Parenting center talks how to have difficult conversations about mental health

Parenting center talks how to have difficult conversations about kids’ mental health

Updated: 4:27 PM EDT May 15, 2023

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WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH NOW. ONE IN FIVE CHILDREN HERE IN THE U.S. WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH A MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGE. AND SADLY, SUICIDE IS THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR KIDS 10 TO 14 YEARS OLD. AND THAT’S WHY WE’RE HERE THIS AFTERNOON WITH KERRY BROWN FROM BEECH ACRES PARENTING CENTER TO TALK WITH US ABOUT HOW TO REALLY APPROACH THESE TOUGH TOPICS WITH OUR KIDS. AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. I GUESS LET’S TALK FIRST ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN PARENTS DO TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILD’S MENTAL HEALTH AND TO HAVE THOSE TOUGH, TOUGH CONVERSATIONS? RIGHT. I THINK THE FIRST THING TO DO IS TO NORMALIZE HOW YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN MENTAL HEALTH AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS AROUND THAT, TALK ABOUT LIKE IF YOU HAVE YOUR OWN THERAPY APPOINTMENTS, WHAT YOU’RE DOING FOR TAKING CARE OF YOUR SELF CARE, AND THEN THE NEXT STEP IS TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT MENTAL SERVICES LOOK LIKE. SO WHAT DO YOU THINK THERAPY IS LIKE ASKING YOUR CHILD, WHAT DO YOU THINK I’M GOING TO? THERAPY MEANS? BECAUSE A LOT OF KIDS THINK IT’S PUNISHMENT OR THEY MAY HAVE A MISCONCEPTION AROUND THERAPY BECAUSE IF YOU GET IN TROUBLE, YOU GO TALK TO THE PRINCIPAL. IF THEY DO SOMETHING AND THEY’RE HAVING A HARD TIME, THEIR PARENTS SAY, YOU HAVE TO GO TALK TO SOMEBODY. SO I THINK NORMALIZING THAT BECAUSE I THINK I’VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH ONE OF MY BOYS BEFORE AND I DO THINK THERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF A STIGMA WITH THAT, LIKE, OH, WELL, I’LL JUST TALK TO YOU. I DON’T NEED TO TALK TO SOMEBODY ELSE, RIGHT? YEAH, YEAH, YES. AND WHILE WE CAN BE SUPER HELPFUL AS PARENTS BY SUPPORTING OUR CHILDREN, I THINK IT’S OKAY TO SAY THIS IS A PERSON THAT’S THERE FOR YOU THAT YOU CAN OPEN UP TO AND TALK TO, AND THERE’S HELPING YOU REACH YOUR GOALS THAT WE’RE SETTING AS A FAMILY NOW. CARRIE, WHAT ARE THE RED FLAGS THAT PARENTS SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR CHILDREN AND WHAT THINGS ARE NORMAL, JUST A NORMAL CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT. RIGHT. SO KIDS BRAINS ARE NOT FULLY DEVELOPED SO OFTEN. YOU KNOW, PARENTS, WHEN YOU FIRST START HAVING TANTRUMS, THEY’RE LIKE, WHAT IS THIS? I DON’T KNOW WHAT THIS IS, BUT IT’S MORE ABOUT INTENSITY, DURATION AND FREQUENCY. SO TANTRUMS CAN BE NORMAL EVEN FOR OLDER KIDS BECAUSE THEIR FRONTAL LOBES ARE NOT FULLY DEVELOPED. SO TEENAGER TANTRUMS LOOK VERY DIFFERENT THAN TODDLER TANTRUMS, BUT IT’S MORE ABOUT LIKE IF YOU NOTICED A SHIFT IN THEIR BEHAVIOR AND IT’S INTENSE AGAIN FOR A LONGER PERIODS OF TIME FOR THOSE TEENAGERS ISOLATING THEMSELVES MORE THAN USUAL, NOT MEETING UP WITH THEIR FRIENDS, JUST THINGS THAT YOU’RE LIKE, OKAY, THIS IS OUT OF THE RANGE OF NORMAL AND IT’S GOING ON FOR A CONCERNING AMOUNT OF TIME. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS THE HARD PART THOUGH, WHEN DO YOU SAY, ALL RIGHT, IT IS TIME TO TURN THIS OVER TO A PROFESSIONAL BECAUSE IT’S SO EASY, I THINK, AS A PARENT TO SECOND GUESS YOURSELF TO FEEL LIKE YOU’RE BLOWING SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, MAKING A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL BECAUSE TEENAGERS CAN BE TOUGH DAILY. YES. YOU JUST VISITED YOUR NIECE DOWN IN FLORIDA. YOU DIDN’T SEE IT. BUT, YOU KNOW, SO SO I THINK IT IS HARD TO FIGURE OUT, WELL, WHEN DO I REALLY NEED TO SEEK HELP? YES. SO HONESTLY, GETTING HELP, MAYBE EVEN BEFORE THEY NEED IT ISN’T GOING TO HARM THEM. RIGHT? LIKE GETTING PROFESSIONAL HELP ON BOARD EARLY IS PROBABLY BETTER THAN WAITING TOO LONG. SO ERRING ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION AND JUST SAYING, YOU KNOW WHAT, I’VE NOTICED THESE CHANGES. HERE’S WHAT WE WANT FOR YOU. WE WANT TO CREATE TOOLS FOR YOU TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR COPING STRATEGIES. AND THERE’S SOMEBODY OUT THERE THAT CAN HELP YOU DO THAT BETTER THAN I CAN AND CAN BE A SOUNDING BOARD FOR YOU AND CAN BE A TRUSTED PERSON THAT YOU CAN TALK TO. SO THERE’S NO HARM IN REACHING OUT, EVEN STARTING TO LOOK INTO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND A PROVIDER. AND SO THAT THAT CAN BE A MATCH. IT’S LIKE DATING SOMETIMES WITH A THERAPIST, RIGHT? BUT YOU HAVE TO KIND OF MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT FIT. SO GETTING YOUR CHILD’S INPUT IS IMPORTANT. YEAH. AND CARRIE AND I’M SURE THIS STARTS AT THE TOP. