Game-changing tool launched in NJ for youth mental health

Mental health concerns among youth can escalate when families don't have enough knowledge or power to reach out for help.

A tool launched statewide by a New Jersey-based nonprofit aims to make it easier for parents and guardians to navigate through what can be a complicated mental health system.

"We know that we're finally filling a gap that has been there a long time," Susan Tellone, clinical director for the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide, told New Jersey 101.5.

The Parent/Caregiver's Toolkit: Guide to Navigating Youth Behavioral Health has been available in print for a while, but now the tool is available online, and it's customized based on where you live, featuring crucial resources in each New Jersey county.

With the toolkit, guardians can learn what to do, ask, and expect if their child is experiencing behavioral health concerns. The goal is to help families before a concern becomes a problem, but the toolkit also touches on sensitive topics such as the warning signs of suicide.

"The hope is that people don't wait to get help, because that's what people typically do because they just don't know where to go," Tellone said. "And it takes a lot of the stigma or shame away."

Tellone said the toolkit's reach is even greater becomes it's available in more than a dozen languages. The online resource was made available through funding from the New Jersey Department of Children and Families.

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