Siena Blog

With Mental Health Awareness Month 2024 winding down, it’s a good time to think about how adolescents can continue their good mindfulness and self-care practices over summer break.

Summer Mental Health Awareness

As we know, trying to find providers in today’s climate can be tough! The needs are high, and the number of providers who fit all of your needs are slim. Yet, as Siena’s School Counselor I’ve helped many parents and families find resources that have helped their child tremendously, and I hope to do the same here.

Summer is a great time to engage your child in therapy, social skills, or any other group wellness activity. There is more flexibility in their schedule, it’s a good time to brush up on skills they may need to be successful in the following year, and there are typically lots of groups offered during this time.

• The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is encouraging us to Take the Moment for Mental Health Awareness Month 2024 in “normalizing the practice of taking moments to prioritize mental health care without guilt or shame.” See NAMI’s digital toolkit for ideas and specific resources for their Take the Moment campaign.
• Mental Health America and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration also have resources available.

It’s vital for students to understand their own mental health and the many resources they have access to. Below are some resources that you may be interested in to check in with your child, assess their needs, and see what you can do over the summer.

Individual Providers/Groups (Silver Spring)

• Bethesda Counseling Services (Carefirst BCBS)
• Brian Wheeler (Aetna)
• Brighter Days Child & Family Therapy (OON)
• Healing Harmony Wellness (BCBS, United Behavioral HC, Cigna)
• Marcus LaSota (Aetna)
• Nathan Luecking (Aetna)
• Orchard Mental Health (Aetna, BCBS, Carefirst)
• Roman Counseling (Cigna and BCBS)
• Stephanie Junghans (Carefirst)

Individual Providers/Groups (Northern Virginia) 

• DMV Mental Health (Carefirst BCBS, Cigna/Evernorth)
• McLean Psychotherapy Practices (OON)
• A Rhaea Hope (Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, United Healthcare/Optum, Out-Of-Network Insurance, and Self-Pay)

Summer Programs and Groups in the DC Area

• Alvord Baker - Resilience Builder Program
• Brighter Days Child & Family Therapy
• CBT for Anxiety Group and Teen Mindfulness Group: offerings for different groups (grades 7-12)
• SPACE Program (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions)
• SPACE Program and Parent Management Training Camp SELF: summer sessions for grades 5-8 (June 17-28) and grades 9-10 (August 5-9) 
• Study Skills Camp: summer session for grades 6-9 (July 29-August 2)
• WISER: see their Find a Professional page to search for specialized services for students with learning and related needs in the DC Metro Area.

On top of this list, which prioritized providers that accept insurances, I also have lots of out-of-network providers who have been added to my referral lists. I also love the website Psychology Today for finding a provider that fits your needs. Finding support for your child or family can be a great next step in finding success.

Additional Resources

For additional information from The Siena School blog to help navigate students’ social–emotional health, see these posts from May 2023 about learning differences and confidence and online and offline boundaries for teens. See also this post about social media and mental health from May 2022.

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 3-12) and Oakton, VA (grades 3-11).