San Ramon parents gathered at Ritenour Counseling to explore critical strategies for supporting children's mental health during a recent Coffee Chat event. Led by Michelle Ritenour, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and former SRVUSD teacher, the session focused on addressing stress, anxiety, and self-esteem challenges facing youth today. The event provided attendees with practical tools to navigate modern parenting challenges, including understanding the impacts of academic pressures, social media influences, and emerging technologies on children's psychological development.
Ritenour emphasized the importance of proactive parental involvement in mental wellness, noting that seeking guidance is a healthy and necessary approach in contemporary parenting. Participants discussed comprehensive approaches to supporting children's emotional well-being, exploring methods to recognize and manage stress and anxiety. The discussion highlighted the complex landscape children currently navigate, including demanding academic environments and the pervasive digital influences that shape their experiences.
Ritenour Counseling's event underscored the critical need for community-based mental health education and support. By providing a collaborative, informative platform, the organization demonstrated its commitment to empowering local families with knowledge and resources to promote children's psychological resilience. The Coffee Chat reflects a growing recognition of mental health's importance in children's overall development. By offering targeted, compassionate guidance, Ritenour Counseling continues to play a vital role in supporting the community's psychological well-being.
The session addressed how parents can help children develop coping mechanisms for academic stress while navigating the challenges presented by social media platforms and other digital technologies. Ritenour's approach combines professional therapeutic expertise with practical parenting strategies that families can implement immediately. This community initiative represents a significant step toward normalizing conversations about mental health within family settings and reducing stigma associated with seeking psychological support.
As children face increasingly complex social and academic environments, events like the Coffee Chat provide essential resources for parents who may feel overwhelmed by these challenges. The collaborative nature of the discussion allowed parents to share experiences and learn from one another while receiving professional guidance. This model of community-based mental health education demonstrates how local organizations can effectively address growing concerns about youth psychological well-being through accessible, practical programming that meets families where they are.
