Online Resources to Help Parents Manage Stress and Anxiety During Coronavirus
By Dr. Mary Rooney, Ph.D.During the coronavirus crisis, parents everywhere are feeling stressed and anxious. When stress and anxiety spike, it becomes hard to stay physically and emotionally healthy while also being emotionally present and grounded for your kids. Reaching out to your network of family and friends for support can help, but sometimes it’s not enough.
Fortunately, there are outstanding online resources available. Some of these resources offer practical tools and strategies for coping during the crisis. Others allow you to connect directly with other parents who are also doing their best to manage during this difficult time. For parents of kids with ADHD, the resources below are a great starting point when searching for strategies and support online during the coronavirus crisis.
Child Mind Institute COVID-19 Resource Center
The Child Mind Institute is a fantastic organization dedicated to providing gold standard child mental health treatment and resources for families. Their team of providers are some of the best in the nation (many were my colleagues when I was a clinician in the Child Mind Institute’s ADHD and Behavior Disorders Center), and the online resources this team is providing during the coronavirus crisis are top notch.
Facebook Live chats are scheduled twice a day with their clinical team, and Facebook Live follow-up consultations are available (costs are associated with consultations). Daily email tips for parenting during the crisis are also available, and their website is full of resources on topics related to coping with the coronavirus crisis, autism and the coronavirus, how mindfulness can help during the crisis, and more.
PRACTICE San Francisco
PRACTICE San Francisco offers a variety of high-quality sessions and classes designed to help parents and kids practice mindfulness, develop resilience, and effectively cope with emotion. Programs are led by Dr. Nina Kaiser and an outstanding team of clinicians. Currently, many of the studio’s programs are available online where they can be accessed by families across the country.
The webinar series Parenting in Stressful Times provides practical strategies for talking to your kids about coronavirus, managing your own stress, anxiety, and frustration as parents, and surviving school closures. During the coronavirus crisis, online support groups are being offered for moms of preschool and school-age children (at 8:00 Pacific time on Mondays and Wednesdays).
ADHD Parent Support Facebook Group
While this resource isn’t specific to coping with the coronavirus crisis, the ADHD Parent Support Facebook group is a fantastic resource for parents of ADHD children who are looking to share support and ideas with other families who understand what you are going through. The support group is well moderated, and overall, members are very respectful of each other’s unique experiences. To join the group, search “ADHD Parent Support” in Facebook and submit a request to the group administrator.
CHADD: Guidance for Uncertain Times
CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD) is the preeminent ADHD non-profit organization. The organization’s mission is to serve as a clearing house for evidence-based information on ADHD, provide support to families affected by ADHD, and serve as an advocate for appropriate public policies and public recognition in response to needs faced by families and individuals with ADHD. During the coronavirus crisis, they have compiled a set of resources for families that include many webinars and tip sheets on coronavirus-specific topics (like talking to your child about coronavirus) as well as webinars on topics related to managing behavior and ADHD symptoms, coping with emotions, staying healthy and active, and more.
As a country, we may all be practicing social distancing, but that does not mean that you go through this alone. These online resources can help you connect with others and provide practice strategies that can help you cope better during this difficult time. If you feel like you are struggling to cope and need support urgently, contact the National Disaster Distress Helpline at 800-985-5990 or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor at Crisis Text Line (a non-profit organization).
ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY
Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers.
ABOUT HUNTINGTON
Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com.
This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.