DENVER (KDVR) — At Children’s Hospital Colorado, the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit is completely full, with zero available beds. The hospital’s emergency department is overwhelmed as well, averaging close to 18 behavioral health visits from children in crisis every single day, a result of the pandemic’s impact on mental health.

“They’re struggling in a way we haven’t seen before,” Dr. Jenna Glover said.

To make matters worse, child therapists across the state are overwhelmed, turning away patients left and right.

“We get stories of parents who have tried 5, 6, 10 providers,” said Craig Knippenberg, a mental health therapist. “With kids I have in acute crisis, trying to get them into the emergency room even, is tough.”

Knippenberg is known for his extensive work with Colorado children, including following the Columbine High School shooting. His private practice is seeing the impact too, as parents struggle to find mental health resources for their kids. 

“Even before COVID, Denver did not have enough child psychiatrists. We were short on psychiatrists already. Now, they’re all overwhelmed,” he said.

How parents can help care for kids’ mental health

Wednesday, Children’s Hospital hosted a free town hall, hoping to give parents advice on navigating mental health concerns.

“You don’t want to wait for somebody to be in crisis to try and find the things they need,” Glover said. “You want to plan before a crisis happens and for all of us, it’s not a matter of if a crisis will happen, it’s when.”

Glover said there are a number of steps parents can take. One concrete example is focusing on what she calls “The Big 4”: sleeping, eating, physical activity and outside time.

“Those are very small things, but they’re really the foundation for physical and mental health,” she said.

Glover also recommends limiting the amount of “passive” screen time your child has, steering them toward active activities like chatting with someone or building something creative.

“Passive screen time tends to actually be quite toxic, and it’s associated with increased levels of anxiety and depression. We’ve all done a little passive screen time where you’re scrolling on Facebook or Tiktok and all of a sudden three hours have gone by. That’s passive — you’re just taking it in, you’re not engaging, and you’re not creating, so make sure your kids are engaging in active screen time, and try to reduce the amount of passive screen time,” she said.

Knippenberg said the biggest tool parents have at their disposal is communication and finding outlets to let kids discuss their struggles. 

“It’s just looking for different opportunities to help them express it, and validate it, and feel listened to and understood,” he said. “Really, that’s what people need emotionally, is to have someone say, ‘I understand how you feel.'”

Knippenberg recommended using things like a gratitude journal, where kids write down things they’re grateful for once a day. 

“Focusing on gratitude is a good thing for children,” he said. “Children are more resilient than adults because children are always still looking to the future.”