Mental health resources cannot meet the needs of children’s accelerating anxiety and depression. An online program featuring children combines live action with animation. The program teaches emotional literacy, mindfulness, emotional regulation, and stress reduction with evidence-based methods. Kids are taught how their brains function to exaggerate or lessen perceived threats. Because of the pandemic, we placed camera equipment in the hands of real kid-hosts and their families. Each of the 7 videos was produced by a different and diverse set of kid-hosts and families. We directed the videos remotely through Zoom.
The other way we are reaching kids is through an innovative hybrid live action and animation experience. Animation by a leading Disney, Warner Brothers animator keeps children’s attention while empowering them to deal with negative emotions and have more effective conversations with their parents. Preliminary data will be presented on the program’s impact on children’s stress, communication skills, and mental health.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will be able to list the three likely causes for children’s mental health crises increases.
- Participants will be able to describe four skills children learn in the online program.
- Participants will be able to describe the program impact on children in a law practice and from a formal evaluation.
- Participants will be able to describe common loyalty binds kids suffer from in divorces.