People often say that “kids don’t come with a manual” to illustrate the fear and frustration that comes from learning to parent one challenge at a time.
This is especially true for caregivers who face added difficulties due to the child’s mental health struggles. If mental health isn’t discussed in your family or social circles, you may not know where to begin. What you need is clarity about the realities of children’s mental illness. Explore our blogs and videos for tips!

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Spotlighting an Incredible Volunteer at Clarity Child Guidance Center
If you have visited Clarity Child Guidance Center’s campus, chances are you probably know Kay Perez who works as a Unit Clerk. But do you know her son and our new star-studded…
read moreUnderstanding Triggers for Kids with a Mental Illness
Anyone can be set off by certain events in their environment: a criticism, a failure, overstimulation. For children with mental illness such triggers could have…
read moreHistorical Timeline: Clarity Child Guidance Center Celebrates 135 Years in 2021
2021 marks 135 years of Clarity Child Guidance Center’s mission to help children, adolescents, and families overcome the disabling effects of mental illness and improve…
read morePresentations & Speakers for Claritycon Reimagined on April 9, 2021
The fourth Claritycon2020-2021 Reimagined event is coming up on April 9, 2021! Tickets are still available. We hope you’ll join us online or in person!…
read moreToo Much of a Good Thing: The Impact of Technology on Teens’ Mental Wellness
Technology is rapidly evolving and regardless of how you feel about it, the changes are here to stay as a part of our daily lives.…
read moreSelf-Care Means Practicing What You Preach
The hierarchy of my life – a typical #momlife – goes something like kids first, then family, work, school, spouse, the household, pets, friends, planet…
read moreWhen Your Child Experienced Trauma
More than half of children aged 3-5 experience a traumatic event. Science shows how trauma can have a long-term impact on their development. But with…
read moreClarity Child Guidance Center CEO on Surviving Last Week’s Weather Crisis
Extreme weather conditions had a serious impact on the functioning of Clarity CGC last week. Join our CEO Jessica Knudsen to hear some of the challenges…
read moreMental Health and My Community
Mental health is our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act. It is important at every stage of life,…
read moreWarm Hearts During Cold Winter Days
The winter storm sweeping across Texas has left thousands of families without power or water for days at a time. Numerous nonprofits have risen to…
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Feeling Gratitude In A Valley Of Shadows: What One Mother Has Gained From Her Son’s Serious Mental Illness
In November 2010, I celebrated my first Thanksgiving as a full time single parent of a very special boy who had an un-diagnosed serious mental…
read moreMore Than Their Labels: How To Talk To Your Child About Their Diagnosis
Let’s face it: Labels are useful. For consumers, labels can point us to a trusted brand, or give us important information about how to care…
read moreUpfront Communication Can Help Ease The Fears Of Military Children
With the overabundance of media outlets today, many adults have difficulty discerning the line between reality and fantasy, so it should come as no surprise…
read moreHow To Prepare For Your Child Turning 18
Turning 18 is a significant milestone for children and parents alike. It’s a rite of passage that children look forward to, as they think “Finally,…
read more6 tips to practice co-parenting with your children in mind
Raising a child with an ex-partner after a separation or divorce can present many unique challenges to an already complicated task. This can become particularly…
read moreChallenging Behavior: Practical Solutions for Assessment and Intervention
Wendy Guffey, MEd, BCBA, has her Masters’ Degree in Education and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, with an interest in challenging behavior and behavior…
read moreYou Are What You Eat: Nutrition Plays An Important Role In Children’s Brain Health
After my 2012 blog about parenting a child with mental illness, “I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother,” went viral, I received numerous suggestions about ways to…
read moreHelping Your Teen Care About Mental Wellness
Sometimes, getting a teenager to do something that’s good for them may seem next to impossible, even when it’s common, typical things like eating well…
read moreAvoiding Travel Travails: A Little Planning Can Go A Long Way To Ensuring Your Spring Break Travel Is Fun For Everyone
Spring Break is my family’s favorite time to travel. Because we live in chilly Idaho and our grandmas both live in sunny southern California, we…
read moreWhen Valentine’s Day Falls Short
It’s a familiar scene. A mother attempts to comfort her young daughter as tears stream down the girl’s face. All of the daughter’s friends received…
read moreBullying and the Impact on Children’s Mental Health
Faith G. Harper, PhD, LPC-S, and Adrian Warren, PhD, LPC-S, present “Bullying and the Impact on Children’s Mental Health.” This 5-part video series, recorded during…
read moreBipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents
In this on-demand video series, Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents, Soad Michelsen, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Clarity CGC, reviews the difference between…
read moreKids and Psychotropic Medications
Learn about commonly prescribed psychotropic medications for children and adolescents and the effects that parents and teachers should be aware of. For our latest on-demand…
read moreBehavior Management
Parents sometimes just don’t know what to do when their child is angry, aggressive, oppositional or sad. These are the difficult behaviors that challenge people’s…
read moreChild and Adolescent Depression
Learn how to help children and adolescents with depression. For this 2-part series, Jeffrey Grimes, PhD, Clarity Child Guidance Center clinical psychologist, provides an overview…
read moreFetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
This 3-part series on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is presented by Melanie Lane, LMSW, LCDC, AAC, the Unit Coordinator for the Center for Health…
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Parental Incarceration
This 3-part series will help you to understand the impact of parental incarceration on children, identify feelings associated with having a parent in jail or…
read moreLatinas and Suicide
Recent research has found that 15% of Latina teenagers reported attempting suicide in the past year as compared to only 8% of African-Americans and non-Hispanic…
read moreBrain and Addiction
Addiction (substance dependence) is a complex physical, emotional, and spiritual phenomenon. The brain is the primary target for substances of abuse and dependence. Understanding the…
read moreBrain Development
Jeannie Von Stultz, PhD, psychologist and Director of Mental Health Services for Bexar County Juvenile Probation, explains how and why adolescents think differently. For this…
read moreSpectrum Disorders
Steven Gonzalez, PhD, psychologist and clinical director at the South Texas Behavioral Institute, explains how spectrum disorders affect a child’s behavior. For this 3-part series,…
read moreCulture of Poverty
Arnulfo C. Hernández Ojeda, LMSW, PhD, detention counselor at the Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center, helps you better understand the Culture of Poverty in our…
read moreIntroverted Children
Rick Edwards, LPC, Clarity Child Guidance Center director of inpatient services, helps you better understand introverted kids in our latest On-demand Video. For this 2-part…
read moreTic Disorders
Ivana Balic, MD, child and adolescent fellow at Clarity Child Guidance Center, provides an overview of: different types of tic disorders, diagnosis, treatments and outcomes,…
read morePsychiatric Medication in Children
In this 4-part series, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Soad Michelsen, MD, explains what happens before starting a child on medication treatment, discusses what off label…
read moreDeputy Mobile Outreach
Deputy Ross Garza explains how the Deputy Mobile Outreach Team (DMOT) pairs deputies with mental health assessors to assist the community with crisis calls. Deputy…
read moreMental Health Triage: Parents on the Front Lines
Melissa Deuter, MD/Medical Director of Sigma Mental Health Urgent Care, leads a session on how educators and mental health professionals work with families to define…
read moreWhat is Mental Illness?
When we hear these words, a number of ideas may come to mind, many of them distressful and negative, and it helps to have a…
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