I found a lot of material on mental health for adults on EF but didn't come across anything aimed at kids. As we don't have kids it's a little harder to gauge but a single parent friend of ours is struggling with this issue right now for her child due to the pressures of the last year - and we'd like to be able to offer some suggestions.

I found a ton of academic research into the topic and acknowledgment it's an issue here in Switzerland (One-third of children and adolescents experienced mental health problems during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Switzerland) according to UZH but no tangible solutions - whereas there are a ton of govt. papers, funding and NGO style organisations in the US/UK to support kids & parents.

Thus I was wondering for those parents/teachers on here what suggestions you'd have on this topic and possible resources that are available here in Switzerland - either public or private that you'd feel comfortable recommending please.

Thanks in advance!

No direct experience ..
But school would seem like the place to start . My kids are 8 & 11 and each year there are parent info nights where they always go through the vast list of resources available ..
They always mention mental health and well being, psychologists, behaviourists .. etc etc.

Schulpsychologischer Dienst click on the town you live in and you get the address on the right.

An other website, chose you canton.

Most school have a social worker who could give recommendations. Usually, their phone number is on the school's website.
Paediatricans can also refer children and may have recommendations. They can also make sure the issue is not mainly a physical one.
I've found this as well: https://www.pukzh.ch/unsere-angebote...ndpsychiatrie/
I'm not familiar with the situation in Zurich, but it seems like a place to start.

There are many options - but as others have said, your starting point is to speak to either your child's teacher and request a referral for the school psychologist who would do an assessment and then refer - to the school social worker or the psycomotorik team, or to another therapist or specialsit (if they are also having problems at school) or the paediatrician, who can refer to a specific therapist or to the KJPD (Kinder Jugend Psychiatrie Dienst).



If you cannot access therapy in German, then you can discuss this, it may be trickier to find someone who can to Therapy in English, but it's absolutely possible...


Edited to add: You are certainly not alone, and there are many many resources you can tap into for a child or adolescent - also local youth work teams, specific crisis intervention, family support services etc etc etc. .

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I've also spoken to a teacher on this topic at a leading International school - and they said the school has counsellors etc to support the kids - so need to push the person in the direction of the school resources.

Interestingly as an aside they said they themselves & colleagues receive very little support on this topic given everything that has been thrown at them in the last year - and are seeing staff turnover & time off due to burnout start to become an issue.

For anyone looking for help in Zurich, here's a psychiatric nurse who specifically works with children and young people.
https://www.candrian-app.ch/%C3%BCber-uns/

Such out-patient nursing is offered either in the patient's home, or sometimes in the nurse's practice, or outdoors. This kind of nursing is available to adults and children alike. It is covered by the basic (allgemeine) compulsory medical insurance, as long as it has been prescribed by a doctor. Even if you don't know a doctor, sometimes the nurse will be able to arrange for you to see one, to get the prescription.

Here's another service, for children and young people and their families. Disclaimer: I don't know anything more about them that what I found googling.

http://www.solid-works.ch/sozialpada...amilienarbeit/
Solid Works - Sozialpädagogische Familienarbeit

http://www.solid-works.ch/social/jug...henbegleitung/
Jugendlichenbegleitung

Here are the names of the team members, and the languages they speak:
http://www.solid-works.ch/team/