Nurturing Wellness and Resilience from the First Day of School
Five Actions to Add to Your Back-to-School List for a Safe, Supportive, and Healthy Year
As families prepare for a new school year, it's important to think beyond school supplies and schedules. This is the perfect time to set the tone to support students’ emotional, mental, and social well-being too. Open conversations, backed by the right information, can build lasting practices for success and wellness.
Safe Schools Healthy Kids, an online learning campus created by Trillium Health Resources, has free trainings to help students thrive, both inside and outside the classroom. As we settle back into the routine of the school year, add these five actions to the to-do list to promote resilience, safety, and wellness this year. Don’t miss the Safe Schools Healthy Kids courses in each tip!
1. Talk Openly About Mental Health
Start the year with an open conversation about mental health. Kids of any age can experience feelings of stress, anxiety, or sadness. These are normal feelings. Encouraging kids to talk about their emotions can help them process those feelings and build healthy wellness strategies.
- Use trusted resources. NAMI’s How to Talk to Your Child About Mental Health is a great place to start. It offers guides tailored for young children, teens, and young adults. Check out free courses from Safe Schools Healthy Kids.
- Make check-ins part of your routine. A simple weekly emotional check-in can give kids a chance to express how they’re feeling. Get creative! Take a walk, draw together, or listen to music. Instead of asking “How was your day?” try asking: “If your mood today were a song or movie, what would it be?” or “What was the high point and low point of your day?”
- Promote safe coping strategies for stress. Help kids build techniques they can use when they feel overwhelmed or anxious. Strategies like deep breathing, journaling, mindfulness apps (Smiling Mind, Headspace for Kids), or a personalized “Coping Skills Menu” with easy choices for self-soothing.
5 Mental Health Coping Skills
From the Safe Schools Healthy Kids toolkit:
- Effective Communication: Strategies for interacting with someone to create effective, positive communications.
- Signs of Stress: Know the signs to look for that may indicate that someone is struggling with stress.
- Additional courses are available to understand the signs of Depression, Anxiety, and Emotional Distress.
If your child is struggling, you don’t have to navigate it alone. Professional support is available, and it can make a difference. Connect with Trillium Health Resources’ local behavioral health providers for help. Members and their families can call Member and Recipient Services at 1-877-685-2415 for assistance.
2. Boost Self-Esteem & Encourage Healthy Friendships
Strong self-esteem and positive peer connections are key ingredients in children’s healthy development. Feeling confident in their abilities helps kids navigate challenges, while supportive friendships provide emotional backing, teach social skills, and reinforce a sense of belonging. Together, self-esteem and meaningful connections protect against bullying, peer pressure, and emotional distress, and promote overall well-being.
- Encourage a growth mindset. This mindset teaches us that abilities, intelligence, and talents can be developed over time through effort, learning, and perseverance. Mistakes and setbacks are part of the journey! Affirmations like “I can learn from my mistakes” and “It’s okay if I don’t get it yet—yet means I’m still learning” can help encourage kids when challenges come up. Don’t forget to celebrate persistence, creativity, and problem-solving!
- Model confidence and resilience. Children learn by observing the adults around them. When parents and caregivers handle setbacks gracefully, embrace challenges openly, and maintain a positive outlook, kids notice. It doesn’t hurt to practice resilience and growth, too!
- Foster healthy friendships. Friendships are vital to children's emotional and mental well-being. They provide emotional support, teach empathy and compassion, and help children develop social skills. Positive friendships can also enhance self-esteem and provide a sense of belonging. Practicing empathy, discovering common interests, and valuing yourself can be powerful tools for creating connections at every stage of life.
From the Safe Schools Healthy Kids toolkit:
- Self-Care: Know the signs of stress for yourself and others and how to take steps for self-care.
- Advocacy: Learn the definition self-advocacy. Identify the difference between passive, assertive, and aggressive communication when used in self-advocacy situations. Express why it is important to be assertive when advocating for yourself.
