1 in 10 young people will experience some form of mental health problem. For young people this can be due to many different situations and unfamiliar challenges like school and exams, relationships and the other pressures of growing up.
Talking to young people about how they are feeling is important to help them to cope with any potential problems with their mental health. To link in with the World Mental Health Day theme, we have come up with some top tips for parents to think about when starting a conversation with young people about mental health. Our top tips are:
- Be empathetic to the situation the young person is going through
- Use open questions to allow the young person to be able to explain in detail
- Offer advice but don’t tell them what to do
- Be patient
- Be non-judgemental
- Pick the right time and environment to have the discussion
- Don’t rush! Makes sure you have enough time set aside for the young person.
- Remain calm and reassure them that it is okay to talk
- Remind the young person that they are not alone
- If they don’t like talking verbally, let them write things down on a piece of paper
We hope that our top tips will give parents and carers the confidence to talk to young people about their feelings.
For information or advice please call our Information Line on 01482 240133 or email [email protected]
