Parents, caregivers, and other family members play an integral role in caring for children and youth experiencing mental health challenges.
Created with our Family Advisory Committee and with feedback from the families we serve, Kinark’s free Family Education Series is intended to build on caregivers’ ability to identify, understand, and respond to childhood and adolescent mental health distress.
All sessions will be listed below as they are announced.
Previous Events
Medication Education for Parents of Children and Youth Experiencing Mental Health Issues
Parents, caregivers and other family members play an integral role in caring for children and youth experiencing mental health challenges. The decision to medicate (or not to medicate) your child can be agonizing when they are struggling with their mental health.
In this session you will learn about:
- mental health in young people and the use of medication
- an overview of psychotropic medications, including risks and benefits
- alternative interventions
- the parents’ role in medication management
- parenting and mental health
Autism Spectrum Disorder and Mental Health: Understanding the Overlap
Do you want to learn more about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the overlap with mental health concerns? Many children and youth with ASD also struggle with mental health challenges, like anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Your child may act in ways you don’t understand, and they may not be able to explain how they are feeling. When this happens, you may feel helpless and not know where and how to start providing support.
In this session, you will:
- Learn about what autism is and the overlap between ASD and mental health disorders
- Identify what to look out for and when you should seek out resources/support
- Be provided with strategies and resources about how you can support your child
Disruptive Behaviours in Children: Effective Intervention Strategies for Caregivers
Disruptive behaviours in children and youth may include temper tantrums, aggressiveness, defiance, and other behaviours that interfere with the child’s life and the lives of those around them. Many caregivers struggle with managing disruptive behaviours in children.
In this session, you will:
- Learn about some of the diagnoses that are associated with disruptive behaviours in children, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Conduct Disorder
- Identify what might be causing and maintaining disruptive behaviours in children and youth
- Be provided strategies and support about how to intervene effectively
Parenting Your Anxious Child
Thank you to everyone who attended this session. The recording of the presentation is available below.
Parents and caregivers will receive tips and access to valuable resources from our clinicians that can support with parenting your anxious child. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions about anxiety in children and youth and have them answered live from our team of clinicians.
Key areas that will be discussed:
- What is anxiety and why do we get anxious?
- When anxiety becomes a problem
- How to coach and support a child who is anxious