PHOENIX — The signs of anxiety, depression, and suicide risk in your children are not always obvious.
That is why The Rebound Arizona is giving families a chance to log-on and learn what they should be looking for with a live seminar Thursday afternoon.
"It's a shame that it took a pandemic to begin this conversation," said Shane Watson.
The rare silver-lining with the coronavirus to Watson is the fact that we have now been able to start an open dialogue about an issue anyone, anywhere could be dealing with.
"We are having a much needed, long over-do conversations about mental and behavioral health," Watson said. "And people are actually actively listening right now."
Watson works with notMYkid here in Arizona, which is a non-profit that focuses on preventing negative behavior and helping families through mental health struggles.
The organization had a Virtual Town Hall last week, which included conversations with doctors, law enforcement, and more to discuss what is being described as the 'second pandemic' when it comes to mental health.
You can watch a recording of that town hall here.
Watson said they reached capacity on that Zoom call and the response was that families were looking for more help during this crisis.
So on Thursday, they are offering an online seminar for parents, grandparents, caregivers, etc. through Zoom from 12 p.m. until 1 p.m.
"We're not just going to be outlining the problem. We're going to be heavily focused on the solution and what parents can do to support their kids to keep their families happy, safe, and thriving."
Five panelists from the notMYkid prevention team will be going over what you need to be watching for.
"Sometimes it's not a glowing neon sign above someone's head that makes it readily apparent that they're struggling with a mental health challenge," Watson explained.
Even if a parent thinks that their child is fine, Watson suggests tuning in to the free event.
"It can't hurt. Better to be prepared to not need to use the skills and the information than to be caught unprepared and say, 'What do I do in this situation?'"
To join the presentation, you just need to register with your name and email address. From there, you'll be sent a secure Zoom link to join the conversation.
To register, click here.