SKILL
PARTNERING NOT PARENTING - AN INTRODUCTION
Partnering not Parenting is an approach for parents of young people who are experiencing poor mental health. Partnering helps reframe the challenges and offers insightful, compassionate and practical tools to help us reconnect.
Partnering not Parenting is not about perfect parenting! That doesn't exist. This is about using the challenge you face as an opportunity to reflect, to set down some old behaviours and beliefs, and to move forward with greater clarity, connection and hope, and to transform your relationship with yourself, your child and your family.
Partnering not Parenting can be accessed in a number of ways, through the book, Never Let Go, How to Parent Your Child Through Mental Illness, by Suzanne Alderson. Via an 8 week online programme which runs regularly throughout the year (with access to resources for 12 months) and by an easy to digest bite-sized video course - keep scrolling for more information.
THE COURSE
Parenting a child with a mental health issue really isn’t the same as parenting a child, there are so many other factors at play. Our Partnering not Parenting Programme offers an alternative to traditional parenting advice – a compassionate communication framework that supports you to understand your child’s experience and build connection and trust. And most importantly it has been developed based on lived experience of 1000s of parents who have been there.
The programme is conducted over eight weeks, includes live sessions, workbooks, videos, resources and a Facebook group just for participants. The topics we cover include:
- Understanding Partnering not Parenting: learn about the concept of Partnering, why you are doing the course and the importance of self-care through this process.
- Acknowledgement, changing your mindset, dealing with uncertainty, understanding your child’s reality and stepping down.
- Moving towards acceptance: acceptance, grief, guilt, your own mental health.
- New ways of communicating: changing the ways you communicate, reflections on your behaviour, standing beside your child.
- Dealing with disconnection: assumptions, short term vs long term thinking and expectations.
- How to build connection: building trust, consistency and connection, patience.
- Empowering your child: empowering your child with choices, reminders on your powers, dealing with frustration and anger – yours, theirs and others, boundaries.
- Travelling together: difficult decisions, new opportunities, travelling together.
- Steps towards the future: building resilience, how to move forward when you feel you’re stuck, illness, condition, destiny?
THE BOOK
Never Let Go is the supportive, practical guide that all parents need to care for a child suffering with mental illness or poor mental health, based on a unique method, ‘Partnering not Parenting’.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SUZANNE
Suzanne Alderson founded the community and charity Parenting Mental Health when her daughter became depressed, anxious and suicidal following a period of severe bullying. Suzanne decided that there wasn’t enough support, understanding or compassion for parents and that actually, they were an integral part of a child’s recovery from poor mental health.
PARTNERING NOT PARENTING BITESIZED
If you're not yet ready to do the full Partnering not Parenting Programme, we can offer the Partnering not Parenting Bite-Sized Films.
With thanks to the Stephen Lloyd Foundation, these films are between 5 - 10 minutes each and completely FREE to access. Watch the trailer for more information.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN...
Before you begin the Partnering not Parenting Bite-Sized Course please take our survey. Your data is completely confidential and helps us understand how effective our services are. We really appreciate your support.
PARENT REVIEWS
1. INTRODUCTION TO PARTNERING NOT PARENTING BITESIZED
2. WHAT IS PARTNERING NOT PARENTING?
3. STEP DOWN - ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
4. STEP DOWN - REALITY
5. STEP DOWN - SELF CARE
6. STAND BESIDE - EMOTIONAL SAFETY
7. STAND BESIDE - TRUST
8. THE HOW TO GUIDE TO STANDING BESIDE
9. TRAVEL TOGETHER - EXPECTATIONS
10. TRAVEL TOGETHER - THE CURVE
11. TRAVEL TOGETHER - HOPE
WHEN YOU FINISH...
When you've watched all of the films please take the after survey. This is very important to us so we can show the impact of our services. Impact helps us to get more funding to make more content just like this, so your support is essential. Thank you.
