Lesson Category: School Age

We hope our children will make healthy choices, form lasting, meaningful connections, and develop a strong, positive sense of self. In other words, we want them to thrive! LGBTQ+ youth face more risks to their well-being than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. Risks are even greater for people with low income and for people of color. The good news is that with the right information you can support your child through these obstacles.

Does the idea of talking with your child about sexual orientation feel difficult or even a little scary?

Are you confused about the changing ways that many in our society see these issues?

Worried about knowing how to support your child?

The issues of sexual orientation can be daunting for both kids and parents. Your child will look to you for guidance about how to feel and act. This class will help you prepare for an open, ongoing dialogue with your child or teen that is candid, authentic and supportive. Participants in this class will be able to:

• Recognize key issues and biases related to sexual orientation for your child and for yourself
• Apply listening and talking strategies that help your child feel safe enough to express their true thoughts and feelings
• Apply approaches that will support your child’s positive thoughts and feelings about themself

School refusal, also known as school avoidance, is a misunderstood and complex challenge. While school refusal is often viewed as misbehavior, in most cases students are simply too anxious to enter the school environment and, in the cases of some students, have trouble leaving their homes at all. Often, children with school refusal behaviors may complain of physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach aches before school, or repeatedly ask to visit the school nurse.

Sometimes children don’t outgrow fears that are typical in younger children like being apart from parents or extreme fears about specific things or situations like dogs or going to the doctor’s office. Sometimes fears or worries may interfere with home, school or play activities. Sometimes children may seem irritable and angry or experience physical symptoms like stomach aches, and still other kids turn their symptoms inward causing us to miss them. In any of these cases, your child may be experiencing anxiety and will benefit from focused support and sometimes professional services. As parents, we may sometimes be inclined to help in ways that actually make symptoms worse like allowing children to avoid certain situations or getting worried about our children’s worries.

Bullying is a topic of concern in schools across the country. With convenient access to digital devices and social media, hurtful messages are easily spread. Adding to the distress, kids can post harmful messages with anonymity, ease and without a real-time reaction from the victim. In addition, children increasingly look to peers for direction including values, identity and codes of behavior.

Parents play an important role in children’s psychotherapy. It is important that you share concerns with the therapist and with your child, participate in creating goals for treatment. Ideally child therapists work with parents to support their child’s healthy development and address symptoms in ways that help.

Children develop in different ways. There are a wide range of behaviors that may be “normal” for your child. But you may be wondering if your child needs an assessment or added support from a professional.

Mental Health Literacy is the ability to prevent, recognize and cope with mental health conditions. Parents with Mental Health Literacy recognize that their own mental health affects their children’s well-being and that children’s behavior is sometimes a call for help. Because mental health disorders are the most common diseases of childhood, our children need us to understand the ways that we can help.

Parents are vulnerable to passing on to their children unhealthy patterns of the past. Understanding your own childhood - both the positive and difficult experiences - can prevent us from recreating the harm to our children that was done to us.

Does your child have trouble making and keeping friends? 

Are you unsure about how to help? 

We all hope that our children will make meaningful connections with peers and mentors. When they struggle with making friends it is difficult not to worry. Often, our first instinct is to try to teach specific social skills and manners but the truth is that strong relationships come from the inside out. What we call charisma can be broken down into empathy and confidence. Self-awareness and self-acceptance are the foundation of your child’s social life.