Tips for Parents: Supporting Your Teen’s Mental Health

Mental health struggles (ie: depression or anxiety) are common among teenagers - and parents play an important role in supporting them through these challenges. As a parent, you may feel overwhelmed and unsure about how to help your child. In this article, we'll provide crucial tips to help your teen with mental health along with some homework assignments for parents who want to better help their teens.

Connecting with Your child

It's essential to show your kid that you care and are there to support them. Create a safe and supportive environment where they can express their feelings without fear of judgment or rejection. Be present and listen actively, asking open-ended questions that encourage your teen to share their thoughts and emotions.

Here are some tips to help you in showing your child emotional support:

1. Show your care and concern: Let your teen know that you care about them and are there to support them. Listen to them actively and show empathy for their struggles.

2. Create a safe and supportive environment: Your teen needs to feel safe, seen, and supported to open up about their mental health struggles. Create an environment that is free from judgment, criticism, and punishment.

3. Be present and listen without judgment: Encourage your teen to talk to you and be present when they do. Listen actively without interrupting, and avoid judging or criticizing their thoughts or feelings.

Encouraging Openness

Normalize the conversation around mental health and help your teen understand that it's okay to feel overwhelmed or anxious at times. Validate their feelings and let them know that seeking help is a sign of strength. Encourage them to talk to you or another trusted adult, such as a counselor, another family member, or mental health professional.

Here are some tips to help you encourage openness:

1. Normalize the conversation: Talk openly about mental health and let your teen know that it's okay to feel overwhelmed or anxious at times.

2. Validate their feelings: Let your teen know that their feelings are valid and that it's okay to seek help. Avoid minimizing or dismissing their emotions.

3. Encourage therapy and seeking help: Let your teen know that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Encourage them to talk to a trusted adult, such as a teacher, counselor, or mental health professional. You can help them or take charge in setting up therapy appointment if they want or need help.

Giving Them Space

Respect your teen's boundaries and allow them to express their emotions in their own way. Be available when they need you, but also give them space to process their thoughts and feelings. Strive for a balance between support and independence.

Here are some tips to help you give your teen space:

1. Respect their boundaries: Your teen needs to feel in control of their mental health journey. Respect their boundaries and avoid pressuring them to talk or share their feelings if they’re not yet comfortable with how to share it.

2. Allow them to express their emotions: Encourage your teen to express their emotions in their own ways, whether it's through journaling, drawing, bike rides, or talking to a friend!

3. Balance support with independence: While it's essential to support your teen, it's also crucial to help them build their independence! Encourage them to take small steps towards recovery and explore different self-care practices. You can ask whether they need any help finding resources, setting small goals to work towards, or for ideas on things to try. Just be sure that they feel encouraged in their independence as well!

homework Assignments & activities for Parents to Better Help Their Child struggling with mental health

Here are some additional tips or homework assignments for parents who want to better help their teens!

1. Family Fun Day: Encourage healthy habits by planning a family fun day that includes outdoor activities and healthy snacks. Reflect on the day and discuss how these habits can be incorporated into your family's routine as weekly or monthly traditions. Maintaining quality time with your teen is important so they continue to feel connected with you - it is also so helpful for their overall wellbeing and self care, which positively impacts mental health too! Invite them to help plan which fun activities you want to do Maybe they’re not an outdoorsy person - how about board games in the sun for vitamin D and fresh air? Maybe an outdoor painting or doodling session? Maybe some frisbee, football or volleyball? Make sure its something they would enjoy too!

2. Daily Routine Planning: Help your teen establish a daily routine that includes regular exercise, healthy meals, and adequate sleep. Every teen is different, but most will receive this help better if you approach it in a fun, playful, and happy way vs. a sit-down talk approach. Some ideas would be to make a fun slide show including silly memes relatable to things they like (ie: The Office memes), using fun colors or their favorite colors, and including visuals that make it known that the goal is to feel happier and lighter about life - not as an attack or as if something is wrong with them. You can create a visual chart together that outlines a routine to give a try and discuss how sticking to it can positively improve how they feel from day-to-day! If you’re able to, the best approach is to participate in these activities with them - this reinforces that this is healthy for everyone, that they’re supported and not alone in trying something new, and it gives them further accountability.

