WEST CHESTER — Help!

You are young, fighting mental illness and your parents can’t afford insurance or you are on medical assistance.

Leslie Holt, founder and director of A Child’s Light is there to help while working toward a solution.

Leslie Holt looks at a photo of her late daughter who was an inspiration for A Child’s Light. (BILL RETTEW/MEDIANEWS GROUP)

A Child’s Light funds trauma-informed, private mental health treatment for children ages 2-18 and has served 150 children to access long-term treatment.

“ACL funds kids who have been victims of sexual or physical violence, trafficking, loss of parents to fentanyl poisoning and other life-altering trauma,” Holt said Tuesday morning during an interview at the new offices of A Child’s Light at 1444 Phoenixville Pike, in a cottage located on the property adjacent to Treehouse World.

A Child’s Light has been operational since 2019 and opened the doors to the new office in June of 2023.

The 501(c)3 not-for-profit serves families from the Pottstown to Parkesburg areas and everywhere in between.

A great place for therapy at A Child’s Light. (BILL RETTEW/MEDIAENEWS GROUP)

ACL partners with therapists who understand the huge need for childhood mental health providers and the challenges families in Chester County face. With a waitlist approaching two years, Holt has developed another business model to help children who have suffered the worst types of abuse.

“Severe trauma is life-altering and our children and community deserve more,” she said. “We are investing in our kids.”

Holt knows of what she practices. She was a victim’s advocate for five years and was able to see firsthand the inefficiencies in the systems in place to help little victims.

Needy kids receive therapy at A Child’s Light. (BILL RETTEW/MEDIANEWS GROUP)

“This is not something specific to Chester County,” she said. “Across the US there is a childhood mental health crisis.”

Holt’s personal and professional life coincided with her own daughter’s sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted friend who bought her alcohol when she was 14 and encouraged her to drink to blackout. This one incident changed her daughter’s life forever.

Suffering from the attack and chronic Lyme disease pain, her daughter was poisoned by 3 methyl-fentanyl given to her without her knowledge and died. The daughter’s death was instrumental in the development of A Child’s Light and in her passion for helping little ones who suffered as she had from abuse.

“Seeing my daughter bravely struggle, I don’t want any other children to struggle as my daughter did,” Holt said.

The Phoenixville Pike facility hosts the Great Room where support groups and therapists meet with families. A huge picture window looks out onto Valley Creek and a whimsical treehouse can be seen from the backyard. The facility with much natural sunlight is located down a driveway in the back of Treehouse World. Wood floors and beams welcome clients and staff.

The Stone Room is a comfy, private space for one-on-one therapy and looks out to an abundance of beautiful mature trees.

“This is the type of environment that kids should come to for therapy!” Holt said while talking about the faculty in general. “Isn’t this space warm and inviting and not at all like a regular therapist’s office?

“What child wouldn’t want to come to therapy here?”

Plans call for adding art therapy in the fall, at a sun-filled room opening to a slate patio along with music therapy and boxing for empowerment and building self-esteem.

A Child’s Light is excited to welcome other children, while other professionals serve in the building, including Confident Parenting, 2BeSocial, and Imago OT, to its second floor.

A Child’s Light is honored to be the designated recipient of proceeds raised by this year’s Paoli Blues Fest on Sept. 30 at Wilson Farm Park. This event is open to all with food trucks and there will be activities for kids from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information and to support A Child’s Light, go to www.childslight.com or call 610-405-2968.

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Social media can be a great tool to help build connections, stay informed, and engage with others. However, it can become all-consuming and potentially damaging to adolescent brain development, which is a cause for concern.  

A recent advisory issued by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy calls attention to the potential harmful effects social media has on children’s mental health. According to the report, 95% of teens ages 13-17 say they use social media, with more than a third saying they use it “almost constantly.” In addition, 40% of children ages 8-12 use social media, even though most platforms require users to be at least 13 to participate.

According to a study in the report, teens who spend more than three hours a day on social media face twice the risk of experiencing mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. Other potential issues referenced in the report include:

• Body dissatisfaction, or disordered eating behaviors
• Social comparison
• Lower self-esteem
• Poor sleep

The information in this report corroborates with the what UnitedHealthcare providers are often seeing: an increased rate of harmful comparison, limited in-person interaction, feelings of loneliness, and an uptick in anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. Dr. Donald Tavakoli, national medical director for behavioral health at UnitedHealthcare, says the amount of time children spend online affects their overall development.

The Surgeon General’s advisory comes as youth mental health remains in a state of crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 5 children have a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder, and only about 20% of those children receive care from a mental health provider.

These findings may be alarming for parents and tackling the issues surrounding social-media use may feel overwhelming, as well. These tips may help you and your child become more informed about social-media use and, in turn, reduce potential harm:

Understand and monitor social media

Having a bit of background on the latest social media apps can help parents create better limits and boundaries for their kids. As children’s brains go through dramatic developmental changes, they could develop sensitivities associated with a desire for attention and may have undeveloped self-control, especially during early adolescence. Social channels that promote “likes” or excessive scrolling may pose issues for developing brains. Limit chat functions, especially with strangers, and restrict inappropriate content.

