FAQ

The BrightLife Kids experience

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Sessions with behavioral health experts

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Video sessions available in 19 languages

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Care guides to help you find local resources

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Digital library of articles and videos

Frequently asked questions

BrightLife Kids is for any family living in California with kids 0-12 years old. Parents and caregivers can turn to BrightLife Kids for peer support and expert advice on how to handle behavioral challenges while teaching resilience, problem-solving, and communication. Kids benefit from resources and coaching that teach them how to manage worries, how to express big feelings like sadness, anger, or frustration in healthy ways, and how to navigate complicated or confusing social situations.

No. Insurance is not needed to use the BrightLife Kids program.

Yes. BrightLife Kids is a program that is entirely paid for by the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI). The CYBHI is a $4.7B package of investments initiated by Governor Gavin Newsom to support California’s kids. The goal is to give kids and families the opportunity to receive expert behavioral health support in an easy-to-access, digital format, at no cost to the families.

We offer personalized support, content, and resources for parents/caregivers of kids 0–12 years old.

Our partner Kooth has created a no-cost program called Soluna that was built to support youth from 13–25 years old. Please visit SolunaApp.com to get more information.

School counselors are a great in-person resource, especially for high-needs kids who need academic, career, and personal support. They also help every other student, every day. But sometimes issues or questions come up after school, on weekends, and over holidays. Or there might be times when you need to talk to someone about behavior, but the school counselor isn’t available. Think of BrightLife Kids — with our on-demand resources and video coaching — as an extra layer of support at no cost. We help boost the support at school by helping with family, relationships, and your child’s overall emotional development. Parents/caregivers and kids can get advice or information 24/7 from our library of articles and videos. They can also send a secure message to their coach anytime or schedule a private video coaching session from home, school, or wherever they are.

BrightLife Kids is an added layer of behavioral health support for students and families. School counselors or primary care providers can direct kids and families to BrightLife Kids for help and guidance. However, parents/caregivers and kids do not need a formal referral from anyone to access the program.

Virtual care for kids and their parents/caregivers has been found to be just as effective as in-person care, especially for common concerns like managing worries, sadness, anger, sleep, or tantrums. When in-person care is needed for situations that need an immediate or intensive response, or if a coach’s assessment determines a different level of care is required, BrightLife Kids will guide members to the right care in the community.

BrightLife Kids is committed to providing our families with diverse and inclusive care. Our coaches are bilingual in English and Spanish. They come from diverse backgrounds (just like the families they work with) and are sensitive to different cultures, traditions, and ways of life. Coaches also have experience working with LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and gender-diverse populations. And BrightLife Kids has partnered with Violet to make sure our coaches have the right training.

Yes. We have coaches who are bilingual (English/Spanish) and we offer live translation services that cover 17 other languages* for parents/caregivers who need it. Some of our on-demand digital resources are also available in both English and Spanish.

*Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, Armenian, Russian, Farsi, Japanese, Arabic, Cambodian, Hindi, Hmong, Thai, Laotian, Punjabi, Mien, and Ukrainian

Yes, we ask that parents/caregivers complete the registration process for their kids.

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Supporting kids with

anxiety

BrightLife Kids provides California families with free coaching for kids ages 0-12. Live 1:1 video sessions, secure chat, parent forums, and more.

No cost. No insurance needed. All right from home. Let's get started!

What is BrightLife Kids coaching?

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At BrightLife Kids, coaching meets families early, before challenges feel overwhelming, with practical, evidence-based support that fits your life. Guided by clinical expertise and delivered with care, our approach builds skills, confidence, and resilience when they matter most.

What coaching sessions are like:

  • 25-30 minutes long
  • Virtual
  • Every week to start

Early on, you and your coach will:

  • Get to know each other and build a rapport
  • Get clear on what's feeling hardest right now
  • Identify goals that feel realistic and manageable
  • Create a shared plan for how coaching will support your family

Over time, sessions focus on:

  • Learning and practicing tools you can use at home
  • Checking in on what's working and what needs adjusting
  • Building confidence as challenges feel more manageable
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