3. Gratitude Journal: Each day, everyone in your family can each write down something that they’re grateful for that day and talk about it! Try doing this later in the evening or before bed - this allows for a dedicated time to do it each night for positive thinking (routine) and will encourage your child to fall asleep with more positive things on their mind.

4. Positivity Posters: Normalize mental health + positivity by creating a fun mental health “poster” with your teen. Hang it in a visible place in your home such as the fridge, by the front door, or on the door of each of your rooms! If you find your child is particularly interested in mental health and spreading kindness, you can take them to local community boards and hang them there together as a way to encourage them to advocate for things they’re passionate about. This will also give them a sense of purpose and build self-esteem!

How to Approach the “mental health Conversation” with Them

There are many ways that you can bring up your concerns with your child. In this section, we’ll go over a sample role-play conversation, sharing just one example of how you can approach a conversation with your child about their mental health and your concerns.

However, it's important to keep in mind that every child is unique, and every conversation will be different depending on their personality, their mental health struggles, and the parent-child relationship. Ultimately, the goal is to create a safe and supportive environment for the child to open up and seek help if needed. Its important to remain patient and empathetic through this conversation.

Parent: Hey, can we talk for a bit? I've noticed that you haven't been yourself lately and I'm a little worried about you.

Child: Yeah, sure. What's up?

Parent: I've noticed that you've been feeling down lately and that you've been spending a lot of time alone. I'm concerned that you might be struggling with your mental health.

Child: I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine.

Parent: I understand that it can be difficult to talk about these things, but I want you to know that I'm here for you. I care about you and I want to support you in any way I can.

Child: I don't want to talk about it.

Parent: That's okay. I just want you to know that I'm here for you if and when you're ready to talk. Sometimes it can be helpful to talk to someone when you're feeling down or overwhelmed. If you ever want to talk, I'm here to listen.

Child: Okay.

Parent: Is there anything I can do to support you right now? Maybe we can do something together that you enjoy or take a break from your routine to recharge.

Child: I don't know.

Parent: That's okay. Let's keep checking in with each other and finding ways to take care of ourselves. If you ever feel like talking, don't hesitate to come to me. I love you and I just want you to feel your best.

Remember, the conversation may not always go as smoothly as we hope, but by approaching it with care, understanding, and support, we can help create a safe and supportive environment for our children to open up and seek the help they need.

Here are some additional tips on how you can start a conversation with your teen if you’re concerned:

1. Choose the Right Time and Place: It's important to choose a time and place where your teen feels comfortable and relaxed. Avoid having the conversation in a public place or when they are busy or distracted.

2. Be Empathetic and Supportive: When starting the conversation, approach it with empathy and understanding. Let your teen know that you care about them and are there to support them. Use "I" statements to express your concern, such as "I've noticed that you seem to be struggling lately."

3. Listen Without Judgment: Allow your teen to express their thoughts and feelings without interrupting or judging them. Be an active listener by showing interest, asking questions, and reflecting back what they are saying.

4. Validate Their Feelings: It's important to validate your teen's feelings, even if you don't fully understand or agree with them. Let them know that their emotions are normal and that you are there to support them.

5. Offer Support and Solutions: After listening to your teen, offer your support and help them come up with solutions. Ask them how you can best support them, and encourage them to seek therapy if wanted or needed.

Final Thoughts

Helping your teen through mental health struggles can feel overwhelming, but your support is essential. Connect with your teen, encourage them to open up, give them space, take additional steps to support their well-being, and give the homework assignments a try! With your support and guidance, your teen can overcome these challenges and thrive, even if you’re feeling discouraged in the moment.

This is an ongoing process so please be patient and persistent with them, and celebrate their progress along the way. Your love and support can make all the difference in helping your teen navigate and overcome their mental health struggles.