Create a family social-media plan

Set guidelines and boundaries when it comes to your family’s social-media use. This can be agreed-upon expectations of what social-media use looks like to your family, including screen time limits, online safety, and protecting personal privacy. The Academy of Pediatrics has a template that can guide you through the process.

Communication is key

Initiate open and honest conversations, without judgement, with your child about their activity on social media on a regular basis. Ask them about what they see on social media and pose hypotheticals, asking how they would respond in different scenarios. Ensure they know the signs of cyberbullying and how permanent an online post can be.

Create tech-free zones

It can be helpful to restrict electronic use at least one hour before bedtime and through the night. Studies show two or more hours of screentime in the evening can greatly disrupt the melatonin surge needed to fall asleep. Keep mealtimes free from technology, and encourage in-person conversations. Encourage children to foster in-person friendships and build social skills.

Model healthy social-media behavior

Children often learn by watching your behaviors and habits, so make sure you’re limiting the time you spend on social media and be responsible with what you choose to post. When you are on your device, tell your children what you’re doing.

While the Surgeon General’s advisory focuses on the potential negative impacts of social-media use on children and teens, it also acknowledges social media can provide some benefits. It can be helpful in creating community connection over shared interests, abilities, and identities or providing space for self-expression. Encouraging children to form healthy relationships with technology is critical. 

Adults cannot afford to wait to understand the full impact of social media because adolescents’ brains are still developing. It’s crucial that parents take an active role in helping their children safely navigate social media.

Dr. Kimberly Nordstrom is a psychiatrist and chief medical officer for UnitedHealthcare Community & State, Colorado

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Dr. Matthew Husa is the Chief Medical Officer for UnitedHealthcare in Colorado
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When it comes to your child’s overall health, well-child visits are the perfect time to ensure your child’s holistic development is progressing as it should. With back-to-school season ready to begin, now is the perfect time to discuss your child’s physical and mental health with their pediatrician or your family doctor.

What is a well-child visit?

A well-child visit, sometimes referred to as a physical, is an annual appointment in which your child’s physician assesses their growth and development. These check-ups typically consist of:

• Physical examination, including assessing their growth and development
• Routine immunizations to prevent diseases like measles, polio, hepatitis B, chickenpox, whooping cough, and other serious diseases.
• Hearing and vision tests
• An opportune time to have your child’s sports physical forms signed and address any sports-related concerns such as prior injuries
• And a mental health screening

When do I schedule a well-child visit?

Don’t wait. Schedule the appointment today, as your pediatrician’s schedule will fill up fast in August and September.

For younger children, these appointments typically occur right after their birthday, but as they age, they may begin seeing their doctor closer to the start of the school year, as older kids and teenagers may also need to have physical forms in order to participate in sports.

Additionally, receiving routine immunizations helps your child’s immune system build the antibodies to help protect them from contagious diseases such as influenza, mumps, measles, and tetanus. Your child’s doctor will know which immunizations are appropriate for their age, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. You can refer to the full list of child and adolescent vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Why discuss mental health at your next well-child visit?

Just as children can learn to understand medical problems that affect their bodies — like how asthma can make their lungs tighten, and it can be helpful to use an inhaler to help them breathe more easily — parents and doctors can help them understand that mental-health concerns are just as important has physical concerns. Here’s why that’s so important:

1. There has been a sharp increase in adolescent mental health issues in recent years. It’s no secret that the COVID pandemic was a source of stress for many. According to a 2022 set of data collected by the CDC, more than 37% of high-school students reported experiencing poor mental health during the pandemic, with an additional 44% reporting they felt persistently sad or hopeless over the past year.

2. Many young people don’t receive treatment. Talking about mental health can seem daunting or confusing, especially for kids. For example, Mental Health America reports that about 60% of youth with major depression don’t receive treatment, even in states with higher access to mental-health services.

3. If left untreated, adolescent mental-health issues can carry into adulthood. Mental health during adolescence has a greater bearing on one’s adult life than many people realize. CDC data on children’s mental health show that diagnoses of ADHD, anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders become increasingly prevalent with age, and behavioral problems are more common among adolescents aged 6-11 than older or younger children.

School is a challenging enough environment as it is, so be sure to talk to your child’s doctor about changes in mood, behavior, academic performance, or disposition to better ensure their needs are addressed and their concerns are heard, giving your child the skills to excel both inside and outside the classroom.

Most health-insurance plans cover well-child visits. If you have any questions, call the number on your insurance card for more information. To learn more about preventive care for your child or to download a well-child visit checklist, visit UHC.com.

Dr. Matthew Husa is the Chief Medical Officer for UnitedHealthcare in Colorado.

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THE words “well-being” and “self-care” are often used but one children’s charity is encouraging parents to take steps to help their kids improve theirs.

