Dear Help Group Friends & Families,

Pop artist Kesha wrote an open letter a few years ago regarding mental health and the holidays. She began:

“The holidays break your routine. Sometimes, you’re forced to spend time with family you rarely see and don’t always get along with. Or maybe you’re alone when everyone else is with family. Or you are off from work, with more time to think troubling thoughts. Or you are at work and can’t be with those you love. Or you are thrust into party situations that tempt your demons. Or you aren’t invited to those tempting parties. It’s not selfish to take time for yourself.”

She goes on to remind everyone to be thankful and to avoid putting pressure on oneself, especially during these times.

The importance of mental health and the need to accept when one needs help and to seek that help out is being talked about more these days than ever before. There are movements to try to reduce the stigma of mental health challenges for all people as well as for specific populations like men or other groups that have traditionally been reticent to acknowledge mental health concerns or to seek support and treatment. The holidays, while a time for relaxation and celebration for many, are nonetheless stressful and challenging for many others. At The Help Group, we encourage our clients and families to take stock of what the holidays mean to them and to recognize the potential need for support for themselves or others.

Like all of our schools at The Help Group, at Westview School in Culver City, a therapeutic school serving students with social and emotional challenges, the teachers, therapists, and administrators are currently working to support their students as they encounter the challenges of the holidays. Learn more about Westview and read an inspiring testimony from one of our seniors below.

Please join us on December 7^th on our monthly webcast as we tackle this subject in more depth.

Dr. Jason Bolton
VP of Community Partnerships & Admissions
jbolton@thehelpgroup.org

While for some people, the holidays may be the happiest time of year, to others, it may be another reminder of their harsh reality of being alone, feeling abandoned or being separated from loved ones.

The truth is that, for many, this can actually be the most difficult time of the year. In a 2021 study, the National Alliance of Mental Health Illness found that sixty-four per cent of Americans feel their mental health is negatively impacted by the holidays. Indeed, for some people, the holidays can become another excruciating time of the year where we feel alone in our battle to stay centered. The chances of thriving, however, increase when we have the proper tools and approach to support each other, especially our youth during the holidays.