Posts tagged support
The Secret to Being a Supportive Parent

Seeing your child struggle may be one of the most difficult things to experience as a parent. Whether it’s watching them fall down at the playground or reading their rejection letter from their top choice college, it’s equally painful to witness. As a parent, your instinct is to fix your child’s problem or soothe their pain as quickly as possible. But what if the distress you’re feeling is more about your own discomfort than your child’s? The secret to being a supportive parent is helping your child without enabling them. Where do you draw the line between being there for your kid and doing the hard work for your kid? And how do you manage the stress that comes along with this? Here are some helpful tips…

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Supporting a Loved One in Recovery: Holiday Edition

If you have a child in recovery from an eating disorder, you know that there are many challenges to navigate together. Every day brings its own highs and lows as they learn to cope with distressing emotions and build a healthier relationship with food. The holiday season comes with a new set of challenges for those in recovery and their families. Even if your child is making great strides in the recovery process, you may expect some additional difficulty during this time. Luckily, you can prepare together and make the upcoming challenge more manageable. Here are some helpful tips…

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How Group Therapy Can Help Your Child

Does your child struggle with managing their emotions or maintaining healthy interactions with others? Your instinct may be to enroll them in individual therapy and have them talk to a therapist one-on-one. However, individual therapy is not your only option. Consider group therapy as well! Group therapy might be a better fit, or it may be a helpful supplement to individual therapy sessions. How exactly does group therapy help your child? What are the benefits of this type of therapy compared to a one-on-one session? We’ll explain…

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Resources for LGBTQ+ Individuals

June is Pride Month! This means that there are plenty of pride events and celebrations planned throughout the month. But what about finding year-long support and events for LGBTQ+ youth? Here is a brief resource sheet detailing mental health help, social events, and ways to get involved in LGBTQ+ advocacy…

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Is My Child at Risk for Substance Use?

Many parents wonder, “When is the right time to have a talk around substance abuse with my child?” The time to have this challenging discussion will vary for each child; there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, it’s best to be proactive. Your child’s risk for exposure to substance use will increase as they reach their early teen years. And it’s not a matter of if they get exposed to substances; it’s a matter of when it happens. So once you determine the right time to talk to your child, what do you do next? What do you talk about, and how do you remain a source of support that your child can reach out to with any questions or concerns down the road? How can you most effectively navigate the conversation around substance use? Here are some tips to help you get things started…

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Helping your Child Overcome School Avoidance

Does your child show apprehension or refusal about going to school? If so, they’re not alone. It’s estimated that 10% of kids experience some form of school avoidance. School avoidance could show up in different ways, including significant separation anxiety from a parent, fear of being in a crowded place, social anxiety, bullying, academic challenges, and low self-esteem. When your kids refuse or do their best to avoid school at all costs, it can leave you feeling helpless or frustrated. So what can you do to help your child develop a more positive attitude towards school? Here are some helpful tips…

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My Child Says They Are Gay - What Do I Do?

If your child comes to you to have a conversation about them being gay or queer, it can be tempting to think of this as just a phase—something that is a growing fad as we see more and more teenagers coming out as queer nowadays. However, most likely this isn’t a phase; this is likely the beginning of the process of your child figuring out their identity. According to a study at William’s Institute, about 9.5% of youth in America, or roughly 1,994,000 teenagers from ages 13 to 17, identify as LGBTQ+. It’s likely that your teen is going to have a friend who is part of the LGBTQ+ community or that they will identify as part of it themselves. Fortunately, the world is a more accepting place than it was just a decade ago, and this can allow LGBTQ+ youth to feel more comfortable identifying as queer. Here are some parenting tips to help you be supportive of your newly out or questioning teen….

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What Can You Do If Your Child Is Being Bullied?

Bullying is an all too common problem amongst our kids—and unfortunately, it’s an issue that adults don’t find out about until later on. Only 46% of students report bullying to an adult. Some kids may feel afraid to “tell on” the bullies, and others may be ashamed that they’re the victim of this harassment. So how can we keep our kids safe and encourage a healthy conversation about bullying? How can we encourage our children to keep coming back to us to discuss difficult topics? Here are some tips to help you navigate the conversation if your child comes to you about it…

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Are You Experiencing Anxiety?

Dealing with anxiety can be an overwhelming experience. Symptoms of anxiety can interfere with your life if you experience them on a regular basis, or they can make you feel uncomfortable even in doses. Luckily, recognizing when you’re experiencing anxiety and identifying when to ask for help can make a huge difference in your mental health. Consider these four ways to identify when it may be time to seek out help…

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How to Respond to Your Child who Self-Harms

It can be scary to learn that your child is self-harming. It may make you feel anxious, concerned, and confused. You may not know how to respond to self-harm behaviors. Fortunately, you are not alone in helping your child who self-harms. Many licensed therapists are specialists in working with teens who self-harm. There is hope! Seek help immediately if you think your child might be engaging in self-injurious behavior. Here are some steps you can take as a parent to support your child during the process…

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The Benefits of Group Therapy for Teens

Is your teen currently seeing a therapist, or considering therapy? Many people know about individual therapy, but have never heard about group therapy before. Group therapy brings people together who struggle with similar issues, like depression, anxiety, emotion regulation, or eating disorders, for example. It is a space for participants to connect and support one another, while learning beneficial skills from an experienced therapist. Group therapy is an option that teens in particular should consider. It can be exponentially more effective for teens than just individual therapy; here’s why…

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How to Understand Gender Identity

For some people who don’t connect with the gender that has been assigned to them at birth, the daily struggle can be very profound. Gender fluidity is a term used to describe gender identity that is a dynamic mix of boy and girl, the two traditional genders.

Read on for some helpful terminology to help you understand gender identity...

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