Siena Blog

Mental Health Awareness Month 2025

In honor of the Mental Health Awareness Month 2025 theme, “In Every Story, There’s Strength,” Siena is highlighting some important ways to raise awareness and share strategies for various mental health and neurodiverse needs.

There are many misconceptions and stigmas about mental health and receiving support, and our stories of self-care can help us to reduce stigma, increase empathy and awareness, and be proactive in terms of caring for our mental well-being.

How Parents Can Support Their Children’s Mental Health

There are a few ways we can regularly turn awareness into action, such as the following: 

• Increasing understanding
• Reducing misconceptions
• Encouraging help-seeking
• Promoting empathy and compassion
• Challenging stigma
• Using or offering support networks
• Promoting positive representations
• Normalizing therapy and mental self-care

An easy way for parents to check in with their children’s own mental and emotional well-being is to have a conversation (even a short one). Here are some sentence starters to help facilitate that conversation:

• “I notice that you seem ___. Do you want to talk?”
• “What is an emotion that you are feeling right now?”
• “Tell me more about what you are experiencing….”
• ”I want to help. Would support or space right now help you most?”

Although your child might not want to share their story at that particular moment, it’s always important to encourage (and be available for) positive and healthy conversation surrounding feelings and emotions.

Sometimes, our children can be on opposite ends of the spectrum, from not talking at all to hyperbolizing emotions. Parents and other caregivers can be the “calm” and the anchor that your child needs when they feel strong emotions. Showing up consistently and being available for support will go a long way for your child as they continue to tell their stories on their own terms.

Another action we can take is showing empathy, curiosity, and understanding whenever possible, which in turn models good mental health behavior for children so they can contribute to a more accepting and positive environment for all.

Mental Health Resources for Parents

It can be a challenge for parents to navigate when to get support for their child, as well as to find a provider that fits. Below are some helpful resources to get started:

• Anxiety Institute
• Child Mind Institute
• Kingsbury Wellness & Learning Group
• National Council for Wellbeing (includes a free downloadable checklist)
• Psychology Today

Siena Resources 

For additional information from The Siena School blog to help navigate students’ social–emotional health, see this post from last year about summer mental health awareness, as well as these about learning differences and confidence and online and offline boundaries for teens.

The Siena School, a national leader in dyslexia education, serves bright, college-bound students with language-based learning differences on campuses in Silver Spring, MD (grades 3-4 and 5-12) and Oakton, VA (grades 3-12).