It's a question I see asked a lot. There's a whole Facebook group dedicated to discussing the issues parents have when their children are preparing to leave home for university, and the questions come in cycles. Right now, it's UCAS forms and university choices, as the deadline for applications looms. In a couple of months it will be questions about A-Level revision and exam dates, and then will come the angst - in rafts - over teenagers whose parents don't think they're ready. (I have a sneaking suspicion it's the parents who aren't ready most of the time, not the kids.

My guest in this episode speaks to this parental fear as a parent herself, and as a psychologist who supports families of children and teenagers with type 1 diabetes. Professor Deborah Christie talks about how any disability makes it more difficult to leave home, especially for the often chaotic lifestyle of university. 

With data* suggesting that over a third of young adults have a long-term physical or mental health condition, disability or illness, could this be something your listeners might be interested in? Deborah offers reassurance and tips for success, whatever your fears for your child as they gain independence and have to look after themselves.

1. * Research commissioned to mark the integration of Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 2 Plus sensor with
   Insulet’s Omnipod® 5 Automated Insulin Delivery System.

More for parents of teenagers preparing for university

• Don't fear the empty nest (podcast) 
• 10 Tips for coping with empty nest syndrome (read)
• Being diagnosed with diabetes as a teenager (podcast)
• How to keep your teen safe at university (read)
• 60 Gifts for university students (list)

Who is Deborah Christie? 

Deborah Christie is a professor of paediatric and adolescent psychology at University College London NHS Foundation Trust and Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. She is an internationally respected academic and award-winning clinician; with an outstanding record of peer-reviewed publications, teaching and leadership with over 200 peer reviewed papers and chapters and a bestselling book, Psychosocial Aspects of Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Families. She co-authored the expert reports on Psychosocial Issues of infection and the Impact of bereavement for the UK government Infected Blood Inquiry.

Who is Helen?

Helen wills is a counsellor, a parent coach, and a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens.

For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page

Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.

Episode produced by Michael J Cunningham.

Welcome to series 9 of the Teenage Kicks podcast, and a brand new set of brave conversations with people who had something difficult to go through in their teenage years. 

This episode features Jon Wilson Cooper, who - through his career choice as a counsellor - has explored his own relationship with his mental health at length, including how he feels about having grown up with a sibling with disabilities. 

We discuss everything from the embarrassment of being seen in public with his deaf brother, who had behavioural difficulties as a result of his disability, the jealousy of the attention given to his brother, and the shame of feeling this way. 

Jon says there's a difference between shame and guilt, and the challenge for our teenagers  - and for us as their parents - is to reject the shame (which is paralysing) whilst managing the guilt effectively. 

Who is Jon Wilson Cooper?

Jon is a qualified psychotherapist, trainer, and organisational consultant with over 38 years’ experience of helping people with their mental health. He is the Founder and Director of The Albany Centre for personal and professional development, which is a counselling training institute and therapy. He also runs Mosaic Counselling Services CIC (a low-cost counselling service) in St Albans, Hertfordshire. He has worked in the UK, America, and India in a variety of settings with a wide range of clients, including those with addiction issues, mental health problems and histories of personal trauma. Jon has a special interest in helping individuals raise awareness of their blocks to emotional well-being and making positive life choices.

Jon is also a TEDx speaker whose talk on why people hate was chosen as one of the top TEDx talks of 2024. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su-0oL1QdHM

Jon welcomes connection - you can find him here: 

• Connect on LinkedIn
• The Albany Centre
• Facebook
• Follow the Albany Centre on Facebook

More teenage parenting from Helen Wills:

Helen wills is a counsellor, a parent coach, and a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens.

Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email [email protected].

You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram @iamhelenwills.

For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page

Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.

Episode produced by Michael J Cunningham.

In this final episode of my 8th season of Teenage Kicks, we hear from Betty and James Mukherjee, of Race Across The World fame. Watching the show we saw the brother and sister relationship develop as they completed challenges together, but they say it wasn't always like this - they fell out like typical siblings when they were growing up. 

They talk about how they handled their feelings during the harder times on the trip around Southeast Asia (remember when they lost their passports?) and the moment when Betty opened up to James about her diagnosis of MRKH, a medical condition which means she doesn't have a uterus. I ask Betty what it was like to be diagnosed at the age of 16 with something that changed her perception of her life, and I ask James how it felt to know at a young age that his sister's life had changed. 

