All in the Mind

How to cope when your child can't


Listen Later

When a child is suffering from mental health problems it feels natural for a parent to feel sad and anxious. But when Ursula Saunders' son refused to go to secondary school her life was turned upside down: his problems dominated family life, she gave up work and couldn't stop crying. She searched online for support but it all seemed to be directed at children, with nothing on offer for parents. So she sought advice from two psychologist friends Professor Roz Shafran and Dr Alice Welham. After speaking to dozens of other parents about what helped them, they co-wrote How To Cope When Your Child Can't - a collection of experiences and information from psychological research. We hear from Ursula and Roz about their top tips for parents like problem solving, self-compassion and creating boundaries.

Roz Shafran offers advice to families waiting for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, which have been under particular strain during the Covid pandemic.

We also hear from Lily who got support from youth worker Jo at Rise Youth Empowerment in south London when she was struggling with overwhelming anxiety. Lily had already had contact with mental health services but she found that the less formal approach from Rise helped to build up trust and gave her the confidence to make her way back into education. She’s now in the second year of a degree course, has her own flat and is engaged. Jo says that they want to help young people to become resilient – encouraging them to make calls themselves to housing or healthcare professionals rather than doing it for them. Lily says she now feels able to gives back to Rise by presenting workshops for other young people.

And there’s news of a study in a German school – where surprisingly few pupils opted for a later start to their day, offered to see if it helped to boost the amount of sleep they got.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

All in the MindBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

57 ratings


More shows like All in the Mind

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,400 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,839 Listeners

Woman's Hour by BBC Radio 4

Woman's Hour

396 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,693 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

306 Listeners

Health Check by BBC World Service

Health Check

86 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,823 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,089 Listeners

Inside Health by BBC Radio 4

Inside Health

92 Listeners

More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

895 Listeners

Lives Less Ordinary by BBC World Service

Lives Less Ordinary

588 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

964 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

268 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,937 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,064 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

242 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

400 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

820 Listeners

Sliced Bread by BBC Radio 4

Sliced Bread

142 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,973 Listeners

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley by BBC Radio 4

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley

237 Listeners

Life Changing by BBC Radio 4

Life Changing

99 Listeners

Therapy Works by Julia Samuel

Therapy Works

64 Listeners

Young Again by BBC Radio 4

Young Again

57 Listeners