NEBRASKA CITY- Mental health was pushed to the forefront in the most recent Nebraska City hot topics meeting. 

The Arbor Psychiatric and Wellness Center says that although every generation was impacted differently, the most affected generation is the youth. Licensed Independent Mental Health Provider Jessica Eckhardt says that the easiest way to help youth cope with mental health might be something already established. 

“It’s so important to just be there for those kiddos, providing support,” Eckhardt said. “Providing (kind of) a safe place just to slowly expose them into these new environments.”

For younger students, these new environments are the primary schools they were recently introduced to. A whole calendar year removed from in-person learning on an already impressionable youth could be a mixed bag of results. Psychiatric nurse practitioner Lindsey Teten says that it’s been a hard transition for both parents and students into COVID-19, but the transition out of it can be easier.

“I think for those parents it really just comes down to listening,” Teten said. “Being able to understand that their kids are probably going to have maybe a little more difficulty transitioning into those school environments. They may take a little more support developing their social networks and re establishing their roles in those.”