BrainFrame Psychology for Kids: Mindful Kids
YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES WORKSHEETS

Caring for mental health is important for everyone, including kids! Sometimes we need a bit of extra help from others so that we can have a healthy mind and spirit, and that is totally okay. It takes a lot of courage and strength to reach out for help! One way that we can support children in caring for their mental health is to show them that reaching out to mental health resources is brave and mature.

I think this is one of the most important activities on BrainFrame because it can help eliminate the stigma of mental health at a young age and teach children about the mental health resources that are available to them.

This worksheet is intended to be a parent-child activity, where you can help you kids explore the different youth mental health resources and find the ones that they think will work the best for them. Visit the mental health resources page for a list of mental health websites in Canada, the USA, and other countries. This isn't a complete list but is a great starting point.

The Worksheets

There are two worksheet options:

• One worksheet includes spaces for three mental health resources. Kids should write down the name of the resources, the website address, and the phone number.
• The other worksheet only has space for one mental health resource but includes an area for writing extra notes about the resource. Kids should fill in the same information and write out any notes that will help them feel more confident if they ever need to reach out to the service for support.

Tips for Filling out the Worksheets

• Use the mental health resources page as a starting point for finding youth mental health resources in your area.
• When you are writing down the contact number(s), also create a contact for the mental health resource on your child's phone (if they have one) and/or your home phone.
• Find a special place to display the worksheet (fridge, bulletin board, etc.) so that your child can easily find the information if they need to contact one of the resources. It also serves as a great daily reminder that reaching out for help is okay
  • These clothespin and magnet crafts could be fun activities to help display your child's mental health resources worksheet.
• Also take a photo of the completed worksheet and keep it in your phone and your child's phone (if they have one). That way they will have access to the information even if they are not at home.
• These worksheets are also a starting point. If your child wants to create their own page in a journal, scrapbook, or any other creative ways, that is totally awesome! It is really exciting to see kids using their creativity and getting excited about caring for their mental health.
• Try to make this a fun activity too by having a fun snack, doing a cool craft, or having a fun pajama day while you complete the worksheets! (Those are just a couple of ideas I can think of based on what I love to do, so think about what your child enjoys the most and try to incorporate it into the experience.) We don't want this to be a chore because we want kids to understand that taking care of their mental health is important and also awesome!