Category: ACEs and Resilience

Empowering Youth: Bullying Prevention Month and Mental Health

October is not just about pumpkins and Halloween; it’s also a month dedicated to an equally important cause—Bullying Prevention Month. At Western Youth Services, we are committed to raising awareness about bullying prevention and its profound impact on mental health. In this blog post, we will explore the significance of bullying prevention, its connection to […]

Breaking Down Stigmas: Raising Mental Health Awareness for Suicide Prevention Month

September is not just another month; it’s a time of unity, compassion, and hope. At Western Youth Services, we’re gearing up for an important campaign – Suicide Prevention Month. Our mission is to bring awareness, break stigmas, and ignite a sense of hope within our communities. Let’s explore the significance of this campaign and why […]

Empowering Change: Your Guide to Supporting Youth Mental Health During Suicide Prevention Month

September marks a significant month of unity, compassion, and transformation – Suicide Prevention Month. At Western Youth Services, our mission goes beyond raising awareness; we aim to empower our communities with the knowledge and tools needed to support youth in need. Join us as we shed light on the essential steps we can take together […]

Friendship Month: A Time to Celebrate Connections

At Western Youth Services (WYS), we believe that the bonds of friendship are essential for nurturing positive mental health among youth. Join us as we discuss the importance of building healthy communities and support systems that foster youth mental wellness, not just during Friendship Month, but all year round. The Power of Friendship in Youth […]

Resilience: an Antidote to Embarrassment and Shame

Resilience: an Antidote to Embarrassment and Shame Many emotions occur as teens are developing their sense of self and finding their confidence; some struggle with embarrassment and shame. Research notes that it is during this time of life that our propensity to compare ourselves to others, self-reflect and feel sensitivity toward other people’s opinions is […]

9 Ways to Strengthen Resiliency and Prevent Instances of Mental Illness in Youth

9 Ways to Strengthen Resiliency and Prevent Instances of Mental Illness There are certain factors, including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) like abuse, neglect and family dysfunction that increase the likelihood of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As we have witnessed and experienced, these childhood adversities can have a […]

How to Overcome Emotional Neglect in Childhood

How to Overcome Emotional Neglect in Childhood Family relationships are complex and there are a wide range of issues that fall under the label of family dysfunction. Most people associate it with big events, such as witnessing domestic violence, living through divorce or separation of a parent/caregiver, addictive behaviors, domestic abuse, and/or mental health concerns […]

How to Help Children Coping with Death, Loss, and Grief

How to Help Children Coping with Death, Loss, and Grief Though the death of a loved one is not one of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in the original ACEs study, the death of a loved one is traumatic. Coping with death, loss, and grief is challenging at any stage of life. For children and […]

How Resiliency Transforms the Impact of Peer Pressure

How Resiliency Transforms the Impact of Peer Pressure Friends and peers are an important part of growing up and can bring positive influence and important and supportive relationships into a child’s life. On the flip-side there is peer pressure which can open the door to bullying, cyber-bullying, shame, self-doubt, negative body image, self-harm and even […]

How to Empower Children by Building Their Resiliency Muscle

How to Empower Children by Building Their Resiliency Muscle January is National Mentoring month and this month’s article makes the connection between Mentoring and Resiliency. Did you know that childhood trauma is an epidemic? That one in five children has a diagnosable mental health condition? That childhood trauma is associated, in many cases, with lifelong health and mental health outcomes? […]