Picture"brain walk" by goopy mart, Creative Common license, some rights reserved

You only get ONE brain... Take care of it!
  • Avoid mind-altering substances
  • Practice making good decisions
  • Share your feelings

    Mind Matters is a family-friendly behavioral health resource page. We are providing links to information, programs and organizations that promote mental wellness, resiliency, and good decisions about drug and alcohol use and other behaviors.

Resources for Kids

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OYLPN consists of youth-led prevention providers and youth from across the state who are committed to the cornerstones of youth-led prevention to ensure that the youth of Ohio have the skills to be successful and build healthy communities, and to foster partnerships and collaborations that promote the cornerstones of youth-led prevention.
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On February 12, 2011, Cole Smoot, a sophomore at Tecumseh High School in New Carlisle, for the first and last time, decided to take a prescription drug that was not his. A few short hours later, Cole was found dead, lying in his bed. Just one pill killed him. Coleswarriors.org is a resource website for teens and families. Includes a drug-free pledge to sign.
"We represent the majority of teens who choose to live positively by making drug & alcohol-free, socially conscious choices. Through unity, we make a difference!"  That's the simple, powerful message of We Are the Majority.

Resources for Parents
NAMI of Miami, Darke and Shelby Counties is a peer-to-peer and support group organization for families living with mental illness. NAMI Basics - Caring for the Young Mind is specifically designed for parents of young children and adolescents with mental illness.
A majority of substance-free adolescents credit their parents for the decision not to use illegal substances. Understand the risks to your children and learn simple, effective strategies to act at starttalking.ohio.gov.
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The National Institute of Mental Health website has information, free publications, videos and other resources for parents and others who work with child and adolescent mental health issues.
How to talk to your kids about marijuana. Download the resource guide.

40 Developmental Assets

The Developmental Assets® Framework identifies 40 positive supports and strengths that young people need to succeed in families, schools, neighborhoods, and communities. 

Videos for Understanding the Developing and Changing Adolescent Brain

Insight Into the Teenage Brain: Adriana Galván at TEDxYouth@Caltech
"This sensitivity [of the teenage brain] to rewards and emotions might lead teens to make poor choices sometimes, but it also presents an excellent opportunity to seek out new adventures, to meet new people, and to confront interesting challenges in ways that people typically don't do later in life."
The Neuroanatomical Transformation of the Teenage Brain: Jill Bolte Taylor at TEDxYouth@Indianapolis
"The teenage years is the time to tend the garden of your mind."
Why we choose suicide: Mark Henick at TEDxToronto
"Since we know that our perceptions are created and continually informed by our biology, by our psychology and by our society, we actually have many entry points for potentially helping and better understanding suicide."