May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and local counselors want you to talk more about self-care and well-being with your kids.According to Dr. Yusen Zhai, professor and Director of UAB’s Community Counseling Clinic, older adults and kids are among the groups seeing an increase in mental health problems.”Historically, young adults aged 18 to 25 years old are impacted the most by the mental health issues,” Zhai said. “There’s a couple stressors, for example, academic issues, transition to adulthood and social media influence.”Now, though, Zhai said adolescents are seeing more mental health issues, caused in part by the COVID-19 Pandemic’s disruptions to their social and academic environment.According to 2023 findings from Mental Health America, 16% of young people said they’d experienced at least one mental health episode in the last year.For parents, Zhai encourages you to frequently check in on your child’s mental well-being.Here are the signs you should look out for, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:Changes in your child’s behavior, maybe they’re sad or irritableIf your child no longer wants to participate in fun activities Changes in your child’s eating or sleeping patternsIf you notice these changes, Zhai said you should get help for your kid immediately.”Early intervention and prevention is the important step to ensure the children receive the mental health treatment or services that they need,” Zhai said.Mental health should be a priority for everyone, not just your children, according to Zhai.He recommends practicing self-care and developing coping strategies to work through stress. He said grounding techniques, practicing mindfulness and having social interaction can be helpful.If you’re in need of counseling services, UAB’s Community Counseling Clinic is accepting clients. You can find more information here.