Tag Archives: anxiety

Be Not Anxious…Signs That a Child Might Struggle With Anxiety (Part One):

Welcome to our Summer Blog Series examining the impact of anxiety disorders on church participation and spiritual development in kids. Today…we’ll begin to look at signs church staff, volunteers and parents might observe in the child struggling with anxiety Continue reading

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Be Not Anxious: The Many Faces of Anxiety in Kids

Welcome to our Summer Blog Series examining the impact of anxiety disorders on church participation and spiritual development in kids. In today’s post, we’ll look at the different ways in which anxiety disorders occur manifest in kids. Continue reading

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Be Not Anxious…How Common are Anxiety Disorders in Kids?

Kids with anxiety disorders are different from their peers in that they misperceive the level of threat or danger in their environment. Fear and worry become a cause for concern when they significantly interfere with a child’s ability to function in an age-appropriate way in school, with friends, as a member of their family or in extracurricular activities, including church.
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Be Not Anxious…Helping Kids With Anxiety Grow Spiritually

More so than any other disability, anxiety is seen as a condition that’s indicative of a lack of faith. That awareness, in and of itself, can produce more anxiety in a child or a parent seeking to follow Christ or grow in faith. Continue reading

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Summer Stuff

Summer may have arrived (even in Northeast Ohio), but our crew at Key Ministry will hardly be relaxing and taking it easy over the next few months. Continue reading

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Depression and Comorbidity in Children and Adolescents

Children and youth who meet criteria for a full-fledged episode of Major Depression are especially prone to comorbid mental health disorders. The slide below illustrates some of the most common comorbidities associated with depression in children and teens. Depending upon the practice setting, as many as 90% of kids with depression have at least one comorbid condition, while 50% experience two or more conditions. Continue reading

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The Pros and Cons of Medication for Kids

Bottom line…Medication in the hands of an appropriately trained physician can be one instrument God uses in responding to prayers for a child with a serious emotional or behavioral disorder. In the same way, God may use a physician who’s not necessarily a Christian to bring about healing Continue reading

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What’s Causing the Epidemic of Mental Illness in Kids?

I spend my days dealing with kids with real disabilities accompanied by well-meaning parents who more so than anything desire the best for their kids and are willing to try the strategies our practice team recommends. Continue reading

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Are We Providing a Service or Leading a Movement? (Part Two)

Key Ministry has a unique leadership role in the Movement in equipping the church to connect with families of kids with emotional or behavioral disorders that may not widely be viewed as “disabilities” but nevertheless pose barriers to family church participation. Continue reading

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Church, We’ve Got a Problem

How will the church serve a generation of families with kids who have issues with emotions or behavior that interfere with their ability to function on a day to day basis?

Kids with “hidden disabilities” like these are gradually becoming the new normal. Check out this study in the current issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. To summarize:

22 % of U.S. children entering first grade met criteria for at least one mental disorder. Continue reading

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