Lost River Elementary hosts first Family Mental Health and Wellness Night

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - As children’s mental health becomes a more pressing issue, Lost River Elementary is hoping to help by hosting their first Family Mental Health & Wellness Night.

Lost River Elementary’s District Mental Health Counselor, Erika McComas-Church, says the night is just a stepping stone in the district’s overall goal of addressing mental wellness in children.

“The goal for tonight is to partner with community partners to increase awareness about mental health to our families and our children, but mostly to just normalize self-care and being proactive about our mental health,” McComas-Church said.

McComas-Church added that it’s important to address mental health issues with children early to avoid more serious problems down the line.

“One in six children have a mental health condition, and nearly 50% of those are not getting treatment,” McComas-Church said. “We know that untreated mental health leads to a lack of academic success, to dropping out, early ending of life.”

Among the inflatables and affirmation mirrors were booths with resources children and parents alike could use to better navigate the challenges of mental health issues.

“It’s okay to ask for help and to have those feelings. Hopefully by doing things like this, they don’t have that stigma, they don’t see that or sense that,” said Lacey Stovall, a Transition Age Youth Coordinator with LifeSkills.

Stovall says she thinks the best tool a parent can have for helping their child navigate a mental health crisis is good communication.

“It’s just important for the parents to have that good relationship with their child and make sure that there’s open communication within the home so that the child, even if they’re not feeling quite right, can verbalize that to their parents,” Stovall said.

Lost River Elementary also provides an online counselor support referral form for parents to fill out if they believe their child needs counseling.

Those looking for more resources on mental wellness can visit McComas-Church’s website.

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