Mental health education for you and your family
A collection of resources to help our community with mental and behavioral health issues. If you are worried about your child’s health, we recommend you reach out to your child’s doctor directly. For a crisis, please call 988.
Behavior and Emotion Resources
Growing up in today's world can be hard. Many children and teens experience moments that cause them to feel anxious, depressed or even suicidal. It can be hard to know when to ask for help or where to find support. Below are resources that Cook Children's has identified to assist you and your family.
Beyond thanks: gratitude and mental health
Turn a day of "thanks" into a lifelong tradition of daily gratitude and give your family a boost of mental wellness.
Roadmap for children’s mental health: A guide for parents and caregivers
The Roadmap for Children’s Mental Health is a video series created by Cook Children's Center for Community Health to help inform and support caregivers.
Need help finding information?
Finding health information you can trust can be confusing and overwhelming. Let us help. A Cook Children's librarian can send you up to date information from reliable sources.
Additional resources for families
Raising Joy podcast
We encourage you to subscribe to our Raising Joy podcast, which aims to encourage hope and resilience among children and teens. Available on the following networks:
Behavioral health services
Our licensed experts provide psychology and psychiatry services for families whose children and adolescents, ages 2 to 18, are experiencing behavioral, neurodevelopmental and emotional challenges.
Training and events for health professionals
Suicidal Ideation: Cultivating supportive strategies for children and youth
3 hours (Virtual-Zoom)
Learning objectives: Describe the current research on suicidality, recognize the signs and symptoms of depression and risk factors for suicidality, define the steps to assess risk of harm and identify appropriate levels of treatment, describe at least 3 interventions for children/adolescents with suicidal ideation and summarize trauma informed strategies to build a culture of support.
Watch video Download PDF Continuing Education
Substance Use: Cultivating supportive strategies for children and youth
3.5 hours (Virtual-Zoom)
Learning objectives: Identify at least 3 reasons children and youth might use substances, describe at least 3 interventions for children / adolescents experiencing substance use and explore the various perspectives to build a supportive culture for students and families experiencing substance use.
Watch video Download PDF Continuing Education
Autism: A Spectrum of Support
4 hours
Learning objectives include: Gaining an understanding of what autism is and who the diagnosis impacts; identify and describe definitions and terminology associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder; gain understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnostic criteria; identify characteristics associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder; identify presentation of symptoms across settings and to define Neurodiversity and understand the Neuro-affirming lens.
Axles of Anxiety: Who, What, Why
5 hours
Learning objectives: identifying the different types of anxiety experienced and how it presents in children and teens; identify at least 3 ways media contributes to anxiety; and describe at least 3 coping strategies parents and professionals can use to help reduce anxiety in children and teens. The target audience for this presentation is mental health professionals.
Building Resiliency Against Adverse Childhood Experiences
3 hours
Learning objectives: gaining knowledge about ACES and how it affects people in diverse populations; identify two ways to practice resiliency in everyday life. The target audience for this presentation is mental health professionals.
Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth, Recognizing and Responding: Denton County Strategy
4 hours (Virtual - Zoom)
Learning objectives include: identify at least 3 stakeholders involved in the Denton County Protocol for Care Coordination of CSEY victims; gain understanding of the CSE-IT tool and training and how it is used to identify victims and refer for services; recognize signs of complex traumas and appropriate interventions; identify risk factors for male victims of sex trafficking; recognize the impact of victimization on CSEY victims. Target audience: professionals
Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth, Recognizing and Responding: Empowering Youth & Families
5 hours
Learning objectives: recognizing how developments in social media are affecting youth; identify ways to support and build resiliency in the LGBTQ+ population; identify the importance of how effective communication between adults and youth help prevent early childhood abuse; and describe ways to identify and respond to youth at risk of sexual exploitation. The target audience for this presentation is mental health professionals.
Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth, Recognizing and Responding: Texas’ Holistic Strategy
5 hours
Learning objectives: being able to identify specific risk behaviors of Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth (CSEY); learners will review the State’s comprehensive holistic public health approach to address CSEY; learners will identify specific stakeholders involved in a multi-disciplinary approach to coordinated care for victims of CSEY in Denton County; learners will describe the specialized role of CSEY Advocates; learners will be identify specific further opportunities for training and engagement as well as reporting mechanisms for suspected CSEY. The target audience for this presentation is mental health professionals.
Compassion and Empathy: A Response to Bullying
3.5 hours
Learning objectives: recognizing the different types of bullying experienced by children and teens; explore the perspectives of schools and community organizations as they work to address bullying; describe at least 3 strategies parents and professionals can use to promote empathy and compassion in youth; and improve services for children and families through collaboration and resource sharing amongst professionals, families, and the community. The target audience for this presentation is mental health professionals.
Encapsulated: The link between substance use disorders & mental health
3 hours( Virtual-Zoom)
Learning objectives include: recognize at least 3 ways a co-occurrence of mental health illness and a substance use disorder can impact the type of interventions provided to children and families; and describe at least 3 strategies parents & professionals can use to help children who have parents with a substance use disorder. Target audience: professionals
Flipping Our Lens on Youth Challenges: Real Problems, Real Solutions
3.5 hours
Learning objectives: exploring the intersectionality of technology and pop culture influences on depression, self-harm, and suicide in youth; describe the effects of technology and social media on children and teens' brain, social, and emotional development based on current research; discuss the stressors and challenges today's youth experience from the perspectives of local teens; and describe three strategies to develop positive coping skills to build social and emotional capacity in youth. The target audience for this presentation is mental health professionals.
Recovery after the Chaos: Empowering the Community to Take Back What COVID Stole
3 hours
Learning objectives: recognizing how the power of relationship building can help families with traumatic experiences; describe at least 3 strategies parents and professionals can use to improve self-regulation and promote resiliency; recognize the impact of COVID-19 within the family system. The target audience for this presentation is mental health professionals.
Responding to COVID-19 as a Community
3 hours
Learning objectives include: explain the benefits, pitfalls, and dangers of the increased utilization of the internet; describe at least three coping skills community members can use to respond to the stresses of COVID-19; and describe how mindfulness can be utilized practically to reduce stress. Target audience: professionals
Together for Youth Mental Health & Wellness in Denton County, Part I
4 hours
Learning objectives: summarizing the value of collaboration when addressing children’s mental health needs as a community; identify behavioral health needs at Juvenile Probation and programs available to Denton County youth; explain at least two wellness strategies mental health providers can employ to practice self-care. The target audience for this presentation is mental health professionals.
Together for Youth Mental Health & Wellness in Denton County, Part II
3 hours
Learning objectives: identifying what is meant when the term neurodivergence is used; describe how to use de-escalation tools with neurodivergent populations; recognize the connection between mental health and physical health. The target audience for this presentation is mental health professionals.