Summer and Mental Health Tips: Support Your Child's Wellbeing and Recovery

Summer can be a wonderful time for children and teens to rest, reconnect, and enjoy a break from the demands of school. However, for many families, summer can also bring changes in routine, increased free time, social pressures, body image concerns, food-related stress, anxiety, or a return of symptoms that were easier to manage during the structure of the school year.

At Home For Balance, we understand that summer is not always “carefree” for every child or teen. For some, the lack of structure can increase emotional dysregulation, obsessive thoughts, isolation, eating disorder behaviors, anxiety, depression, or family conflict. The good news is that summer can also be an opportunity to build emotional resilience, strengthen family support, and create a plan for healing before the next school year begins.

Why Summer Can Be Challenging for Mental Health

During the school year, children and teens often rely on predictable schedules, academic expectations, extracurricular activities, and regular social contact. When summer arrives, that structure may suddenly disappear. While some children welcome the break, others may feel ungrounded or anxious.

Common summer mental health challenges may include:

• Increased anxiety due to lack of routine or uncertainty

• More time on screens and social media

• Body image concerns related to summer clothing, pool days, or vacations

• Increased food stress during travel, family gatherings, or changes in meal schedules

• Isolation from peers

• Difficulty with sleep routines

• Increased conflict at home

• Avoidance behaviors related to OCD, anxiety, or eating disorders

• Emotional overwhelm during transitions, including preparing for college

For children and teens already struggling with anxiety, eating disorders, OCD, trauma, depression, ARFID, or body image concerns, summer can be an important time to receive additional support.

How Parents Can Support Their Child’s Mental Health This Summer

1. Create Structure Without Making Summer Feel Rigid

Children and teens need rest, but they also benefit from rhythm and predictability. A flexible routine can help reduce anxiety and create emotional safety. This might include regular wake-up times, meals and snacks, movement, social activities, family time, and downtime. The goal is not to overschedule the summer, but to provide enough structure so your child knows what to expect. If they struggle with an eating disorder, the summer can be a great time to focus on strengthening the foundation of recovery by providing meal structure and support.

2. Keep Communication Open and Compassionate

Summer can bring more time together as a family, which can be an opportunity to check in emotionally. Try asking open-ended questions such as: “How have you been feeling lately? ”What has felt easier or harder since school ended?” “Is there anything you need more support with right now?”

When children feel heard rather than judged, they are more likely to share what they are experiencing.

3. Watch for Signs That Your Child May Need More Support

Some emotional ups and downs are normal, but certain signs may indicate that your child could benefit from professional help. These may include increased withdrawal, irritability, changes in eating or sleeping patterns, avoidance, panic symptoms, compulsive behaviors, self-critical comments, body image distress, loss of interest in activities, or increased conflict around food. If your child is struggling more than usual, summer can be a helpful time to intervene before symptoms become more entrenched.

4. Support a Balanced Relationship With Food and Body

Summer can be especially difficult for children and teens who struggle with eating disorders, ARFID, body image concerns, or anxiety around food. Parents can help by avoiding comments about weight, size, calories, “good” or “bad” foods, dieting, or needing to “earn” food through exercise or "perfect behavior".

Instead, focus on balance, nourishment, flexibility, and connection. Family meals, neutral food language, and compassionate support can help your child feel safer around food.

5. Encourage Connection, Not Perfection

Children and teens do not need a “perfect” summer. They need connection, support, and opportunities to build confidence. Encourage activities that help your child feel grounded, creative, capable, and connected to others. This may include art, nature, movement, volunteering, hobbies, therapy, or structured support programs.

How Our Summer Intensives and Special Programs Can Support Wellbeing and Recovery

At Home For Balance Psychotherapy Group, LLC, our specialized programs are designed for children, adolescents, young adults, and families who may need more support than traditional outpatient therapy alone can provide. Our programs are based on evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT Skills), Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT), and Exposure and Response Prevention ( ERP), and emphasize professional collaboration, family involvement, and individualized care. We believe that strong family support and a collaborative treatment team are key parts of recovery, especially for concerns such as eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and OCD. We also offer Trauma Intensives based on EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).

Our programs may be appropriate for children 5 and up, pre-teens and adolescents, who need additional support, may feel ambivalent about a higher level of care, or are transitioning back from a higher level of care and need help maintaining progress. Below is a description of our programs:

Eating Recovery Transitional Intensive Program

Our Eating Recovery Transitional Intensive Program offers families a way to participate directly in their child’s eating disorder recovery. This program provides an individualized and accelerated structure based on your child’s needs and includes parent training and support.

This program may include individual therapy, nutrition assessment and nutrition sessions, family sessions, parent support, meal support, food journal support, collaboration with other treatment providers, and ongoing reevaluation of treatment goals.

This can be especially helpful during the summer when families may have more time to focus on recovery, practice meal support, and strengthen skills before school starts again. our programs address the needs of those struggling with anorexia, bulimia, ARFID, binge eating disorder, and negative body image.

OCD Intensive Treatment Program

For children and teens struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, or phobias, our OCD Intensive Treatment Program offers a collaborative and supportive way to work on symptoms with more frequency and structure. The program includes an initial diagnostic evaluation, two individual therapy sessions per week, family therapy, parent sessions, progress reassessment, and team consultation when appropriate. Nutrition counseling with a dietitian specialized in OCD is also available.

Summer can be a meaningful time to address OCD symptoms because children may have more flexibility in their schedules and more opportunities to practice skills outside of school demands.

EMDR Intensives

For kids, teens, or young adults struggling with trauma, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, or unresolved emotional pain associated with divorce and traumatic events, EMDR Intensives may provide a focused way to process distressing experiences in a shorter period of time. EMDR intensives are designed to provide extended, immersive sessions that include preparation, coping strategies, trauma processing, and post-intensive support.

This format may be helpful for individuals who want to address a specific traumatic experience or emotional difficulty without waiting months to make progress in weekly therapy.

Transition to College Nutrition Program

For high school graduates preparing to leave for college, our Transition to College Nutrition Program helps young adults learn about nutrition, meal planning, grocery shopping, mindful eating, and intuitive eating. The program includes six interactive and experiential sessions designed to help students develop a more balanced approach to eating as they transition into college life.

This program can be especially helpful for students who need support building confidence around food, independence, planning meals, and maintaining balance during a major life transition, and those who are in eating recovery but want more support as they will become more independent with food.

Summer Can Be a Time for Healing

Supporting your child’s mental health this summer does not mean you have to have all the answers. It means noticing what your child needs, staying connected, and reaching out for support when concerns become too difficult to manage alone.

With the right structure, compassionate communication, and professional guidance, summer can become a season of growth, healing, and preparation for the months ahead.

At Home For Balance Psychotherapy, we are here to support children, teens, young adults, and families with care that is collaborative, compassionate, and individualized.

For more information about our special programs, please contact us at 561.600.1424 or email info@homeforbalance.com to schedule a free 30-minute phone consultation.

Healing in the summer begins when we create enough structure to feel safe and enough space to grow.