Mentally Preparing For Big Crowds & Classrooms

After spending so much time at home these last few years, and doing school online, some children may not be excited to go back to the classroom. And we know anxiety and depression have been on the rise in young people as well. So how can we get our kids eased back into the old ways of socialization and in-person school? 

Dr. Emily Frank is an assistant professor of pediatrics at UCSF and a public school teacher in Oakland. In addition to providing primary care in the clinic, she treats patients with urgent medical needs in the emergency departments at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. Seeking to inspire and bring about change, she has a particular interest in working with young people to develop their abilities to obtain and use health-related information and to advocate for better care.

She shares some ways anxiety can manifest in our children, signs to look out for that might be worrisome, creating a support system at school for when kids feel overwhelmed, and how we can prep our anxious kids in these last days of summer.