Brightside Behavioral Health

At Brightside, we want to see individuals boost their self confidence and avoid self sabotage. Through actions such as positive self talk and treating yourself with the same kindness you would a friend, you can remind yourself that you’re worthy of happiness and success. Embrace your strengths and know that you are capable! ❤️

Parents Are Asking for More Student Support. SAFE in RI Was Built to Help.

After reports that a Rhode Island student jumped from the roof of her high school this week, a lot of people were left shaken. Parents. Teachers. Students. Clinicians. Even people who did not know her personally felt it in their chest.

Because stories like this force people to confront something many have already been quietly feeling for a long time now; kids are not okay as often as they pretend to be.

A lot of children and teens are carrying levels of stress, anxiety, loneliness, pressure, emotional overwhelm, and hopelessness that adults do not always fully see. Some kids talk openly about it. A lot do not. Some become angry. Some shut down. Some stop going to school. Some become perfectionistic. Some isolate themselves. Some try very hard to look completely fine while struggling to hold themselves together internally. And schools are trying to respond to all of this while already stretched beyond capacity.

Most educators genuinely care deeply about their students. They are not missing these things because they do not care. They are trying to manage classrooms, academics, behaviors, safety concerns, staffing shortages, parent concerns, emotional crises, and the needs of hundreds of children all at once. School counselors and support staff are overwhelmed too. The need has outgrown the resources in many places.

That is where SAFE in RI comes in. SAFE in RI is a school based mental health initiative through Brightside Behavioral Health created to help schools provide additional emotional and behavioral support for students before things reach a crisis point.

Not to replace schools.
Not to criticize schools.
Not to create more work for already exhausted staff.
To support them.

SAFE stands for Support, Awareness, Family, and Empowerment. The program was built around the idea that kids do better when they have more safe adults, more emotional support, more connection, and more opportunities to learn coping skills before they are in crisis.

Depending on what a school needs, SAFE in RI can provide student groups, emotional regulation support, coping skills, psychoeducation, family resources, staff collaboration, and additional support for students who may be struggling socially, emotionally, or behaviorally. Schools can also request educator trainings focused on things staff are seeing every day but often feel underprepared to manage alone, like anxiety, emotional dysregulation, school avoidance, warning signs of mental health struggles, and ways to support students without burning themselves out in the process.

No two schools are the same. No two students are the same. The goal is not to force schools into a rigid program. The goal is to meet schools where they are and help strengthen the support systems already in place.

Parents have a voice in this too. Schools often need to know families want more emotional and mental health support available for students. If this sounds like something your child’s school could benefit from, start the conversation. Reach out to administrators. Talk with school counselors. Ask your district about SAFE in RI.

Sometimes people think change has to start with some huge nationwide initiative. Sometimes it starts much smaller than that. Sometimes it starts with enough adults saying, “Our kids need more support”, and they deserve to have it before they reach a crisis. Talk to your local schools. Ask what emotional and mental health supports are available for students. Start conversations with your children earlier and more often. SAFE in RI was created to help build stronger support systems, increase awareness, strengthen family and school connection, and give students the tools and safe spaces they need before they reach a crisis point. Keeping Rhode Island’s kids safe takes all of us.