mental health

teenager standing in a dark hallway

Universal Depression Screenings in New Jersey

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Mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and emotional trauma are increasing in both the state of New Jersey and nationwide. Due to this mental health crisis, New Jersey will be introducing universal mental health screenings for all students grades seven through twelve. It is often hard to recognize when teenagers are having a hard time. These mental health screenings were introduced to public schools in New Jersey in the hopes that they will be able to identify students who need help with their mental health.

All You Need to Know About the Screenings

According to NJ.com, between 2007 and 2017, the number of suicides among 10 to 24-year-olds increased by 56 percent. As long as parents give consent, students will be able to complete a computerized screening survey and the parents would be notified if the student is flagged for showing symptoms of depression.

It is important for parents to understand that screening results are not a formal diagnosis. Once parents receive screening results, schools will advise parents to share the results with a doctor or psychologist. The bill is attempting to raise awareness about mental health diseases and give parents the ability to seek professional help and prevent further suicides. The annual screenings also attempt to educate students about mental health issues. The bill will allow people to start talking about these issues and make people more comfortable expressing their own experience with mental health illness. We are hopeful that this screening will bring us one step closer to breaking the mental health stigma and provide help to those who need it quickly and easily.

New Alliance Academy in Paramus, NJ provides educational and ancillary therapeutic services for high school teenagers experiencing acute psychological distress.

student walking through library at school

Why Home Instruction Negatively Affects Those with Mental Illness

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According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, at least one in five school-aged children has a mental health condition. Emotional, psychological, and behavioral issues can interfere with a child’s academic performance and can cause children to perform negatively in school. If your child suffers from a mental health condition, you may believe that the best choice to take for them would be to transition to homeschooling. Although this may seem like the right decision, there are situations where homeschooling can be more harmful and can create a more restrictive environment for children.

The Drawbacks of Homeschooling

Home instruction is not always the answer for children suffering with mental health issues. It is evident that homeschooling can eliminate the stress of public school for most children, however, that is only a temporary fix. In fact, avoiding the stress that comes with attending school and being surrounded by others can negatively impact your child because they will not be able to develop the coping skills they need to handle stress later in life. Also, home instruction can prevent much-needed social interaction children need to thrive. In order for home instruction to be effective, it has to meet the child’s educational needs while dealing with their mental health issues. In most cases, parents are not able to fulfill both educational requirements and help their children with their mental illness. Another important thing to mention is that children who are homeschooled lose access to the extracurricular activities and school facilities that help boost their learning experience

Seek Professional Help

If you are considering home instruction for your child, please note that there are other options that could be more beneficial for your child such as therapeutic education. Therapeutic schools integrate classroom instructions with therapeutic services to help your child succeed in school. Not only do therapeutic schools provide academic learning, they also provide life, social, and coping skills that students will need to be successful later in life.

New Alliance Academy provides educational and ancillary therapeutic services for high school teenagers experiencing acute psychological distress.

teacher's desk at new alliance academy

Three Benefits of Therapeutic Education

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Mental health conditions in children and adolescents, such as anxiety and depression, can reduce a child’s ability to learn and prevent them from benefiting from classroom experiences. If your child suffers from a mental health condition, therapeutic education can help your child succeed in school. Therapeutic education can help children who struggle in a regular academic setting due to emotional, psychological, or behavioral issues. If you are contemplating whether therapeutic education can help your child succeed in school, here are three benefits to keep in mind.

Attentive Staff

If your child is attending public school, educators are less likely to be trained with children that are experiencing mental health conditions. It might be difficult for general education teachers to pay proper attention to your child due to the large number of children in their classroom. At New Alliance Academy, the student is surrounded by psychiatrists, therapists, learning strategists and our certified educational staff, as well as the student’s school district and our community partnerships, to help them in an ongoing, student-centered process. At therapeutic schools, teachers combine therapeutic elements in the classroom to facilitate learning which helps students with mental health conditions thrive in the classroom.

Focus on Mental Health

A therapeutic school acknowledges that success is linked to a child’s mental and physical health. The primary emphasis of a therapeutic school is to help students overcome the issues that impact their academic performance. New Alliance Academy’s therapists aim to address the issues of each student individually and with family. Emotional support is essential to achieve academic success.

Team Approach

At New Alliance Academy, our integrative model allows all professionals, both educational and therapeutic, to work together as a team. Our teacher and therapists can tailor lessons and therapy sessions to the everchanging situations in an adolescent’s life due to the close working relationships among our students, staff, and professionals. The team approach that therapeutic education creates can improve the learning experience of both children and adolescents.

New Alliance Academy in Paramus, NJ provides educational and ancillary therapeutic services for high school teenagers experiencing acute psychological distress.