A new series of five guides about youth mental health were introduced today by Blue Shield of California’s BlueSky program through a collaboration with the Child Mind Institute (CMI). Published on the BlueSky website, the collection covers a wide range of youth mental health issues, including trauma, racism, depression, LGBTQ+ issues, and anxiety. The guides provide tips on how to identify mental health challenges, as well as resources for taking action to address concerns and access professional help.
“With the pandemic continuing to disrupt the lives and educations of young people everywhere, we hope these mental health guides will become a vital source of information for youth, families, and educators,” said Antoinette Mayer, senior director of corporate citizenship for Blue Shield of California. “These guides are one more way that Blue Shield is making mental health resources more accessible.”
“We applaud Blue Shield of California for the work they are doing through their BlueSky program to raise awareness and reduce stigma about youth mental health,” said Dr. Paul Mitrani, senior director of national programs and outreach for Child Mind Institute. “We see these guides as great way to reach many people and deliver tips that are clinically designed to address mental health challenges.”
In addition to its work with the Child Mind Institute, the BlueSky Initiative also collaborated with DoSomething.org in 2020 to create the first-of-its-kind digital mental health guide for youth, created for youth by youth. This tool provides young people with peer-to-peer tips on self-care, managing stress from digital learning, and supporting the mental health of peers.
Launched in the fall of 2019, BlueSky is a multi-year commitment by Blue Shield to support mental health for middle- and high-school students in California. The work includes funding to provide additional clinicians in schools, training educators on the signs of mental health concerns, and empowering students with in-person and online mental health resources. Since its inception, the BlueSky initiative has provided thousands of counseling sessions to hundreds of students in 20 schools in Alameda and San Diego Counties.
Child Mind Institute is an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders.
You can find all the guides here.