Barnardos launched its Big Active campaign with Aldi in March and has the likes of rugby star Paul O’Connell on board.

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Barnardos Big Active supported by ALDI and Paul O’Connell calls for schools to get movingCredit: Patrick Bolger

It gets schools involved and calls for them to focus on three key areas: Body – physical challenges that take care of your body; Mind – mindfulness exercises to support positive mental health and well-being; and Heart – promoting the importance of charity and helping others around you.

Barnardos said putting a bit of time into emotional resilience will help parents and children prepare for when they have to face adversities.

And it does not have to cost anything. Sinead Halligan from the Barnardos wellbeing team said even dancing in the kitchen, playing football or listening to music can be simple steps to improve wellbeing.

Barnardos is inviting primary and secondary schools to register at barnardos.ie/bigactive and get active to raise funds for vulnerable children and families across Ireland.   

Here Sinead tells NICOLA BARDON more about the Big Active campaign, supported by Aldi, and what it means.

Sinead said: “Wellbeing is really about anything that affects our health or happiness. It is important because it affects our physical health, our emotional wellbeing, how we process and manage emotions and how we deal with stress and adversity.

“It also affects how we feel about ourselves and it affects us socially in all of our relationships, with friends, family, colleagues.”

She added: “Wellbeing is about having a balance. The reason that self-care is put with it is because it’s having self-compassion and reflection on your own day and doing what’s good for you.

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“Things like taking time out to see what you need and tuning into yourself to identify your needs and stuff to work on.”

Sinead said it doesn’t have to cost a cent.

She said: “It’s definitely not a massive overhaul people need to make. It’s about looking at your own home and your own routine and seeing what you like, what your children like and building on that.

“For some people, some things come more naturally than others. Some people have friends and family in their lives and that is a normal part of their well-being, but for others they have to make that conscious decision to go out and meet with other people.

“Or for some people being active is an ordinary part of their day but for others, you need to incorporate that.

“It’s not about doing intense exercise or anything like that, it’s about what suits you.

“For some homes, this can be just playing games, playing football, going for a walk.

“Or even making it a bit interesting by making a list of things to find on your walk and having fun. It shouldn’t be an additional financial stress coming into your home.”

HOW DO I DO THIS FOR MY KIDS?

“It’s about taking steps that suit your own home.

“So reflecting on your everyday, because it shouldn’t be an additional stress or something that is hard to do. We are all going to have good days and bad days and having self-compassion for yourself on the bad days is modelling emotional wellness in itself.

“It’s just about balancing play activities, sleep, food and social time.

“It’s about taking time to play together, have games together, go for walks together, even dancing in the kitchen. It doesn’t have to be something that is expensive.

BALANCE

“Identifying your children’s needs, likes and dislikes and building on that can create healthy habits. Even just going to sleep at the same time and making a nice safe space in your room, with a candle lit, that is self care for yourself.”

Sinead said they see children in Barnardos who are going through traumas, such as the loss of a loved one or bullying, and these steps help them.

“For any adversity, such as bullying, if we have strong emotional wellbeing, we can better process and manage these adversities and challenges better.

“When you have balance, that can impact your overall wellbeing. Even just saying your affirmations everyday, your thoughts become your reality, it becomes your perspective. So even that in itself can be a nice thing to help you overcome adversities, taking time to check in with yourself, knowing what you need.”

To find out more about Barnardos and their Big Active campaign supported by Aldi, visit barnardos.ie/bigactive.

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Start with breathing exercises

Breathing exercises are a great way to introduce mindfulness to your child. Teach them to take deep breaths, inhaling through their nose and exhaling through their mouth. Encourage them to focus on the sensation of the air moving in and out of their lungs. This simple exercise can help your child calm down and focus their attention.

Practice mindfulness during meals

Mealtime can be a great opportunity to practice mindfulness. Encourage your child to take their time and savor each bite of food. Show them how to focus on the texture, taste, and smell of the food. This can help them develop a greater appreciation for the food they eat and develop healthier eating habits.

Create a mindful space

Designate a quiet space in your home where your child can go to practice mindfulness. This can be a corner of their room or a comfortable chair in a quiet area of the house. Encourage your child to spend a few minutes each day in this space, focusing on their breath and clearing their mind.

Use guided meditations

Guided meditations can be a great way to help your child practice mindfulness. There are many apps and websites that offer guided meditations specifically designed for children. Encourage your child to listen to these meditations and follow along with the instructions.

Encourage mindful activities

Encourage your child to engage in mindful activities such as yoga, tai chi, or walking in nature. These activities can help your child develop greater body awareness and reduce stress.

In conclusion, incorporating mindfulness into your child’s daily routine can have a positive impact on their overall well-being. By starting with breathing exercises, practicing mindfulness during meals, creating a mindful space, using guided meditations, and encouraging mindful activities, you can help your child develop greater self-awareness, attention, and emotional regulation.

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