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT FAMILIES CAN DO, SOME STEPS THEY CAN TAKE IN ADVANCE TO HELP FOSTER MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS IN THEIR HOMES? YEAH, THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION BECAUSE I THINK WE OFTEN FORGET HOW IMPORTANT IT IS HAVING QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR CHILD. EVEN THOSE TEENAGERS WANT THAT. THEY’RE NOT GOING TO ASK FOR IT, THOUGH. THEY WANT THEIR INDEPENDENCE, BUT THEY ALSO WANT YOU TO REACH OUT TO THEM AND THEN FOSTERING BEING INTENTIONAL ABOUT BEING STRENGTH BASED AND POINTING OUT WHEN YOUR CHILD DOES THINGS RIGHT. A LOT OF TIMES WE’RE SO FOCUSED ON THE GRIND AND POINTING OUT WHEN YOUR CHILD’S NOT DOING SOMETHING THAT IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT TO TALK ABOUT LIKE THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT I’M NOTICING THAT YOU’RE DOING WELL, THE CALL IT 5 TO 1 FOR EVERY NEGATIVE INTERACTION YOU HAVE WITH YOUR CHILD, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FIVE POSITIVE INTERACTIONS. VERY GOOD. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU TALK ABOUT THAT QUALITY TIME. I FIND IT TOO. SOMETIMES IT’S JUST DRIVING THEM TO SCHOOL RIGHT? YES. WHEN WE’RE NOT SITTING AROUND HAVING THAT LIKE WHERE THEY FEEL LIKE THEY’RE BEING INTERROGATED OR YOU JUST IN A CAR LIKE, HEY, HOW ARE THINGS GOING? AND THEN THEY OPEN UP TO ME MORE THAN OTHER TIMES WHEN I THINK THEY WOULD. YEAH. I THINK EVEN AS AN EXTENDED FAMILY MEMBER, INSTEAD OF YOU SAID INTERROGATING, WHEN YOU SEE THEM AT THE HOLIDAYS AND THOSE TWICE A YEAR TIMES THAT YOU SEE THEM BUILD THAT RELATIONSHIP. SO THEY DON’T ALWAYS BE ON THE DEFENSE. YES. ON SPENDING WHEN YOU’RE IN THAT QUALITY TIME STAYING, LISTENING INSTEAD OF FIXING, THEY REALLY WANT YOU TO BE LIKE AN ACTIVE LISTENER. AND IT’S SO HARD BECAUSE WE KNOW ALL THE THINGS AND WE WANT TO GIVE THEM ADVICE. BUT IF WE REALLY JUST SAY LIKE, WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? AND KIND OF ASKING THEM THE QUESTIONS, THEN THEY START TO OPEN UP A LOT MORE AND YEAH, NOT NEED ANY BUT SIDE TO SIDE. DOING ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR KIDS ARE REALLY GOING TO OPEN UP TO YOU MORE THAN THEY WOULD. I FEEL LIKE THIS WAS THERAPY FOR ME TODAY. LIKE I’M A PARENT. THANK YOU. YES. YEAH. SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THIS IS VERY HELPFUL. WE’LL HAVE ALL THIS INFORMATION ONLINE FOR FAMILIES WHO ARE INTERESTED. ALL RIGHT. NOW, LET’S GET TO YOUR FORECAST OUT THERE. WAS IT RAINING OUT THERE WHEN YOU KNOW IT WAS NOT RAINING YET, BUT IF PARENTS HAVE QUESTIONS, THEY CAN GO TO BEACHGOERS DOT ORG OR AREAS THAT WORKED TO GET INFORMATION AND TO GET SUPPORT AS A PARENT. GOOD. I’M SO GLAD YOU MENTIONED THAT, GARY.

Parenting center talks how to have difficult conversations about kids’ mental health

Updated: 4:27 PM EDT May 15, 2023

The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month across the United States.One in five children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with a mental health challenge, and suicide is the second-leading cause of death for kids 10-14.On Monday, WLWT was joined by Kerry Brown from Beech Acres Parenting Center, who talked about how to approach these tough topics with children.The interview touched on topics including how to support children’s mental health, red flags that parents should look out for in a child’s development and steps that families can take to foster wellness in their homes.To watch the full interview, click the video player above.For more information on Beech Acres Parenting Center, click here.

CINCINNATI —

The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month across the United States.

One in five children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with a mental health challenge, and suicide is the second-leading cause of death for kids 10-14.

On Monday, WLWT was joined by Kerry Brown from Beech Acres Parenting Center, who talked about how to approach these tough topics with children.

The interview touched on topics including how to support children’s mental health, red flags that parents should look out for in a child’s development and steps that families can take to foster wellness in their homes.

To watch the full interview, click the video player above.

For more information on Beech Acres Parenting Center, click here.

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