairie-care.com

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