Support for Parents and Carers

How can you support your child with their mental health?

Developing day-to-day positive mental health habits are an effective way to look after your own mental well-being. Below are some suggestions to help your child develop good habits.

Try and talk openly about mental health.

Just as you might encourage them to eat fruit and veg to keep their bodies healthy, try and talk more openly about how for example, staying connected with others or being physically active can help to take care of our mental health.

Model good habits.

Young people and children often learn from what they see around them. Looking after your own mental health helps to show them what good habits look like.

Phone usage – both theirs and yours

Using phones and laptops can impact on our sleep, which is important to our mental health. Being mindful of your child’s phone use, especially late at night is important. Phones can also become a barrier to connecting more with others, where we are distracted and less likely to listen.

Notice any changes in your child’s behaviour.

Young people tell us how they’re feeling in many ways, not always verbally. Learning what is normal for your child makes it easier to notice when things change, and if this might be a sign that they’re struggling.

Let your child know that you’re concerned

Explain why you feel that way, e.g. if you’ve noticed they haven’t been interested in activities they usually enjoy.

The POWER of talking and listening

The video below is from a teenager’s perspective about the importance of listening.

Helpful Tips

Use activities that you do together to have conversations about how they are

Talking whilst doing something together, side by- side, such as cooking, can help them share their feelings more easily than a face-to-face conversation.

Talking about feelings can be sensitive, so making sure the space is private, comfortable, and feels safe for your child is important.

Let them know that struggling sometimes is normal and nothing to be ashamed of

Tell them about the mental health spectrum and that we all, including you, go up and down the scale throughout our lives. Reassure them that talking about difficult feelings with the people we trust is a brave thing to do.

Listen and empathise

Often the first step to feeling better is feeling connected and knowing that someone is alongside you. Empathy helps young people (and adults) connect. Empathy involves acknowledging what your child is feeling, trying to understand things from their point of view and avoiding judgement. Empathy is usually more helpful than giving advice or trying to ‘fix’ their problem.

Timing

Think about whether your child feels ready to talk Just because you want to talk doesn’t mean they feel ready to. Look out for the things they say, and their body language, too, for indicators on whether they really want to talk about their feelings.

Choosing a time when you are both calm and relaxed can be more useful than choosing a time when there are any heightened emotions already at play.

Open questions (rather than closed ones)

Closed questions usually encourage yes or no type answers. For example, Do you like school? is a closed question, because the response is likely to be either ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Open questions, on the other hand, go a bit deeper and encourage more thinking and exploration. Try saying, ‘tell me about school?’. This simple difference in style might help your child consider their own thoughts and feelings a little more and encourage them to share more of their story or problem with you.

Top Tips for parents and carers:

Listen and observe

Young people communicate not just with what they say, but what they do.

Avoid trying to fix it

Often a young person just wants to share and not for you to find the solution.

Do an activity

Doing an activity whilst chatting can help to take the pressure off.

Validate their feelings

Reassure them and let them know that their feelings are OK.

Encouragement

Praise them for talking.

Additional Support

If you are worried about your child you can….

Reach out for support by either speaking to your GP or a member of staff in school.

In school you can speak to your child’s HOY or a member of the safeguarding team who will be able to advise you of what support we can offer in school or provide you with possible external sources of help.

Below are some helpline numbers and websites that can offer support.

Support	Helpline number/website
Samaritans	116123
Childline	0800 1111
Mermaids (LGBTQ+)	0808 801 0400
Papyrus (Prevention of young Suicide)	0800 068 4141
SHOUT	TEXT SHOUT 85258 (24hr text service)
Young Carers (Warwickshire/Staffs)	01926 963940/01785 278444
Winstons’ Wish (bereavement)	0808 802 0021
Grief Encounter	0808 8020111 (9am-9pm weekdays)
Barnardo’s	08000087005
Beat (eating disorders)	0808 801 0677/ help@eatingdisorders.org.uk
National bullying helpline	0300 323 0169
RSVP (Rape & sexual violence project)	0808 196 2340/ wmppaeds.sarc@nhs.net
The Mix	0808 808 4994/Text THEMIX 85258 (4pm-12)
Young minds	Youngminds.org
Kooth	Kooth.com