El Camino Health's presentation popular with teens — and parents
Teens today are facing a rapidly changing world and many kinds of stress. At the Teen Wellness Retreat, hosted by the City of Mountain View Recreation Division and Youth Advisory Committee, El Camino Health's Chief Medical Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services Kalpana Nathan, MD, offered some simple, practical and effective ways of coping.
The free event, held Saturday, November 12, offered Mountain View and Los Altos teens in eighth through 12th grade a chance to choose from workshops on a wide range of topics. "We had several kids tell us, 'My parents told me to come to this one,'" said Dr. Nathan. Her presentation offered teens tips and information on living mindfully and staying healthy in a post-pandemic world. She discussed ways to practice self-awareness, self-care, a growth mindset and clarifying goals, to stay grounded in a world that can seem unstable and unpredictable.
Dr. Nathan says that programs offering proven support for teens, such as El Camino Health's ASPIRE (After-School Program Interventions and Resiliency Education) Program for middle-schoolers and high-schoolers, help kids who might be at risk stay focused and connected. These programs give youth a chance to ask questions, share information and realize they are not alone — that others are facing some of the same struggles and challenges.
"It's not easy being a teen right now," she says. "But I guess it never really was."
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