Participants heard about current mental health trends at the Camden County Youth Mental Health Summit in May.
In honor of May Mental Health Awareness Month, the Community Planning and Advocacy Council (CPAC) hosted its first-ever summit on the state of children’s mental health on May 30th at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cherry Hill.
The idea was hatched at a meeting of the Child-Agency Coordinating Council (CIACC) in January.
“That was one of our goals,” said Andrew Selby, senior project specialist at CIACC. “One of our primary areas of work is mental health, so we wanted to do something for Mental Health Awareness Month. So we said, ‘Let’s do a summit,’ maybe we could make it an annual thing.”
The event’s panel included Michelle Codington, co-founder and executive director of The Thrive Network, a group of organizations focused on the well-being of children, adults and adolescents; Andres Hernandez, youth volunteer with Camden County Family Support Organization; Tyler Hines, founder of Just a Kid from Sicklerville, a mentoring and youth program; and Kirk Brockenbrough, supervisor of the Family Services Center and New Jersey Student Support Services (NJS4).
Selby led a panel that discussed the negative impact of social media on mental health, the importance of mentorship, and social support outside of family.
“Right now, one in five students in Camden County has been diagnosed with or is suffering from some form of mental illness,” Brockenbrough said. “And what’s crazy is that over 50 percent of those diagnosed with this condition are not currently receiving active treatment. That’s alarming to us in every sense of the word.”
“I think one of the tools we should be using more is prevention.”
For Hines, what helped him in his younger years were the teachers who chose to mentor him, though Hines didn’t know it at the time.
“He wasn’t my teacher,” Hines recalled. “He didn’t look like me. He was a different race. He changed my life. When you see that support from someone outside of your family, you know someone is taking the time and making an effort for you, and that’s life-changing.”
After that experience, Hines started a mentoring program out of Shiklerville called “Just a Kid” as a way to give back to the community.
At the summit, Cordington stressed the need for qualified clinicians from diverse backgrounds.
“Children and teens don’t necessarily process their experiences in words, so they need trained, qualified clinicians who are trained in play, drama, music and art,” she explained. “The parts of their brains that control vocabulary and rational thinking are still being built.”
When asked about effective strategies to support children in difficulty, Cordington noted the importance of creating safe spaces where children feel safe.
“When we’re anxious, thinking something bad is going to happen, we’re not relaxed,” she emphasized. “We’re in fight, flight, or freeze mode, and when our nervous system is in fight, flight, or freeze mode, we can’t learn anything new. So the way we create safety is through laughter, play, and connection.”
“Safe adults can show what calm control looks like,” Cordington added, “so young people can learn for themselves and develop their own ability to remain calm and in control when faced with really big challenges and big emotions.”
Participants were heard taking part in a community circle on mental health during last month’s summit.
Brockenbrough noted that there are many different types of support out there, and what’s right for each individual may vary — some kids may do better with group therapy or play therapy than with individual therapy, for example, he said. A person’s history and background are also taken into account when seeking help.
Following the panel discussion, participants participated in a variety of workshops, including experiencing a Community Peace Circle with the Restorative Justice Hub, discussing practices that promote health, wellness and accountability, and how mental health is addressed in the justice system.
