Adolescent years are so crucial to a child's development. There are so many factors today that can affect development positively and negatively. Understanding mental health can be difficult during these years as behavioral factors can be hormonal, environmental, or simply "being a teenager". The latter is oftentimes confused with mental health issues or concerns, which is where conflict tends to set in between children and their parents.

From the point of view of a mental health professional, I can tell you that most children seek out additional help not because they don't trust you or want to tell you but because they either don't know how or don't want you to worry. Many say they like speaking to a mental health professional because it's someone who doesn't know them, isn't a friend, hasn't raised them, and can listen to their problems or concerns without having to worry about receiving unwarranted advice, criticism, or judgment.

As a parent/guardian you are doing a fantastic job! Sometimes, talking to someone else just helps to give your child the space they need to speak freely without having to worry you or feel like they're taking up too much of your time. Yes, we do tell them they should still speak to you when they're feeling any kind of emotion. Please feel free to explore the tabs above for additional information and resources to assist you, older family members, or your child during problematic times.

SAMSHA How to Talk about Mental Health

This website provides tips and strategies to talk to your teen about mental health as well as signs to look for and how to access help.

Parents at Mental Health Literacy

This website provides parent guidance on teens and mental health with specific information about different types of mental health diagnoses and treatment.

NJ National Alliance on Mental Health

This is a NJ specific webpage with links to crisis resources, counseling centers and free virtual/in-person support groups.

Psychology Today - Find a Therapist

Psychology Today has a tool on their website called Find A Therapist. When using this tool, it automatically does a search criteria within a 3 mile radius of the address or zip code you input. From there you can filter items such as health insurance, specialty, gender of therapist, and a few others.

NJ Department of Human Services - Resources

NJ Children's System of Care / Performcare

Performcare NJ provides youth and families with services, resources, tools and support for behavioral and mental health needs.