“It’s been difficult for us, my children, even my siblings and their children—we all struggled, and we see our children feeling stress and anxiety still today,” said Meggan Lawrence of Rancho Santa Margarita
Parents can act today to learn new ways to speak with their children about anxiety, depression, stress, and how to make sense of horrible tragedies. OC Health Care Agency leaders want to help families confront hard conversations. A free online program called Fear-Less gives parents new strategies for managing anxious behavior in their children, especially when news media is filled with images that cause fear and stress at home.
“We all want to give children the love and support they need, especially when they are scared and feeling depressed, or sad, but knowing what to say, when to say it, and how to say it can be difficult for parents – especially when tragic events undermine our sense of security,” said Dr. Randy Ahn, local OC Triple P Implementation Consultant who advocates for a free online program called Positive Parenting Program—Triple P.
“If parents can learn to recognize the destabilizing effects of tragedies and how they impact children’s mood and behavior, then they are ready to learn some straightforward and comforting ways to provide reassurance to their children should they need it. Ultimately, we hope to see parents try a variety of positive ways of decreasing fears in order to strengthen their family’s resilience. When parents/caregivers are experienced as a secure and stable base we know this keeps children emotionally grounded. And when that happens, it benefits in the entire family – it’s liberating for families who can devote their emotional energy into building a happy home, and one not controlled by anxiety and fear of the future,” Dr. Ahn said.
In Orange County with support from the Health Care Agency (HCA), the Fear-Less tools are giving parents strategies, ideas, and actionable insights to help make for healthier, more resilient children. The online training is the perfect summer 2022 activity for parents and has been clinically proven to help siblings and entire households.
Even before recent events, mental health professionals in 2019 were seeing increased levels of anxiety in US children. By December 2021, the US Surgeon General had declared “the urgent need to address the nation’s youth mental health crisis.”[1] Now, nearly half of children go without treatment or help, leaving parents to navigate alone a harsh post-pandemic emotional landscape.
“It would be a tragedy if we beat back one public health crisis only to allow another to grow in its place,” wrote Vivek H. Murthy, MD, Surgeon General of the US. “But most important, mental health challenges are treatable and often preventable. Ensuring healthy children and families will take an all-of-society effort to prioritize mental health.”
“It became clear during the pandemic that parents need support and additional tools to help their children cope with anxiety and feelings of fear,” said Dr. Veronica Kelley, Chief of HCA’s Mental Health and Recovery Services.
Plenty of theories have been advanced by professionals seeking to explain what’s happening with children and teens. Worrying symptoms of sleeplessness, headaches and stomach aches are starting to wear down families.
“We want to empower parents to feel better equipped to help their families cope. The Fear-Less Triple P online program provides the timely mental health support we need today, and we are thrilled to make it available for free to every OC parent and caregiver,” said Dr. Kelley of HCA.
“We know that children who learn the skills to manage anxiety are better students in the classroom; and better playmates and friends outside of the classroom; they are in a better emotional space to handle the challenge of focusing their attention – and they are in a better position to actually enjoy school and connect with their friends and teachers,” said Dr. Ahn. “We believe that OC parents who take advantage of this free program will feel and see their own skills improve at raising confident, capable children – children who are able to energetically explore their world without being held back by fear. I want to say to parents and caregivers: ‘Mom, Dad, take a look at the program and end the school year on a high note!”
The work of Fear-Less and Triple P—Positive Parenting Program shows decreases in anxiety among children. The most powerful indicator in the research shows that when parents speak of stress and anxiety, they can model a better way of facing fears and remaining flexible in life.
“We have seen our children struggle with stress and anxiety these past few years, especially because of the pandemic and the lockdown orders that made it harder for them to spend time with friends and family,” said Meggan Lawrence, a Rancho Santa Margarita mother with two teens at home who recently completed the online Fear-Less program. “What I’ve learned in particular from the Fear-Less program is how to better start conversations with my children about those stresses.”
OC parents can log-in and begin the free Fear-Less online program by visiting www.triplep.online/oc.
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