They both talk about the need to allow feelings, their own and each other's, and  - importantly - to open up about those feelings rather than keeping them locked in. She describes herself as a 'glass half empty' kind of girl, and how important it is to notice when she starts to catastrophise and take steps to change her previous patterns. Betty now shares the reality of her daily life on Instagram and in her women's wellbeing community It's a Balance Thing.  She says it's important for her to talk to her friends (even though they couldn't understand) and to share with others going through the same. She recommends MRKH Connect for other people living with MRKH. 

James tells me about the moment on the show where he gets a hug from a cameraman after feeling emotional during that conversation, and how important it feels now to help men understand that allowing emotions is also important for them. He recommends Andy's Man Club as a good place to start if you're struggling to open up about mental health. You can also message James on Instagram. 

More teenage parenting from Helen Wills:

Helen wills is a counsellor, a parent coach, and a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens.

Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email [email protected].

You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram @iamhelenwills.

For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page

Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.

Episode produced by Michael J Cunningham.

It can be very isolating when your child is diagnosed with a new and scary condition. It always helps to hear from someone who's been through it beforehand, and today's guest has experienced ADHD with bells on in her family and with her teenager. Claire Quigley West tells us about how her teenage years were affected by undiagnosed ADHD. She goes on to explain her son's diagnosis, and how she is finding the challenge of parenting now she has a teenager with ADHD.

Read the full transcript or watch this episode on Youtube.

Who is Claire Quigley West?

Claire is the host of the podcast All Aboard ADHD, which helps parents navigate the ADHD journey. Her ADHD journey began in 2017, when her son was diagnosed at the age of 6. She also has an 8 year old daughter who she says almost certainly has ADHD, although not yet diagnosed. She also has her own adult diagnosis of ADHD.

Out of a desire to do everything in her power to support her son, and to ensure other parents never felt as alone as she had, Claire founded ADHD Winchester, as a local parent community in 2021. She has since trained as an ADHD coach (working with tweens and teens).

Find Claire at All Aboard ADHD and on Instagram @allaboardadhd.

More teenage parenting from Helen Wills:

Helen wills is a counsellor, a parent coach, and a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens.

Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email [email protected].

You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram @iamhelenwills.

For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page

Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.

Episode produced by Michael J Cunningham.

Today's guest had an unusual childhood, with a modelling career as a child, and winning Miss Spain at the age of 17. She grew up in the limelight and with a hectic professional schedule. She also attended boarding school in a different country to her family. 

I talk to Lorena  about how a life in the limelight from a young age has influenced her parenting styles and what she teaches her kids about achieving your goals and the reality of success. 

Who is Lorena Bernal?

Born in Argentina, Lorena moved to Spain as a young child and her modelling career kicked off when she was just 7, culminating in her being crowned Miss Spain as a teenager in 1999. She then went on to become a successful actress in Hollywood before moving to the UK with her family and pivoting her career behind the scenes to certify as a life coach and mindfulness practitioner as well as establish her company, Live Love Better. She now balances her career with writing her first book and raising her three sons.

Find out more on Lorena's website, and at Live Love Better, her coaching and mental health community.  

More teenage parenting from Helen Wills:

Helen wills is a counsellor, a parent coach, and a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens.

Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email [email protected].

You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills.

For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page

Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.

Episode produced by Michael J Cunningham.

Today's guest speaks of horrific emotional bullying at school as a teenager. She struggled to make friends after she was accepted to a selective school, and her self-esteem suffered. Her parents had sacrificed to get her into the school, so Angela didn't feel she could complain to them. Instead, she felt guilty for having attracted the abuse. This is all too common for children who are bullied - the feeling that something must be wrong with them. 

Angela tells me how this impacted her through her adult life, and how she eventually turned around her view of herself. She now helps others who are dealing with the effects of bullying, be that at school or in the workplace. 

Who is Angela Roth?

Angela journey from being badly bullied in school to becoming a leading figure in the heart-centered coaching industry is a testament to her resilience and commitment to helping others. Growing up in Birkenhead as one of eight children, Angela faced significant challenges but emerged with a determination to make a positive impact in the world.Despite enduring bullying throughout her school years, Angela developed a strong sense of empathy and a desire to protect and assist those who were vulnerable. This early experience shaped her character and set her on a path of service and leadership.After pursuing a degree in mathematics, economics, and business at the University of Manchester, Angela joined the police force, driven by her desire to serve the community. Despite facing obstacles such as sexual harassment and corruption within the force, Angela remained steadfast in her commitment to making a difference. More information HERE!

