St. Louis County Children's Service Fund

Thank you to everyone who joined us last week for a panel discussion and screening of Silent War in celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Month and Mental Health Awareness Month! We're grateful to our wonderful panelists for their thoughtful discussion and reflections on the film and mental health in the Asian American community here in St. Louis.

If you missed this event, the panel discussion will be available to watch soon our website and YouTube channel! Learn more about the film and how to arrange a screening at https://silentwarmovie.com/.

As we close out Mental Health Awareness Month, we want to say thank you for following as we highlighted the needs of our St. Louis County community around youth mental health. More than 300 St. Louisans shared their perspectives with us. Their voices will guide our future strategic priorities here at CSF, and we hope you’ve found meaning in learning more about how your neighbors, friends, clients, students, and others feel about youth mental health in St. Louis County.

Let us know in the comments: Which theme resonated with you most?

1. Youth Are Exhausted, But Not Defeated
2. Social Media and Technology Are Central to the Lives of Youth
3. Parenting Shapes the Well-Being of Youth
4. The School-Parent Relationship Is Strained
5. Education Systems Must Evolve
6. Safe Places Enable Socialization and Community-Building
7. Long Delays and Discontinuity Are Harmful
8. Parents Want More Choice and Easier Access to Diagnostic and Treatment Services
9. Stigma Has Changed, but not for Everyone
10. Prevention Is the Best Care

We want to extend a big congratulations to our most recent practicum student, Barbra Aber, on being recognized as this year's Dr. Clara Louise Meyers Outstanding MSW Practicum Education Student by the WashU Brown School of Social Work!

Barbra's practicum with us recently came to end. In her time working with us, she brought fresh perspective, tough questions, and radiant positivity to our team. This recognition is so well deserved, and we feel immensely fortunate to have been a stepping stone on her path to what we know will be a very successful future. Congratulations, Barbra!

The 10th and final theme from our community health needs assessment is Prevention is the Best Care.

Participants believe early intervention and prevention-focused education work and can change the course of life for youth. They recommended early screening, more robust programming for children with lower-acuity mental health, and building coping skills for all youth.

Learn more about this theme at https://ow.ly/Tz9N50YWfpI

It's the last week of Mental Health Awareness Month, and we have two themes left to share from our recent community health needs assessment!

Theme 9 is Stigma Has Changed, but Not for Everyone. While young people are comfortable talking about mental health, that's not always true for older generations. Cultural norms based on race and ethnicity are also a factor in comfort levels around mental health.

Learn more about our community health needs assessment and what we heard at https://stlcsf.org/our-stories/chna/theme-9-stigma-has-changed/.

Our offices are closed today in observance of Memorial Day. Wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday. If you need mental health support or services, visit our Find A Service Tool at stlcsf.org/find-a-service to see local resources, or call 988 for immediate support.

CSF offices will be closed on Monday in observance of Memorial Day.

We're continuing to highlight themes from our recent community health needs assessment for Mental Health Awareness Month. These themes came directly from those who participated in the assessment, including parents, providers, educators and youth in St. Louis County.

Theme 8 is Parents Want More Choice and Easier Access. Parents shared that they're not aware of the mental health services available for their kids, or they feel that choices are only available to wealthier people. Parents want more behavioral healthcare options outside of the school setting.

Learn more about our community health needs assessment and what we heard at https://ow.ly/GcXx50YWeQB .

As we kick off the third week of Mental Health Awareness Month, we're continuing to highlight themes from our recent community health needs assessment, so we can all better understand what support our friends and neighbors need when it comes to youth mental health.

Theme 7 is Long Delays and Discontinuity are Harmful. Parents, providers and educators in St. Louis County all said that long waits to receive mental health care affect youth wellbeing. They named several factors in delayed care: IEP/504 process, workforce shortages; and workforce turnover.

Learn more about what participants shared with us at https://ow.ly/FTrY50YWeF9

We're continuing to highlight themes from our recent community health needs assessment for Mental Health Awareness Month.

Theme 6 is Safe Places Enable Socialization and Community-Building. Strong, stable communities foster belonging. Parents and teens told us that safe places are important to them. Youth want to spaces to hang out with friends beyond the classroom, and parents want more low-cost, convenient ways to spend time with other families.

Learn more about our community health needs assessment and what we heard at https://stlcsf.org/our-stories/chna/theme-6-community-needs-safe-places/, and tell us in the comments: What’s a safe space in your community that you love?