3. Identify Safe Adults in and Outside of School
Supportive adult relationships are one of the strongest protective factors in a child’s life. Just as self-esteem and friendships help children navigate challenges, trusted adults provide guidance, emotional support, and a sense of security at home and in school. These adults can model healthy coping, reinforce positive behaviors, and intervene if a child faces stress, bullying, or emotional distress.
- Create a “circle of trust.” Work with your child to make a chart listing safe adults at home, school, and in the community. Consider parents, relatives, teachers, counselors, coaches, or other mentors they feel comfortable approaching.
- Encourage school connections. Help children identify at least one trusted adult at school, like a teacher, counselor, or staff member, they can go to if they need help or just someone to talk to. Social programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters of America can also be a great outlet for kids finding mentorship connections.
- Become trauma-informed. Trillium partners with schools and community programs to train adults in trauma-informed care and Youth Mental Health First Aid. Knowing that adults are prepared to listen and respond creates a safer, more supportive environment for children.
From the Safe Schools Healthy Kids toolkit:
- Parent-Teacher Conferences: Know the questions to ask at a Parent-Teacher Conference to get a clear understanding of your child's school performance and how to support them.
4. Learn the Signs of Bullying and How to Respond
Back to school can bring new social dynamics, and sometimes, bullying. Empower your child to speak up. Kids, schools, and adults can come together to prevent bullying behaviors, both in-person and online.
- Teach the difference between conflict and bullying. Conflict can be a normal part of growing up, but bullying is repeated, unwanted aggressive behavior that involves a power imbalance.
- Use StopBullying.gov for guidance. The Stop Bullying campaign is a program through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It provides a wealth of resources, including role-play scenarios and response strategies. It also breaks down prevention strategies for kids of all ages, parents and caregivers, and school community personnel.
What to do if you’ve been bullied?
From the Safe Schools Healthy Kids toolkit:
- Bullying: Know what to look for and what to do if you see the signs of bullying and cyberbullying.
- Gang Involvement: Know the signs to look for that may indicate someone is involved with a gang.
- School Violence: Know the signs to look for that may indicate someone may be at risk for committing school violence.
- Abuse & Neglect: Know the signs to look for that may indicate someone is struggling with abuse or neglect.
5. Learn About Suicide Prevention and What to Watch For
Suicide is a difficult topic, but early awareness can be lifesaving. Equip yourself and your child with tools and understanding. Talking openly about mental health reduces stigma and can encourage kids to reach out for help when they need it.
- Know the warning signs. Withdrawal from friends and activities, drastic mood changes, giving away possessions, expressing hopelessness, or increased risk-taking behavior can be signs to be aware of and act upon.
- Spread awareness of mobile support services. If you or someone you know is in crisis or just needs to talk to someone, help is here. Call 988 or the NC Peer Warmline for free, confidential help. If it is a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988): Call, text, or chat if you or someone you know is facing mental health struggles, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to. Caring counselors are here to chat confidentially for free, 24/7.
- NC Peer Warmline (1-855-PEERS-NC): A free, private number you can call any time you're feeling sad, stressed, lonely, or just need to talk. You don't need to be in crisis to call. Callers are connected to someone who has personal experiences with mental health or substance use disorders.
- Be a champion for prevention programs. Training programs like Trillium’s Mental Health First Aid or Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) training can help community members have the tools to confidently support others. Many of these trainings can even be requested by organizations, like your school or church!
From the Safe Schools Healthy Kids toolkit:
- Suicide Prevention: Know what to look for and what to do if you see signs of suicide.
- Dealing with a Crisis: Define crisis, identify immediate responses to a crisis that are helpful and reflect on what they learned and how they can apply it to their own life.
- Grief: Know the signs to look for that may indicate someone is struggling with grief.
Together for a Healthy School Year
A new school year brings excitement, but it can also bring challenges. Families and schools can make a big difference by talking openly, encouraging self-esteem, and building strong connections. It’s also important to know the signs when extra help may be needed.
You don’t have to do it all on your own. Safe Schools Healthy Kids and Trillium Health Resources are here to support you. Together, we can create safe and caring spaces where every child has the tools, care, and encouragement they need for a healthy year ahead.