Youth Behavioral Health

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What’s on their minds?

Behavioral health includes how people think, feel, and act. People with good behavioral health can navigate life, have positive relationships, and adapt to change. Most behavioral health challenges begin during the teen years. While some mental and physical changes are normal for youth, some aren’t.

Signs of mental health challenges for youth

Frequent head or stomach aches with no medical reason.
Changes in attitude about schoolwork.
Less interest in family, friends, or pets.
Changes in sleep patterns (too much or too little).

Kids in crisis

In the 2023 Healthy Youth Survey, 17.3% of Pierce County 10^th graders said they seriously considered suicide and 9.0% said they attempted it. Nearly 63% said they felt anxious, nervous, or on edge, and 31.8% reported feeling sad or hopeless for more than 2 weeks.

Keep talking to your kids.

Talking to your kids about mental health can be scary, but you’re not alone. Here are some helpful tips to start the conversation:

Be honest with your child.
Listen without responding right away.
Give them a few minutes to think about your words.
Kids know when you’re being real with them—and when you’re not.
Get professional help when you don’t know what to do.

Learn more ways to have courageous conversations about mental health:

Check out our Hope on the Horizon youth mental health resources guide. Also available in:

Get help early. Get help often.

We all want what is best for children. It’s okay to ask for help. Start here with these great resources:

Crisis text line—741741.
Suicide Prevention Lifeline—(800) 273-8255.
Kids Mental Health Pierce County.
Children’s Mental Health—CDC.
Children & Mental Health: Is this just a stage?—National Institute of Mental Health.
Pierce County Developmental Disabilities Coalition—Help for people with developmental disabilities.
Triple P (Positive Parenting Program)—Tips and ideas to bring out the best in your child.

If you believe someone is having a life-threatening crisis, call 911.

teen Mental Health First Aid

The teen Mental Health First Aid program teaches teens how to help their friends through mental health and substance use challenges.

Pierce County 9^th to 12^th graders who get certified will learn to:

Identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges in their friends and peers.
How to have supportive conversations about mental health and substance use with friends.
How to seek the help of a responsible and trusted adult.

Early intervention from a friend or peer can help someone who is struggling.

Learn more about teen Mental Health First Aid.

Specialized help for unique needs

Kids from marginalized communities sometimes find general resources don’t reflect their needs. They might find it helpful to seek help that’s more relevant to their experience.

National resources

Mental Health America—Mental health topics and tests. Includes youth mental health tests for parents and youth that can identify struggles to discuss with a professional.
Child Mind Institute Guides—Guides for parents on mental health diagnosis or behavioral concern and other child mental health topics. Includes a symptom checker for parents to identify struggles to discuss with a professional.
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry—Brief fact sheets on mental and behavioral health topics.
YouthLine—Peer-to-peer youth help, support, and crisis linethat provides crisis support and referrals via call, text, and chat. Teen volunteers and young adult interns answer calls daily from 4 .p.m.-10 p.m. Pacific Time (adults answer the rest of the time).
Psychology Today.
Social Emotional Learning parent resources.
SafeSpace Coping Tools.