Lesson Category: Teens

Your child’s brain is in a process of intense physical, cognitive and social development. They are becoming more aware of themselves and forming identity. As their brain changes and struggles to adapt to their social environment, they may be vulnerable to depression. Risk factors for depression include depression in the family, psycho-social, and environmental stressors.

Strong, positive parent-child relationships are the foundation of good mental health. This class will help you focus on practical strategies to build those relationships whether you grew up in families with those kinds of connections or not. After this class you will be able to:

• Recognize the connection between relationships and mental health
• Define attachment and recognize its importance for your child’s development
• Identify and apply 10 practical steps to build a strong positive relationship with your child

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.

It has been said that perfectionism is a trait that makes life an endless report card on accomplishments or appearances. The tendency toward perfectionism has increased significantly among young people over the past 30 years. It can be associated with depression, anxiety, eating disorders and even suicide. The needs to feel accepted and to be cared about tend to drive perfectionism and without treatment, may get worse over time. 

Perfectionists strive for flawlessness in themselves and/or in others. If you’re wondering whether you have these tendencies, the chances are that you do to one degree or another.

Human beings are built to reflect each other’s emotions. When children display intense feelings and behaviors, our brains naturally reflect those. We start to feel stressed, angry, fearful, or overwhelmed, just like our kids. The most helpful thing we can do is to develop a brain calming practice and make it part of our daily routine.

Conversation is a pathway to developing and sustaining a healthy and trusting relationship with your child. Hormones, attitude, and personality? Welcome to the tween and teen years. Learn to parent your independent, emerging adult, while still nurturing the playful child. You will have the opportunity to explore and prepare for real-life situations.