Promoting mental wellness in children and adolescents through positive coping mechanisms.

Children and adolescents frequently experience stressful events such as moving to a new city, divorce of parents, or peer pressure. Parents may be unavailable or unable to model effective coping mechanisms for their children. Without adequate coping mechanisms children frequently are unable to adapt to a stressor; thus a crisis develops. School nurses and other school professionals are in a key position to help young people handle stressful life events and prevent a crisis. This paper reviews stress and suggests techniques to assist children and adolescents to identify and utilize coping strategies while in crisis.