Safeguarding youth mental health is a crucial effort all year round, but back-to-school season is the perfect time to renew our commitment to showing up for the young people we care about. Our partners at Macy’s know that, and for the third consecutive year have teamed up with The Jed Foundation (JED) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to provide caring adults with the resources they need to support the young people in their lives.
JED’s recent research, which explored barriers U.S. teens face in seeking mental health support, found that young people turn to their parents first when reaching out for help. With that in mind, JED and Macy’s teamed up with Adison and Lori Schwartz, a mother-daughter duo who experienced those research findings in real life.
Adison, 17, had struggled with anxiety, but, like so many young people, she saw her overall mental health decline during the pandemic. She turned to her mom, Lori, and got the support she needed. Lori, in turn, learned how to prioritize her well-being too.
To better equip parents and caring adults this back-to-school season, JED has developed resources to make it easier to spot the signs of distress in young people and have the difficult yet necessary conversations to check in on them and connect them with support.
Resources include:
You can also check out our new video series featuring Stephanie Cherestal, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and subject matter expert for JED. You’ll find tips on validating your teen’s feelings, using active listening to better connect with them, and having more effective conversations with them.
“Your teen is way more likely to come to you about their mental health challenges or other hardships they’re experiencing when they know you’re going to take them seriously and actually validate their feelings,” Cherestal said in the series.
Watch the full series on JED’s YouTube channel.
From Aug. 1 through Sept. 14, Macy’s is matching all donations to JED and NAMI made on macys.com. Macy’s customers can also round up their purchases to the nearest dollar and donate their change to support JED and NAMI’s life-changing — and life-saving — work. All funds raised will benefit JED and NAMI (the funds will be split evenly). The partnership is part of Mission Every One, Macy’s social-purpose platform dedicated to creating a more equitable and sustainable future. Since 2022, Macy’s has raised over $3.3 million for JED and NAMI’s mental health programming and resources.
Access more of JED’s back-to-school resources and donate to support JED and NAMI’s work.
If you or someone you know needs to talk to someone right now, text, call, or chat 988 for a free confidential conversation with a trained counselor 24/7.
You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.
If this is a medical emergency or if there is immediate danger of harm, call 911 and explain that you need support for a mental health crisis.
