Here is a video from The Horizon Plan Module 1, where we teach you how to create a daily routine that supports your child's healing.

We have helped hundreds of parents and carers to better support a young person struggling with mental health through our free course 'The Horizon Plan'.

The Horizon Plan is our FREE online course for parents of children and teenagers struggling with emotions, behaviour and mental health, guiding you to better support your child's recovery.

CLICK HERE to join 'The Horizon Plan' for free and learn how to develop a consistent home routine to support your child's mental health.

If you’re a parent supporting your child through anxiety and want to know what kind of support you could give, this post is for you.

As a teenager, I had generalised anxiety disorder, and my parents' support was one of the biggest forces behind my getting better. I want to share what they did that worked well in the hope that it gives other parents in a similar position some guidance.

I’m not going to lie and say that they got it right every single time. They were, I'm sure, just as blindsighted by the situation as I was. So I also hope that if right now you feel like your support isn’t good enough, it’ll be reassuring to read a story where parents learned how to provide support over time.

I never really liked referring to anxiety as ‘generalised anxiety disorder’ - it sounded too clinical and, honestly, a bit frightening. So, borrowing a trick from an old counsellor, I’m going to refer to it as Kevin. In fact, this is something you...

If you’re a Mum or Dad of a child who’s refusing to go to school and you’re looking for some guidance, look no further. School refusal, or school anxiety, as it’s called, is immensely stressful, challenging, and distressing for both you and your child.

It might mean that you’re frequently faced with your child’s early morning meltdowns, fits of crying, or maybe even vomiting and nausea. Your head is probably overflowing with tricky questions like, ‘Is it easier if I just keep her home from school?’ or ‘What if he’s missing out on important lessons?’.

A child consistently refusing to go to school is more common than you might think. Especially if your child struggles with their mental health, is often very anxious, or finds it hard to be away from you, they may well find school a daunting and difficult thing to cope with.

Perhaps the school is starting to question you about their low attendance; maybe your own...

Hi everyone - we've got some exciting news!

We are so grateful to have been chosen by Melissa to take forward this amazing Facebook Group to support parents of young people who self-harm.

We plan to be diving into our members' posts to give support and guidance FAR more often, running weekly live Q&As where you can ask for specific advice for your child and LOADS LOADS more.

Watch this space...and remember that if you're currently in a very dark place, hang in there, lean on the rest of us here and know that things can get better.

Sending love to our community and looking forward to supporting you through this chapter.

If you’re a parent or carer in need of support, you can become part of our community by joining our free Facebook Group 'Self Harm - Parents': https://www.facebook.com/groups/339257352865468/

For more support and practical advice for you as parents while you support your child or teen, CLICK HERE for the Horizon Plan, our free...

If you’re a parent worried that your child’s fears or phobias are negatively impacting their day-to-day mental wellbeing and you want to do something about it, this article is for you. 

Children often face fears and phobias, which can range from common anxieties such as animals, the dark, and heights to more specific fears like clowns, blood, or being sick. In fact, very few of us make it through childhood without any fears. For example, I used to drag my Mum by the hand across the street as soon as I spotted a big dog coming towards us.

But if these kinds of fears are starting to disrupt your child’s sleep, give them extreme nightmares, or cause them daily and debilitating distress, then they could be seriously impacting their mental health. Any fright that is persistent, intense, and causing your child great unhappiness is, of course, something that you want to help them cope with.

In this article, we’ll talk through some ways that...

During this cost of living crisis, we’re all juggling caring for our families with skyrocketing bills. But, even when the budget’s tight, your children’s wellbeing is still priority number one. 

So, if you suspect that your child is struggling with their mental or emotional health, but pricey private therapy sessions are out of reach, what are you supposed to do? 

Relying on overburdened free mental healthcare services like the NHS’s CAHMs (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) can feel disappointing given the agonisingly long waiting lists. Fear not, though; there are ways you can support your child’s mental well-being yourself without breaking the bank.

In this article, we’ll explore 10 affordable ways you can nurture your child’s well-being even during these financially challenging times.

#1: Look out for free resources

If only we had unlimited funds, we’d all have a squad of psychologists and private...

Are you struggling to get your son to open up to you? You’re not alone.

It’s deeply worrying when your child isn’t communicating with you. The first thing to say is that, unfortunately, this is very normal. The cultural influences boys grow up around tell them to ‘man up’ when they’re struggling. The ‘boys don’t cry’ mentality has unsurprisingly made them hesitant to talk about their emotions. They often feel under pressure to be self-reliant, so reaching out for support can make them uncomfortable. This ‘macho-mode’ is all well and good until things start to go wrong and you can’t get your son to share his feelings.

The truth is, you can’t force your son to open up to you, and he doesn’t owe you access to his deepest feelings. You need to prove to him that you’re worthy of his confidence by investing time into building a deeper relationship with him. In The Horizon Plan, we call...

Zoom Parents Support Programme: Torbay

The programme will support 30 young people in Torbay struggling with mental health, but not qualifying for CAMHs support, by equipping their parents/carers to support their mental and emotional health and healing. 

From lived experience, we have seen the importance of the parent/carer role in a young person's mental health recovery. This early intervention program will address early onset mental health problems in young people, resolving the problems or preventing their escalation within the family unit.

Our parenting programme provides:

 1) Psychoeducation and skills training: guiding parents/carers to support the recovery of a young person suffering with their mental health using our evidence-based clinical intervention.

2) Parental self-care: teaching parents how to care for their own mental and emotional health to best support their child.

3) Navigating statutory support: Coaching parents/carers on how to access the support...

If you're the Mum or Dad of a young person who’s struggling with their mental health, you’ll be painfully aware that the services designed to help your child are buckling under the weight of the number of referrals they’re getting. This means that the burden of supporting your child is very likely being carried by you, perhaps alone. In the UK, the bleak reality of services like the NHS’s CAHMs (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) is unbearably long waiting lists and usually only the most serious cases getting accepted. 

So, there’s a good chance you’re feeling panicked, totally exhausted, perhaps even broken. Because while your child’s struggling, your own mental health has probably  taken a back seat. It might feel selfish to think about caring for your own needs while they’re finding things so hard. 

But this article will hopefully convince you that prioritising your own self-care isn’t...

We want to say a huge thank you to the NHS for supporting our Zoom Group for parents of young people struggling with mental health in Torbay.

Thanks to funding from NHS Devon, we are able to advertise this amazing opportunity for parents and carers in Torbay to learn how to better support a child or teen struggling with mental health.

Zoom Parents Support Programme: Torbay

Anxiety, depression, self-harm, and other mental health struggles are on the rise among young people, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic.

A recent study shows that 1 in 5 children and young people in England aged 8 to 25 had a probable mental disorder in 2023.

As parents, we can be left feeling overwhelmed and helpless, not knowing where to turn for help.

This programme will support 30 parents in Torbay, caring for a child or teen struggling with mental health, but not qualifying for CAMHs support, by equipping their parents/carers to support their mental and emotional health and...