Mental Health Resources for Parents/Caregivers

 

Mental health of young people is a key concern for Singapore with recent events throwing a spotlight on it. For this #SaturdayGoodRead, EAST News reproduces a set of resources originally compiled for parents of youths at Grace Baptist Church (GBC). We thank Ms Hannah Yeo of the GBC Youth Ministry for graciously allowing us to do so. May it be a timely and useful resource for parents or caregivers to engage in ongoing conversations with their teenagers, not only for those who have signs of mental health challenges.

According to the Straits Times, “more than half of the young people polled by the National Youth Council [NYC] in the second half of 2020 said that mental well-being was a challenge for them, with some citing anxiety over the future, stress over finances, and worries about academic or work performance.” Even before the onset of COVID-19, mental health for youths was an issue flagged by NYC (see its April 2019 issue of Y+).

Hi parents, we are sure you have been reading the news discussing youth mental health after the River Valley High School’s killing and Joseph Schooling and Simone Biles’ performance at the recent Olympics.

Mental health is a topic that concerns everyone, including the youths, some of whom share their struggles with us. We do encourage the youths to talk about their struggles with you (their parents), and would like to also encourage you as you create welcoming and attentive opportunities to ask your children about how they are.

Here are some simple talking points (below) and links to articles that could be helpful for parents:

• “How are you?”
• “I might not know how to help but I can listen and pray.”
• “What helps you and how can we support?”

1. Guided conversation for asking are you okay in 4 steps:

• 1) Ask R U OK?
• 2) Listen with an open mind
• 3) Encourage action
• 4) Check in

2. Depression

3. Performance anxiety

4. Pressure

5. Body Image

6. Family impact

7. Counselling “difficult” teens

8. Communicating with teens

9. Role-playing as a parenting tool

10. General parenting topics

 

We thank God that Jesus didn’t ignore his feelings or view them as inconvenient by-products of being human. His cries on the cross, prayer in Gethsemane and anguish over sin show how he is with us in our afflictions and encourage us to honestly bring our struggles to God.

11. Article by Lucy who has Bipolar 2

12. Article by GBC’s Mr Bryan Tan who worked as a medical officer at IMH

13. Article by GBC’s Ms Lianne Ong who is training to be a psychiatrist

 

Below is a video playlist from GBC’s EQUIP series on The Gospel and Mental Health held in June 2021. The series featured Pastor Jacob Ng, Redemption Hill Church on the biblical teaching and practical ministry together with other GBC members who shared their own mental health journey.

 

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyHS1sr5HEhWhlRYAacoE6T147MIjXPMN?w=450

 

EAST News provides the above information as a service to its readers. For mental health advice and treatment appropriate to your situation, please consult with accredited/licensed mental health professionals in your area. 

#SaturdayGoodRead #MentalHealthMatters