After almost 12 weeks of being outdoors, hanging with their closest friends and giving their brain a break, it’s time for kids to get ready to go back to school. For some children, this can be a time of excitement for what’s to come in the new year.

For others, however, that excitement gives way to anxiety, adding more stress to the back-to-school season than shopping for clothes and classroom supplies.

“I think opening up a conversation is a really great way to signal that there is a transition, we’re gonna name it and we’re gonna get through it together rather than people dealing with it in isolation,” said Jody Baumstein, a licensed psychotherapist with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

According to data from the most recent Georgia School Climate Survey some of these mental health

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