April 16, 2020
As we all know, teens thrive from social interactions.
So how does COVID-19 affect this? Your teen may be asking you if they can have some friends over, or if they can go to a friend’s house.
According to the CDC director, an individual can have COVID-19 and be asymptomatic. This increases the chances of COVID-19 being spread to others, including high-risk individuals. This is why it is so important to practice social distancing, and to tell your teens NO to hanging out with friends at this time.
During this stressful time, teens may struggle with social distancing and turn to substances to cope.
According to the 2018 Prevention Needs Assessment (PNA), 34% of Sweetwater County high school students reported drinking at least one time within the past 30 days. When asked how they acquired their last alcoholic beverage, 22% of students reported getting it from adults aged 21 or over, and 20% of students reported getting it from their parents or a friend’s parent.
Underage drinking is not only illegal, it can cause serious harm to teens as the brain is still developing, not to mention the increased risk of teens driving impaired.
There are 3 medication drop box locations in Sweetwater County
Free medication lock boxes and Deterra drug deactivation bags are available through Southwest Counseling Service and Sweetwater County Prevention Coalition.
For more information, call (307) 352-6680.
Southwest Counseling Service and Sweetwater County Prevention wants to remind you of the following resource:
Southwest Counseling Service on-call services are available and operating 24 hours-7 days a week: (307) 352-6680
National Disaster Crisis Line: (800) 985-5990
April 15, 2020
Taking care of yourself will be important during this period of time of social isolation.
We tend to be social and wanting to have contact with family, friends, neighbors and others. With social distancing and normal routines being interrupted, it will be important to keep a balance in your new normal.
Watch for signs of increased mental distress:
What can you do?
Southwest Counseling Service continues to operate with modifications. Southwest Counseling Service offices are open.
Southwest Counseling Service is requesting individuals do not to come into the facilities if they are sick, coughing, running a temperature, sneezing, etc.
The majority of groups for Southwest Counseling Service will be conducted by telehealth. SCS is also utilizing telephone calls and telehealth with individual clients. Emergency Services are available.