Supporting Youth Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge
April 3, 2023
In this strident call to action, Cavanagh (The Spark of Learning), an associate psychology professor at Simmons University, urges parents and educators to combat the mental health “monsters“ plaguing young people. Noting that 13%–20% of those between ages three and 17 in the U.S. meet criteria for a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder—while others fall outside black-and-white diagnoses but exhibit some of the same symptoms—Cavanagh writes that students have been left “low on hope and high on burnout.” As a solution, she recommends parents and educators foster environments of “compassionate challenge” and give students the support and safety to build confidence and grow. Educators can use trigger warnings with sensitive material or adopt a “warm yet demanding” teaching approach, which combines high standards with strong learning support, while parents should maintain routines for their children’s sleep, eating, and schoolwork. Drawing on her personal experiences with anxiety, as well as interviews and research, Cavanagh sets out a practical approach to youth mental health and learning that neither coddles nor requires professional distance or coldness. Educators and caregivers alike will find plenty of ways to help young people thrive.