MCHD to observe Children’s Mental Health Week 1-23-26
January 23, 2026
MCHD to observe Children’s Mental Health Week
MOBILE, Ala. — Children’s Mental Health Week will be observed in February. The theme in 2026 is “This is My Place,” emphasizing belonging at home, in school, and in the community. This timing aligns well with local youth focused programming such as the Youth Empowerment Series offered by USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital, which addresses mental health, safety, and parental engagement.
Key dates and overlap
• Children’s Mental Health Week 2026 runs Monday, February 9, through Sunday, February 15.
• USA Health’s Youth Empowerment Series is a six session program beginning January 26, with sessions that include February 9 and March 9 dates, providing a natural bridge into and beyond the awareness week.
Youth Empowerment Series focus
• The series features evidence informed sessions on topics such as gun violence and safer communities, digital citizenship and social media safety, substance use, and teen mental health.
• Each session is led by local experts, including physicians, educators, and law enforcement, and is designed to give parents and youth practical tools they can use immediately.
Parental involvement and mental health
• Strong parental involvement in adolescent mental health interventions improves outcomes compared with youth only approaches, even when the effect size is modest.
• Programs like the Youth Empowerment Series that bring parents and children together to learn and talk about safety, digital life, and emotional well being reinforce family communication and help normalize help seeking.
Suggested message points for your communication
• Note that Children’s Mental Health Week (Feb. 9–15) starts slightly earlier than some local observances but overlaps key USA Health’s Youth Empowerment Series.
• These sessions support Children’s Mental Health Week by equipping parents and caregivers with concrete skills to engage their children around mental health, safety, and everyday challenges.
• Please encourage counselors, schools, and outreach partners to promote both the week and the Youth Empowerment Series as complementary opportunities for families to connect with support.
Dr. Kevin Michaels, Health Officer for Mobile County, said, “Every child loss or not achieving potential represents a family’s heartbreak and a community’s call to action. Our goal is to listen, to learn, and to remove the barriers that keep families from the care and support they deserve.”
CredibleMind is a free digital platform that connects users with mental health and self-care resources to help you manage the ups and downs of life. Whether you’re looking for articles to read, assessments to take, videos to watch, or podcasts to listen to, CredibleMind has the tools to assist you with understanding yourself better and learning how to navigate life’s challenges.
This shared commitment guides CredibleMind provide resources to help children build confidence, cope with challenges, and thrive. To learn more, you may visit https://alabama.crediblemind.com/lists/growing-minds-supporting-childrens-mental-health.
For additional information on USA Health’s Youth Empowerment Series, you may visit the following website: https://www.usahealthsystem.com/news/youth-empowerment-series.