During May, Mental Health Awareness Month, APA will draw special attention to children’s mental health. As this month’s cover story makes clear, addressing children’s mental health involves psychological science and knowledge from across our field. This includes, but critically extends beyond, mental health treatment. As the world in which our children and grandchildren live becomes increasingly fast-paced and complicated, APA’s strategic plan—adopted last year by our Council of Representatives—provides opportunities to increase our collective impact on the lives of children.
- We are prioritizing partnerships that can have a meaningful impact on children’s well-being. APA and the National Parent Teacher Association have worked together for years, and we’re now exploring how we can share psychological science with even broader audiences of children, parents and teachers. From research on fostering a positive school climate to evidence-based tips for discussing tragedy with children, we are working together to find new ways to apply psychology to promote healthy development.
- We are being more thoughtful in how we apply psychological science to societal issues that affect children. Gun violence is a leading stressor among 15- to 21-year-olds, with nearly 75% of youth saying that school shootings cause them significant stress. Amid concerns that active shooter drills were traumatizing children, APA organized a task force of psychologists, school administrators, teachers and law enforcement to develop science-based recommendations that schools can implement to decrease youth exposure to traumatic events.
- We are speaking out faster and more loudly on important developmental issues for which psychology has unique expertise. In February, the Washington Postopens in new window revealed that unaccompanied migrant children in federal custody have been denied asylum and further detained as a result of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s use of confidential psychotherapy information. APA immediately decried this as harmful to children who need evidence-based trauma treatment and acted swiftly to ask the administration for policy change.
Through these efforts and more, we are elevating our alliances, applying our science and raising our voices—working together to improve the lives of all children and families during Mental Health Awareness Month and all year long.
