Page 35 - BusinessWest July 10, 2023

Mental Health Shouldn’t Take a Break
MiraVista Chief Medical Officer Shares Advice for Summer Vacation
How do students stay emotionally healthy during a long stretch of school vacation?
Dr. Negar Beheshti, a board-certified adult, child, and
adolescent psychiatrist and chief medical officer for Holyoke- based MiraVista Behavioral Health Center and its sister hospital, TaraVista Behavioral Health Center in Devens, recommends a balance of structured fun and learning. She recommends as well that primary-care givers, be they parents or other guardians, do their due diligence to keep everyone safe and engaged in behavior that supports mental health.
With that in mind, BusinessWest asked Beheshti to talk about ways to make school breaks beneficial for students of all ages.
BusinessWest: What expectations around behavior are good to set during this time away from school?
Beheshti: This is a conversation geared to the child’s age. For example, children in elementary school may be doing a lot of summer-camp activities, and this is an opportunity to talk about appropriate behavior with other peers at the camp.
Should there be other informal activities for this age group more regulated by parents and guardians, it is good for primary caregivers to get to know them, advise their children to stay away from people they don’t know, and know that all activities are in a safe space, contained and chaperoned by an adult.
When you get to the tweens, they may not want the regular, structured routine of summer camp. However, it is still good to do some type of structured program, as it gives middle-schoolers the opportunity to continue social development and promotes new learning opportunities. Some school districts offer enriched learning programming at least part of the day that holds the
potential to explore something new in a fun way.
The state Executive Office of Education has a web resource page (www.mass.gov/info-details/summer-learning) on summer
programs for youth that are a mix of academic and the recreational.
BusinessWest: What about older teens? How can parents and guardians balance their desire for freedom with safety and wellness?
Beheshti: Young people old enough to hang out with their friends without an adult chaperone should have some type of device that allows their primary caregiver to reach them. There are all types of devices today, from smartphones to smartwatches, by which you can regulate whom your child can contact and track their whereabouts.
Again, you want to do your due diligence as a primary caregiver, get to know any parents or other guardians involved, know your young person is in a safe place, and, if they are going out, where they are headed and when they will return.
Parents and guardians should prepare as well for some age- appropriate talks on the expectations and pressures of friendships and relationships and that discourage experimentation with substance use. Drug-overdose deaths of teens have spiked in recent years; underage drinking remains a serious health problem in this country, and studies on the impact of the legalization of adult cannabis show an increase in use among teens.
High school brings a little more autonomy for teenagers
and the need for more candid discussions on dating and substance use, including that the minimum legal age for buying, transporting, or drinking alcoholic beverages is 21.
“Parents and guardians should prepare as
well for some age- appropriate talks
on the expectations and pressures of friendships and relationships and that discourage experimentation with substance use.”
DR. NEGAR BEHESHTI
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