The Parent Support Network model is based on the following foundation:

- Meetings are in-person, confidential and free for parents and caregivers;

- Meetings are open to any parent or caregiver who is concerned about their kids (ages 1 - 24) who struggle with anxiety, depression, mood dysregulation, or other emotional, behavioral or mental health problems;

- A child does NOT need to have a diagnosis for a parent to benefit from meetings;

- Meetings are organized and led by a trained Facilitator who is a parent or caregiver with lived experience raising a child with a mental health condition;

- While the dialogue among parents is facilitated, the content is driven by the needs of the parents in attendance;

- Parents work together to share experiences and resources. Parents also work together to gather a reliable and vetted list of invaluable community and regional resources to help each other and to enable other families to seek and find the help they need. Vetted for parents and by parents, there is no better resource than a referral from someone who shares your experience.

The Parent Support Network™ meetings are open and inclusive to all parents, regardless of a diagnosis or the current state of their child’s mental health. Not focused exclusively on psychiatric illness or crisis, The Parent Support Network™ meetings are meant to be flexible and work with a wide range of parent concerns about a child’s mental health and well-being. Parents often begin searching for answers and support well before they realize that their children may be struggling with a mental health problem or receive a diagnosis of any kind. Because we believe that early intervention can make a difference for a child and family, and prevent the worsening of a condition or deterioration of a child’s mental health, The Parent Support Network™ meetings are intended to be relatable and supportive to all parents at any stage of concern. Our goal is to support every stage of a family’s journey, including challenges and struggles that do not necessarily result in a diagnosis or qualify as an “illness.”

Each chapter of The Parent Support Network™ is run by a volunteer parent or parents (Facilitators) who have personal experience raising a child, teen or young adult who has struggled with his or her mental health. The Facilitators are vetted, trained and supported by The Youth Mental Health Project and are dedicated to helping parents navigate a difficulties that they have experienced themselves.

The Parent Support Network™ in-person meetings are intended to be flexible and open, allowing the discussion to be influenced by the needs of any particular group of attendees. While each meeting will be guided by one or more Facilitators using a defined structure and format, the topics of discussion are driven by the parent attendees and the particular concerns or feelings they bring to the meeting. Typical topics include, but are not limited to, concerns about behaviors, therapy, treatment, medication, education, diagnosis, relationships with friends and family, and the impact on siblings. The Facilitators are trained to use any topic of discussion as an opportunity to help parents feel connected and work through hard to have feelings, such as blame, shame, guilt, anger, disappointment, and frustration, enabling them to find hope, gratitude, acceptance and strength.

Ideally, each affiliate will hold in-person meetings at least once a month. All meetings are open to new members and parents are not obligated to attend any specific meeting or number of meetings. Since there is no set curriculum, parents can decide when to attend based upon their own schedule and may choose to attend regularly or sporadically.

Meetings are expected to last about an hour and a half, but the precise length will vary depending on the location, size of the group, and needs of the Facilitators. As parents may have children at home who need care and whose needs are often unpredictable, flexibility is built-in to allow parents to arrive late or leave early. Facilitators are trained to create a comfortable and safe environment for all attendees.

While we acknowledge that it can often be difficult for parents to leave children who are struggling behind, The Parent Support Network™ is not structured to provide child-care. We suggest you make arrangements for your children with a trusted caregiver or, if there are two parents involved, have one parent attend the meeting while the other parent stays with the child/ children. The Parent Support Network™ meetings are meant as an outlet and safe space for peer to peer adult support and can be an essential part of self-care for parents.

Parents with similar experiences are each other’s best allies and provide each other with the best resources. Parents with children who have struggled with mental health concerns are in a unique position to understand the isolation, blame and shame that occurs when the challenge is invisible and misunderstood. We have found that parents who come together under these circumstances are eager to provide a supportive, safe and protective environment for everyone. Anonymity is a foundation of safety, particularly during times of stress, anxiety and worry. We support and protect each individual’s need to maintain privacy and anonymity and insist that all Network attendees agree to maintain the confidentiality and privacy of all attendees and their family members. We respect the right of each individual and his or her family to determine if, when and where they are willing to share their identities or personal stories or experiences.

No. Attendees may simply observe and listen as long as they like. Of course, Facilitators are trained to encourage parents to find their own levels of comfort and give everyone the opportunity to speak or share when and if they become ready. Facilitators are also trained to use a Conversation Toolkit to help make it easier for attendees to share.

Having a phone ring in the middle of sharing something personal can be quite disruptive, so out of respect for the other attendants, we strongly suggest that parents silence their phones or put them on vibrate and set them aside. Of course, parents are in a room with other parents who know how difficult it can be to ignore a call from a child who is struggling or a babysitter or other parents who may be managing a difficult situation. Meetings are intended to be free of judgment and safe spaces to do what you need to do, so any parent who feels the need to take a phone call should quietly step out of the room.

Just like physical health, mental health lies on a continuum. Throughout life, all humans experience periods of fluctuation in both physical and mental health, ranging from optimal health to life threatening illness. Mental health continuously shifts, changes and evolves during a lifetime. This is particularly true during childhood, as a person’s body grows, develops, and builds up immunity. If a child’s mental health struggles are causing impairment in functioning in any significant way at home, at school or with friends, that child may be experiencing a condition that is commonly referred to as mental illness.* Recovery from any illness, both mental and physical, occurs when a person regains the ability to function appropriately without severe impairment. * ANY INFORMATION, SUGGESTIONS OR ADVICE PROVIDED BY THE YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH PROJECT OR FACILITATORS OF THE PARENT SUPPORT NETWORK DO NOT CONSTITUTE MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE RELIED UPON TO CURE, DIAGNOSE, OR TREAT ANY MENTAL OR PHYSICAL HEALTH CONDITION.

The Parent Support Network™ in-person meetings are FREE for all parent attendees. There is no cost for Parents who volunteer to become Facilitators, either to attend or for the necessary training and support from The Youth Mental Health Project. That being said, The Parent Support Network™ materials are costly to create, manage, and update and a great deal of work goes into continuous and ongoing support of each affiliate. In order to establish and maintain a local affiliate while continuing to offer free, meaningful support to families, The Youth Mental Health Project will work with Facilitators and Sponsors to help them find ways to fund the model. (More details about the funding model will be provided upon request.) Some of the affiliates of The Parent Support Network™ are fully or partially financed by Sponsors, who are organizations, individuals, or groups in the community interested in supporting family mental health. Any of The Parent Support Network™ affiliates can also secure initial or ongoing funding through grants. Funding to support an affiliate of The Parent Support Network™ can also be raised through fundraising events and donations, using the 501(C)(3) nonprofit status of The Youth Mental Health Project. In all cases, The Youth Mental Health Project is available to collaborate and support local efforts to sustain and fund a Network.

The Youth Mental Health Project has elevated the traditional peer-to-peer support group by adding a unique scaffolding which provides a foundation for learning that mental health lies on a continuum and is as important to nurture and care for as physical health. The Parent Support Network™ chapters guide parents through their intense feelings and circumstances to a deeper sense of belonging, role modeling, and sharing valuable resources, all of which foster personal growth and improved outcomes for families. Creating an affiliate through The Youth Mental Health Project means you will benefit from personalized support, training, assistance in growing presence in your community, marketing and communication materials, 501(c)(3) status, insurance, web presence for your affiliate, social media tools and more.