Adults Don't Need to Have All the Answers to Support Youth

As caring adults, we have a tendency to want to fix things or make things better for the young people in our lives.  But sometimes they just want to be heard and they want their feelings to be validated. Remember -- we don't need to have all the answers or the solutions. Just being there with a young person and letting them talk about how they're feeling or what they're going through is enough!

It's important to lead by example and model open and honest discussions of mental health because this can help reduce the stigma around talking about mental health challenges.  UpStreet Pittsburgh, an innovative teen and young adult mental health service where young people can get help for themselves by themselves, offers these tips for encouraging open dialogue with youth:

• Set the stage and don't be afraid to start the conversation with a young person.
• Talk about things you're feeling or difficult circumstances you're going through.
• Share things that help you cope when you're having a bad day.
• Talk about how anxious you were for something and how you managed your anxiety.