For Families

How to Recognize Depression in Teens: Signs Every Parent and Teachers Should Know

Adolescence is a time of immense growth, but for many, it is also when symptoms of depression first appear. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 1 in...

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How Social Media Impacts Teen Mental Health

In today’s digital age, social media is a central part of daily life for teenagers. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and X (formerly Twitter) offer vital spaces...

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How Physical Activity Improves Teen Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing

How Physical Activity Affects the Teenage Brain When teens engage in physical activity—whether it’s dancing, basketball, or walking the dog—their bodies release...

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How Can Schools Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month in May?

What is the Positivity Pledge? The Positivity Pledge is a schoolwide awareness campaign by Erika’s Lighthouse designed for Mental Health Awareness Month in May. It is a...

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How Can I Tell if My Teen is Depressed or Just Being a Teen?

Understanding Adolescent Depression Adolescence is a period of significant physical and emotional change, which can sometimes make it difficult to distinguish between...

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School Refusal and Depression: How to Help Your Child Get Back to Class

Understanding the Root of School Refusal It is not uncommon for a child or teen with depression to avoid or refuse to go to school. This behavior can be disruptive...

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What are the Best Resources for Families Dealing with Youth Depression?

Understanding Your Child’s Mental Health Journey Addressing youth mental health is a priority for every parent, yet many families feel overwhelmed by where to start....

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Empowering Youth Mental Health: Joining the Erika’s Lighthouse Professional Community Ambassador Program

In the world of youth mental health, awareness is only the first step. The real work lies in action, education, and community-building. For professionals who are...

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Stronger Together: How Strategic Alignments are Revolutionizing School Mental Health

What are S trategic Alignments? Strategic Alignments are purposeful partnerships with organizations that share our commitment to youth wellness. Whether...

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How Can 5-Minute Mental Health Breaks Improve Student Focus?

Why Students Need Mental Health Breaks In today’s fast-paced world, students are constantly bombarded with stimuli that can lead to stress,...

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Welcome, ShineLightonDepression.org Visitors! Find All Your Familiar Resources (And More) Here.

Welcome to the Source If you were trying to visit ShineLightonDepression.org, you’ve landed in the right place. While that website will shut down at the...

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The Power of a Monthly Gift: Your Steady Support Makes A Difference All Year Long

At Erika’s Lighthouse, our mission is driven by a powerful vision: to ensure no young person ever feels alone in their depression. We do this by providing free,...

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Beyond Donations: Crafting Hope with Erika’s Lighthouse Good Mental Health Toolkits

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Reducing Mental Health Stigma for Students and Children | Mental Health Matter: A podcast with LeeAnn Trotter, Katie Conklin, and Candice Florance

Making mental health education a priority in schools isn’t just a good idea; it’s essential. This podcast episode focuses on the effectiveness of Erika’s...

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Building a Foundation of Hope: How Schools Support Student Mental Health

When a child struggles to read, we provide a reading specialist. When a student has a fever, we send them to the school nurse. We instinctively understand that for...

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Make-a-Will Month: A Legacy of Hope for Youth Mental Health

August is Make-a-Will Month—a time dedicated to the powerful act of planning for the future. While it may not be a topic we discuss every day, creating a will is...

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The Cost of Spring Break: Alcohol, Risky Behavior, and Traffic Safety Concerns for Students

The Cost of Spring Break: Alcohol, Risky Behavior, and Traffic Safety Concerns for Students By: Blossom Thao (Maine State Coordinator for SADD) Spring break is all...

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Erika’s Lighthouse ’23-’24 Program Report

Erika’s Lighthouse releases an annual program report to highlight the impact that our programs have made in schools nationwide with our Level II and Level III...

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Share Your Story

Do you want to share your story and empower others? Erika’s Lighthouse is on a mission to provide free mental health education to any school, anywhere. Erika’s...

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Memorials

Erika’s Lighthouse was founded following the loss of a 14-year-old girl who lost her life to her depression. When Erika died, her family and friends felt that the...

