Having the hard conversations

Bettina introduces a new podcast she is launching called Just One Thing For Parents. In this podcast she will be interviewing experts in the field of child mental health and asking them to share just one thing they believe to be helpful for parents supporting young minds. Each expert will focus on their area of expertise. The episodes are short (less than 10 minutes), accessible and easy to digest. Listen here to the first episode with Dawn Huebner who talks about how to support an anxious child. For future episodes go to Just One Thing For Parents by Dr Bettina Hohnen and follow there.

In this episode Bettina and Jane talk through dilemmas for parents and young people as they leave school for work of college. A parent is concerned about their diabetic son starting University, with all the self-care and orgnisation required of independent living. Letting go, particularly in the context of a medical condition is hard, so what should a parent do (1 min). How can a parent set their high-achieving daughter up to cope with the prospect of not being the top of the class, without it overwhelming her (10:16). A young person with ADHD knows that routine and regularity is particularly important for their brain, but how can they communicate this to friends at Uni without seeming like a loser (20:10). A parent is concerned about her son who went straight into a job after school, where his colleagues are older than him, leaving him feeling lonely. What can they do to support him? (29:00)

(1 min) We discuss how to manage screen time during the holidays. Does more leisure time always mean more screen time? (11:20 mins) We talk about how parents can support a student about to start GCSEs who wants to see her friends but her mum thinks she needs catch up on the school work she missed during the Covid period. (22:46 mins)  We consider the options if your teen becomes virtually nocturnal during the holidays. (32:13 mins)  We think about the best response for a teen with ADHD with plans to go inter-railing during the summer. Jane  wrote an article in Hello! magazine about summer holiday strategies for teenagers. You can find it here https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/mother-and-baby/20220630144195/school-summer-holiday-guide-for-teens-parents/ 

Jane and Bettina answer questions from parents about safety dilemmas with their children. An 11 year old girl told her parents she noticed a man behind her on the new bus route to school and the parent wonders whether she should drive her to school instead (0:40). We consider how to respond to a young boy sending nude pictures online, while exploring his sexuality (8:45). We consider the tricky issue of a boy gaming with many strangers online and whether a parent should stop him gaming (16:48). Lastly we address a question from a parent whose teen drank too much at a party and was sick afterwards. Mum is upset and doesn’t know how to handle it (26:00).

Our instagram has been hacked and it is unlikely we will be able to access it again. This episode is to let you know that, and also that the next topic will be “Staying safe online and in the real world". Please do send us any questions you have by DM to @drjanegilmour or @bettinahohnen on instagram.

At this time in the calendar year many families are supporting their young people through exams and studying and revision are a major feature of family life. In this episode we help parents think through some typical scenarios and consider the ways to have incredible conversations with their children. We cover ways to support a disengaged teenager who has important exams coming up (1:28), a young person who, despite her best efforts struggles to organise her work (22:30), as well as a young person who is so conscientious her parents are worried she has lost the balance in life (32:20). We also address ways a parent can manage their own worries about their son who, due to the covid pandemic, has had no experience of national exams, with a relentless fear that he may fail (11:30). 

In this special episode we talk about how to manage discussions on news headlines and world events in your family. We ask.. Should you bring it up at all ? How can I answer their questions without making them feel anxious ? What should I do if my child is consuming news excessively and is becoming really anxious. How do I manage my teenager getting their news from social media?

Episode 11 is for adults supporting young people through friendship difficulties. We discuss a question from a parent whose daughter is not able to separate from her and go on playdates she previously managed well (1:25). We consider ways to manage secondary school transition for a young person with a tic disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (8:34). A regular question from parents is how to cope with a child who keeps falling out with friends (16:53) and we end with tips and ideas for parents who are not keen on their son’s choice of peer group (26:28).

Here is our fourth real life example of how we or another families have used these incredible conversations to build relationships, strengthen connections and work through difficult times. 

Here is our third real life example of how we or another families have used these incredible conversations to build relationships, strengthen connections and work through difficult times.