Behavioral, Developmental, & Physical Health

Planning Ahead for Your Mental Health Care as You Transition to College

This is a busy, sometimes exciting, sometimes nerve-wracking time in the life of a high school senior. There are social events and goodbyes, and then the unknowns and adventures of life after high school.

Parents and caregivers are also experiencing their own emotional responses to the knowledge that their household is about to change, and goodbyes are coming. But even within these changes, there are constants, like the relationship you have with your graduating teen. Now is a good time to reach out to them and offer your support as they enter this new chapter.

It’s not always easy to start these conversations, but they can be rewarding. Here are some resources that will help you stay connected to your teen and be a support for them on the road ahead.

A Step by Step Approach: Launching a Program for Food & Housing Insecure College Students

Written by John C.S. Kepner, advisor to the College Student Basic Needs Program and Trustee Board Member of Gwynedd Mercy University (GMercyU) in suburban Philadelphia. In this blog, John describes his journey of putting together a coalition of community-based organizations to address the problem of food and housing insecurity in GMercyU.

Eating Disorders Are on the Rise: Here’s How Educators Can Help Their Students

During the pandemic, eating disorder helpline calls increased by as much as 80% while the number of hospitalizations for adolescents with eating disorders more than doubled. Educators are often the first to identify signs of trouble in children and teenagers, and they can also be a powerful force in helping them get the support they need. That is why it’s important that they are able to recognize the signs of an eating disorder and know what to do next.

10 FAQs About Eating Disorders for Parents of Teens and Young Adults

What’s the difference between an eating disorder and disordered eating? When does dieting become dangerous? If you’re concerned about your child’s physical or mental health because of their relationship with food, how can you help?

This FAQ explores different types of eating disorders, what to look out for as a parent or guardian, and how to talk to your child.

Applying Trauma Informed Principles to food Security and Basic Needs

A webinar hosted by JBAY on “Applying Trauma Informed Principles to Food Security and Basic Needs held on February 3rd, 2022 featured Adrienne Markeworth from Leah’s Pantry and Basic Needs Center staff from Mt. San Antonio College and San Diego City college. The session centered the trauma informed framework applied by Leah’s Pantry, a national leader in nutritional health and wellbeing and discussed strategies to integrate a trauma informed approach to designing basic needs centers. Panelists also identified how their respective campuses have integrated basic needs data and trauma informed principles within larger campus conversations around equity and access including revisions to SAP policy to better reflect the needs of students struggling with basic needs, staff training and evaluation practices, and more inclusive food pantry policies.