Parents and Their Child's Mental Health Recovery

"Parents now face unique challenges in engaging their children. Studies show that young people spend excessive amounts of time daily interacting with screens, with recent research highlighting the detrimental effects of excessive screen time on youth, including increased anxiety and weakened social skills. Many caregivers feel lost and ill-prepared, but parents are not passive observers in their child's mental health journey."

"Research demonstrates that strengthening parent-child bonds significantly improves a child's mental, physical, and cognitive health. This type of involvement includes practices like actively listening, validating emotions, and practicing empathy, which together create a safe and supportive environment for children to express themselves freely. Equally important is the ability to establish clear, consistent boundaries while offering unwavering love and support. This balanced parenting approach has been shown to be effective."

Excessive screen time contributes to increased anxiety and weakened social skills among young people. Strengthening parent-child bonds improves mental, physical, and cognitive health. Parents can actively listen, validate emotions, and practice empathy to create a safe, supportive environment while also establishing clear, consistent boundaries and providing unwavering love. Recognizing signs of mental health concerns—such as changes in sleep, falling academic performance, or emotional dysregulation—enables early intervention. Unmet emotional needs can lead to behavioral problems. Emotion-focused therapy for youth (EFT-Y) strengthens the parent-child bond through collaborative emotional understanding and supports healthier emotional regulation.

Read at Psychology Today