SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – How does your family spend time together?

Quality time with children impacts their mental health along with the parents.

“How is somebody doing in their relationships? How are they feeling about themselves? And putting all of those things together really creates what a person’s mental health is for them,” said Christina Spicer a is a Clinical Therapist with Boys and Girls Home Family Services which provides mental health services to children and families in the setting of group and family counseling.

“I think what we do see is the intensity for sure. I think that is something that has increased I think there was a period when what people were coming in for wasn’t as intense as it is now. Where we’re seeing more suicidal ideation, we’re seeing more self-harming, we’re seeing more complicated family situation,” said Spicer.

A popular therapy for kids at family services is Registered Play Therapy for Children, to help get through to kids to express emotion.

Spicer said that group therapy could be an option, but is utilized less due to financial restrictions.

“I really wonder about adding more groups and making groups more accessible to individuals, Sometimes insurance companies don’t want to pay for a group therapy appointment. But I think a lot of good comes from not feeling alone,” said Spicer.

Family units have many pressures like schedules, unrealistic expectations, meal time, and your environment like the dinner table.

“Check, check, check, it’s it’s kind of all the above. And I think that’s really at the heart of the issue. There are so many forces coming in our young people. Now, that’s always been the case for every generation. But it’s, it’s more, it’s more now than it ever was when I was young, or when you know, my parents were young, or their parents,” said Ryan Allen of Lumin Therapy, who has also been at the table during roundtable mental health discussions.

Allen said, “folks that are stressed out themselves, who experienced trauma, you know, like, you can’t hide what’s inside, we can put on as adults, the, you know, the happy face and take our deep breath and try to act like everything’s good when we’re going about our lives.”

Read More: Mental Health Crisis impacting Siouxland emergency rooms, laws in Iowa working to address area psychiatric medical institutions

Having a personal wellness check came to light during the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting families negatively.

“We’re trying to build back to something that maybe needed to be rebuilt anyway,” added Allen.

A CDC study found that 1 in 14 children has a caregiver with poor mental health.

Caregivers who have the role of a parent need support, which, in turn, can help them support their children’s mental health.

“Whether it’s parents or caregivers, because especially when we talk about children, the impact of that primary caregiver on that child’s life is immense,” said Spicer.

A disruption in family structure can lead to several unfavorable events impacting both the mental health of children and their parents.

Additional solutions to assist more families, continue to be on the horizon.

Allen said, “It’s also a real wake-up call for what we still have to accomplish here in Sioux City.”

RELATED: Mental Health Matters: Working to address the Youth Crisis in Siouxland

Follow this link to learn more about Family Services.

Follow this link to learn more about Lumin Therapy.

Copyright 2024 KTIV. All rights reserved.