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Workshop: Won’t somebody please think of the parents?
Led by: Faith Martin and Dania Dahmash from the Parent Wellbeing and Support (PAWS) Special Interest Research Group
The specific needs of parents and carers are tragically overlooked in most intervention development for child and adolescent mental health. Dr Faith Martin offered an overview of the current state of affairs and led a workshop on what we need to know about supporting parents and carers.
Three key questions discussed:
- What currently helps parents/carers?
- Which parents/carers are most likely to need support?
- What processes/factors underpin distress in parents/carers of children and young people with mental health problems?
This workshop was connected to our Supporting the Supporters research challenge: How can young people, family members, and settings be better enabled to help promote good mental health and prevent and overcome emerging mental health problems?
Further Resources
Workshop Tweets
You can read some of the ideas that were discussed in the workshop below in these photos taken by @Cathy_Creswell
Great to see so much engagement and thinking about supporting parent of children and young people with #mentalhealth problems. Great session by @fam6 @pawsresearch @EmergingMindsUK #EmergingMinds pic.twitter.com/SKlL54y7ZG
— Cathy Creswell 💙 (@Cathy_Creswell) October 17, 2022
What processes underpin parent/carer distress?
“helplessness”, “empathy”, “guilt”, “unmet needs”
What should be considered when discussing parent/carer support?
“peer support programme”, “engaging different communities”
Which parents/carers are most likely to need support:
“single parents”, “parents of children who are neurodivergent”
What currently helps parents/carers?
“shared experiences”, “having a voice”, “safety”, “practical advice”, “long-term support”
