Great resources to promote mental health

Resources to support child and youth mental health and well-being can be found on the Arthritis Society’s website. These include:   

• Guided Meditation for Chronic Pain: This soothing 12-minute guided meditation video takes listeners through an activity to help reduce pain symptoms. For younger children, you may want to practice along with them. 

• 3-Part Breathing: This four-minute video takes listeners through a relaxing breathing exercise to reduce anxiety and stress, calm the mind, and draw attention away from pain. For younger children, you may want to practice along with them.   

• You, Your Child, and Arthritis: This resource provides information for parents/guardians to understand their child’s disease, available treatments, and coping strategies. 

• Taking charge of your JIA: This interactive, online resource for youth 12-17 provides an overview of JIA, self-care strategies, and suggestions for talking to your healthcare team and teachers. 

• Club Sunrise: A year-round online program with virtual events for children and youth with arthritis to connect, as well as events for parents/caregivers to find support and gain information. 

• Summer Camps: When it is safe to do so, the Arthritis Society will return to in-person summer camp programming for children and youth with arthritis.   

Cassie + Friends is a Canadian charity led by parents and youth affected by Juvenile Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases whose mission is to transform the lives of affected children and families through research, connection, education and support.  Here are some of its resources you can access online: 

• Mental Health Resources -  Parents and youth can access information and tools to help support mental health, including webinars, guided meditations, answers to frequently asked questions, as well as stories from other young people and their families managing JIA.  

• Virtual Education - Find past webinar recordings featuring expert speakers including Canadian pediatric rheumatologists, patients and parents. You’ll also find resources about mental health, pain, school, and medications. 

• ClassRheum Online Resource Hub - Access resources to help you navigate your child’s JIA journey, from initial diagnosis to managing pain, mental health and transitioning to adult care. 

• Parent FAQs – Cassie + Friends provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions by parents, including topics such as JIA, Mental Health, Nutrition, Treatment, Gym Class and more. 

• Support for Families – This page consists of a school toolkit, information about education and connection events for families, and further virtual education to support parents and families.  

• Support for Youth – Programs youth can access including the Youth Leader Network, Teens Taking Charge, Teen Talks, scholarships, a virtual youth panel, and TAG - Teen Arthritis and Autoinflammatory Groups led by young adults across Canada.  

Online communities are also available through Cassie and Friends. Its Online Support Network is a secure, private app where you can connect with other families of children with rheumatic disease and access information resources approved by pediatric rheumatology health teams. If you have a teen with arthritis who is looking  to join a peer support group of other teens  with rheumatic diseases, there are chapters of Teen Arthritis and Autoinflammatory Groups across the country led by young adults with shared lived experiences.  

Guided Meditation Videos: In collaboration with Cassie & Friends, the Hospital for Sick Children developed a series of guided meditations to help youth cope with pain and stress as well as practice mindfulness.    

Taking Charge: Managing JIA: This online program for teens with juvenile arthritis helps users better understand their diagnosis and how to manage symptoms, while also providing helpful coping strategies, lifestyle tips, and suggestions for looking ahead to the future. 

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Learning Hub: This resource for parents provides an overview of many aspects of JIA including diagnosis, treatment, and self-management. The sections on Teens Taking Charge: Managing JIA Online and Teens Taking Charge: Letting Go help parents better understand the impact of JIA on the family and help them encourage positive coping behaviours in their teen.   

Psychological treatments for JIA: Learn more about how JIA can impact a child’s emotions, when to seek professional help, and what types of therapies are available. 

AboutKidsHealth Mental Health Learning Hub: Here you can learn about how to support your child’s overall well-being and mental health, as well as learn about signs, symptoms and treatments related to different types of mental health conditions. The section on Parenting a Child with a Chronic Condition is for parents and caregivers of children living with a chronic health condition. 

Mental Health Learning Hub for Teens: Youth can learn how to better support their own mental health through useful resources on mental health and chronic conditions; taking care of their well-being through physical activity, nutrition and good sleep habits; as well as dealing with stress.     

Health Games and Videos for Kids: This site includes a number of videos for children on relaxation and breathing, as well as coping with pain, worrying and bullying.   

ICanCope Pain Self-Management App: This app provides youth and young adults with pain education and self-management strategies to help them cope with persistent pain.   

Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre: Find online resources, tools and information to support your child’s mental wellbeing. Many of their resources are available in multiple languages and cover topics such as Managing Stress, Sleeping Well, Eating Well, and Practicing Mindfulness. 

Managing Stress: These resources help parents identify when their child might be experiencing stress and take action to address it. 

Relaxation Exercises: These tips, videos and activities will help your child find ways to relax when feeling overwhelmed by their arthritis or by other stressors.   

Mental Health Resource Library: Access information on promoting resiliency in children and youth, mindfulness and wellbeing, anxiety, sleep and other topics through the resource library. 

Stress in My Day Worksheet: A printable worksheet that helps children identify their sources of stress and what they and adults in their lives can do to address it.