Student Wellness & Family Supports
Ask a Therapist Live
Ask a Therapist questions about youth mental health or parenting through ParentGuidance. Participation is anonymous. Register here for the live event and also get access to the recording!
Support your child’s mental health and wellness by joining us for an informative event for parents, guardians, and educators. Ask questions of leading family therapists and take advantage of a free resource to help families with important topics such as anxiety, depression, grief, suicidal ideation, child development and parenting, just to name a few.
On-Demand Courses
ParentGuidance offers parents and guardians virtual on-demand courses covering a wide-range of student wellness topics, such as body image, bullying, meditation, suicide prevention, and technology.
Additional Resources
- School Counseling:
- Silence Hurts! Confidential Reporting
- Student Services Department
- The Cook Center Mission
New Kent County Public Schools has partnered with the Cook Center for Human Connection and their Mental Health Resource Center, ParentGuidance.org.
ParentGuidance.org is a website that was developed to help parents, guardians, and caregivers with parenting advice from the top clinicians and experts who offer guidance around issues related to the most common challenges parents face today: anxiety, social media use, school avoidance, bullying, and more.
It offers on-demand, anonymous courses and resources from experts who can help parents address common concerns, improve family relationships, and support your overall child's emotional well-being. The content is created by licensed therapists and experienced teachers! ParentGuidance.org wants to give parents and caregivers the tools they need to create a loving and supportive home for their children. Find the tools that you need to support your family, in English or Spanish, completely free.
Our parent coaching program is designed for you.
Whether your child is struggling with mental illness, school, or life at home, ParentGuidance is for you. We have one-on-one resources and support for whatever issue your child is dealing with. CLICK HERE to learn more.
How to Register for Parent Coaching
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Monthly Newsletter
Encouraging Responsible Firearm Practices
Parents, guardians, and community members are key partners in our goal to help all of our students grow up healthy and happy. We all have the right to make responsible decisions about how to protect our homes, families, and communities, including whether or not to have a gun in our home. Our community and school district are safer when guns are stored unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition.
Key Facts:
- More than 3,000 children and teens (individuals aged 0-19 years) are shot and killed annually in the United States, with another 15,000 being wounded by guns annually.
- In incidents of gunfire on school grounds, up to 80% of shooters under the age of 18 obtained the gun(s) they used from their home or the home of a relative or friend.
- Approximately 700 children die by gun suicide each year, most often using a gun that belongs to a family member.
- Ninety percent of suicide attempts with a gun result in death--a much higher fatality rate than any other means of self-harm. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people (individuals aged 10-24 years).
- Approximately 40% of child suicides involve a gun.
- Children who identify as LGBTQ+ are four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers due to social stress, bullying, and discrimination.
- An estimated 5.4 million American children live in a household with at least one loaded, unlocked gun.
- Secure gun storage is associated with up to an 85% reduction in the risk of self-inflicted, planned, and unintentional gun injuries among children and teens.
Secure Gun Storage Best Practices:
- Unload: Remove all ammunition from the gun, including any chambered rounds.
- Lock: Secure unloaded guns with a firearm locking device like a jacket lock or in a locked location like a safe or lock box.
- Separate: Store ammunition separately from the gun in a secure location.
How Can Parents and Community Members Help?
- Model responsible behavior. Remember: It is always the gun owner's responsibility to prevent unauthorized access to their guns.
- Make gun safety a normal conversation with children. Make sure that the language is appropriate for the child's age. For example, with small children, keep the language simple: "If you see a gun, don't touch it. Tell an adult right away." Continue to discuss gun safety at regular intervals with your child as they age.
- Ask about unsecured guns in other homes, especially before sending your child to a new home for a visit.
- Talk to your child about their mental health and seek professional help if they discuss violence or suicide ideation.
- Work with other community members to create socially supportive spaces that are welcoming to all children.