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Mental Health Literacy in Schools

Erika’s Lighthouse is a beacon of hope for schools seeking to create inclusive and supportive environments where mental health matters. Mental health literacy is...

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Family Conversations: “Let’s Talk” During the Holiday Season

The holidays can be a busy and sometimes stressful time for families, especially for children and teens. There are often long days and lots of changes in routine which...

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Improve Your Family’s Mental Health & Prepare for Next Year!

As we approach the end of another year, it’s a good time to start thinking about how you and your family can improve your mental health in the year ahead....

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How Using New RECHARGE Program Can Support Student Learning

In today’s fast-paced world, it can be difficult for students to focus for long periods of time. They are constantly bombarded with stimuli, both in and out of the...

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The Four Pillars

Erika’s Lighthouse focuses on equipping school communities with the mental health education needed through four main pillars. Classroom Education, Family...

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Minority Mental Health: The Importance of Culturally-Sensitive Care and How Your Donation Can Help

In 2020, suicide was the third leading cause of death for black and African American youth ages 15-19. Mental health disparities among minority groups are a severe...

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The Family Conversation Journal: A Tool for Building Stronger Relationships

There are many different ways to communicate, and not everyone prefers or feels the most comfortable doing it verbally. It’s important to be aware of different...

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Key Club Raises Funds to Support Mental Health

The Wilmot Union High School Key Club raised funds to support mental health education by hosting a Snowball Dance at their school. Hello! My name is Katherine...

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Parenthood

A Heart on the Outside of the Body That is what it’s like having children. That’s what we’re told and we accept that as how it is. However, I am sitting here...

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Mental Health Awareness Month: Take the Positivity Pledge

Access Programs The end of the school year is right around the corner and it brings an exciting time for change and new chapters in students’ lives. Erika’s...

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Erika’s Lighthouse Update on Adolescent Mental Health: February 2023

Access Programs Erika’s Lighthouse is dedicated to adolescent mental health and our mission of ensuring no young person ever feels alone in their...

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The Importance of Reaching Out to a Trusted Adult

Access Programs Trigger Warning: Suicidal Ideation My Story I have always been someone who is afraid of reaching out for help. However, that had to...

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Utilizing Tier 1 Universal Supports and Practices to Provide Mental Health Education to All

Nancy Watson (LCSW, CADC) is a psychotherapist at Lake Forest Wellness (Lake Forest, Illinois) specializing in working with children, adolescents, and...

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How Culture Affects Mental Health

Patricia Voloschin-Weiner, LCPC has been working as a therapist with children, adults, and couples for the past 30 years and has addressed a variety of...

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The Power of Programs with ImpactPart III: Family Engagement

Do the family members of your district have the tools and knowledge they need to recognize signs of depression? Are they trusted adults who can address mental...

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Reframing the Narrative – Empowering Youth

Access Programs We have heard so much about everyone’s declining mental health – particularly our young people. In our effort to bring attention to this...

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CDC Report on Youth Mental Health: The Erika’s Lighthouse Perspective

Access Programs In April, the CDC published a report on youth mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The statistics are grim. But the survey also...

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The Erika’s Lighthouse Perspective to the CDC’s Recent Youth Survey on School Connectedness and Mental Health

An examination of the mental health impact of COVID-19 and how connectedness to school, family, friends and community groups impact mental health outcomes. Please...

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10 Advantages of Erika’s Lighthouse

Our programs can work in any school community. 1. Wraparound ProgrammingWe don’t just offer a standalone curriculum, we believe in impacting the whole school by...

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A Family Workbook Series on Childhood Mental Health and Adolescent Depression

Somewhere between 15 and 20 percent of children and teens will suffer from at least one depressive episode before they reach adulthood. These episodes come in many...

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RESOURCE HIGHLIGHT: Shared Vocabulary

At Erika’s Lighthouse, we understand that discussing depression can be a challenging topic. As an educator or social worker, you are considered a trusted adult to the...

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