More teenage parenting from Helen Wills:

Helen wills is a counsellor, a parent coach, and a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens.

Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email [email protected].

You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills.

For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page

Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.

Episode produced by Malloy Podcasts.

This is a podcast that will change how you look at the problems you're going through. Carrie's voice is full of wisdom, and she knows what she's talking about, because she's been there too. 

Carrie Grant, MBE, is a TV presenter, vocal coach, activist, and World Vision ambassador who has worked with the charity for over 10 years. She was awarded an MBE in 2020 “for services to music, to media and to charity”.

She partners with World Vision on the podcast series Raising Changemakers, where she hears from children who are making big changes in their global communities by campaigning to stop harmful practices like child labour, child marriage and FGM.

Carrie explains what teenagers can do if they're appalled  by the state of the world. She also tells us about her own difficult experiences with Crohn's disease, a life-changing condition she had to learn to live with at a very young age.  

She also talks about what it's like to raise neurodivergent children. Her book, A Very Modern Family, tells her family's story of neurodiversity. 

More teenage parenting from Helen Wills:

Helen wills is a counsellor, a parent coach, and a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens.

Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email [email protected].

There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives.

You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills.

For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page

Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.

Episode produced by Malloy Podcasts.

The big question in this episode is whether or not to give your child a smartphone, and what's the right age for your teenager to have a smartphones. 

Ofcom research in the UK in April 2024 claims that nearly a quarter of 5-7 year olds have their own smartphones, with 65% using WhatsApp and other messaging services.

Hannah Oertel is the Founder and CEO of Delay Smartphones, a pioneering initiative dedicated to protecting children from the dangers of smartphones. As a therapist and intervention coach, she says she’s observed a concerning rise in anxiety among clients, and didn’t want her own children to have a childhood based on smartphones.

Hannah developed a non-judgmental parent-to-parent approach that empowers parents with research and alternatives, encouraging them to delay smartphone access until age 14. With Hannah's leadership, Delay Smartphones has garnered support across the UK and recently expanded into the US.

More teenage parenting from Helen Wills:

Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens.

Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email h[email protected].

There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives.

You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills.

For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page

Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.

Episode produced by Malloy Podcasts. 

Think of this podcast as a reframe on your teenager's risky behaviour. By the end of the episode, you'll be able to put your teen's risk-taking into context, and you'll feel much more relaxed as you go through the rollercoaster with them. 

Who is Daphne Adler?

Daphne Adler has been described as “a mother rooting for all mothers.” And I think we all need one of those in our camps when it comes to the teenage years. 

Daphne has used her analytical and consulting skills to support parents in a new book Debunking Teenagers. In it, she gives us 200 research-based parenting strategies to help adolescents successfully navigate what she calls the “tempteen” years.

The book answers the questions all parents of teens have:

· Why are teenagers constantly tempted to behave recklessly, and what can parents do about it?

· Why is telling your son or daughter to “just say no” a hopelessly ineffective strategy?

· Why are teens constantly taking selfies?

· And how can you keep your child safe behind the wheel?

Other books I recommend: 

• Hold on to your kids - Gabor Maté
• The teenager in the greenhouse - Graham Ramsden

More teenage parenting from Helen Wills:

Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens.

Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email [email protected].

There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives.

You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills.

For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page

Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.

We've talked a lot about anxiety on the podcast. In this episode, Marneta Viegas talks about how "crippling" self-esteem got the better of her as a teenager. If this is you - or your child - have a listen, and find out what can be done to help teenagers relax. 

Marneta tells me about her father's sudden death when she was a teenager, and how that filled her with guilt - another self-esteem thief. 

19:20 - Strategies for improving self-esteem and helping teenagers relax

Who is Marneta Viegas?

Marneta is the founder of Relax Kids Ltd - a leading expert on children's relaxation. She has been running her relaxation programme for the last 25 years and it has helped over 5 million children at home and in school. Marneta has written 20 children’s meditation books and has recorded over 500 meditation audios. She has developed a unique (award winning) 7 step method to teach children to self-regulate and manage their anxiety. Marneta’s father died suddenly when she was 18, just before she went to university. I’m going to ask her about her relaxation programme, and for her tips on how – as parent’s – we can help our teens learn to relax more.

More teenage parenting from Helen Wills:

Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy, a resource for midlife parents of teens.

Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear new episodes. If you have a suggestion for the podcast please email [email protected].

There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives.

You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills.

For information on your data privacy please visit Zencastr's policy page

Please note that Helen Wills is not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about yourself or a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.