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Support more clients with anxiety and depression assessments

In 1908, Clifford Beers published his autobiography, a chronicle of his experiences while institutionalized as well as along his mental health journey. His words held a lot of weight and reached a lot of important people who helped him begin to influence change. Over the next century, mental health and its effects on every aspect of our lives has garnered growing attention, but never as much as we are seeing today.

We are here to support you in these early days — and every day after. We’ve helped many practitioners build a practice and have put together a few tips for success!  

The rise of social anxiety (and how to help your clients flourish) Featuring Dr. Kirleen Neely, PhD, LPC-S

Every day, more of our customers are reporting an increase in social anxiety in their practices and schools. Formerly categorized as “timid” or “shy”, people with social anxiety feel self-conscious in situations where they may need to speak to someone (or worse — a group of people) they don’t know. The prevalence of Social Anxiety Disorder among adults is increasing, with 15,000,000 diagnosed each year¹. While that figure may be shocking to some, the prevalence of social anxiety in teens and adolescents is even greater — an average of 9.1% of teens and adolescents aged 13–18 — with females reported at 11.2%! Beyond the social implications of this disorder, individuals with social anxiety have a greater risk of substance abuse and clinical depression².

We reached out to one of our customers, Dr. Kirleen Neely, PhD, LPC-S, to gain some insight into what she’s experiencing in her practice and the resources she’s found helpful in addressing this growing concern.

With more responsibilities and obligations on their plates than ever before, adults are combating increased stress on a daily basis. In fact, in a report released by the American Psychological association, 27% of adults reported that on most days, they are too stressed to function. “Nearly half (46%) of those under 35 and more than half (56%) of Black adults under 35 agreed with this statement.¹” This increased stress is directly affecting their well-being and quality of life and can lead to a variety of medical health conditions and issues with substance abuse. As mental health and wellness concerns rise, it can be difficult for practitioners to keep up with the demand, leaving many individuals without the care many so desperately need.

Training and professional development is not only a vital part of learning how to properly administer, score, and interpret the assessments you depend on, it’s also a critical part of our own professional growth. Obtaining that training directly from the source is the best way to ensure you’re using each measure with fidelity.

Most educators would agree that ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is one of the top conditions they see their students grappling with. The numbers have been increasing steadily: While 2019 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found nearly 10% of children and teens ages 3 to 17 had been diagnosed with ADHD, that share is expected to grow as many students coped with situations during quarantines that exacerbated their condition — or revealed it for the first time.

The pandemic drove an already challenging situation for youth mental health to crisis levels. One outcome of that trend is a heightened risk of suicide among young people. In this post, we’ll share details about factors driving the crisis and how educators can help identify at-risk students and create an environment supportive of student mental health and wellbeing in their school or district.