Practical Support for Parents Facing Their Young Adult’s Mental Health Struggles

Parenting a young adult who is struggling with emotional distress, self-harm or other mental health challenges can feel overwhelming. It also takes a toll on your own wellbeing. For many parents, one of the most difficult moments comes when their child turns 18. Many parents tell us they wish there was more parental guidance available when their child turns 18 and access to information suddenly shifts.

Overnight, they can feel “shut out” of their child’s mental health care, losing the insight they once had with little guidance on how to continue offering support. Finding the right support for parents is essential, especially when you’re balancing your own wellbeing with the emotional needs of your child.

Parents are often left asking themselves: What’s the right thing to do? Am I making things worse?

This is where a Parents Programme can help. We don’t believe there is a simple “right” or “wrong.” Instead, the focus is on helping you explore the options available to you and finding an approach to supporting your child that feels aligned with your values as a parent. Even with the best intentions, things can sometimes be received differently than you meant them. That’s why the programme emphasises curiosity, reflection and confidence-building so you feel more equipped in these complex situations.

Why Parents Need Support Too

There is very little support for parents of young adults, particularly when a child doesn’t consent to information-sharing. Even when consent is given, practical guidance is rare. Your child may attend therapy for an hour each week, but you’re the one living with them for the other 167 hours managing boundaries, facing conflict and coping with your own worries and self-doubt.

Parents often carry feelings of shame, guilt or fear that they’ve contributed to their child’s struggles. This can add to the sense of helplessness and isolation. Our Parents Programme recognises that you need support too.

Understanding Your Child Through a New Lens

Understanding the roots of these difficulties can be deeply empowering. Reflecting on your own patterns, beliefs and ways of relating helps you see your child’s struggles differently. Rather than seeing only the behaviours – self-harm, withdrawal, or emotional distress – you begin to recognise the unmet needs, confusion or trauma behind them.

The programme helps you identify unspoken emotional patterns within the family, and shows how your own upbringing, stress levels, and experiences shape your parenting style. With greater awareness, you can respond in ways that strengthen relationships, build unity, and reduce conflict.

What the Parents Programme Offers

The sessions are practical, reflective and supportive. No questions are off-limits. Together, we will explore how and why your child’s difficulties may have developed, and what you can do to support them while also caring for yourself.

Building Understanding, Skills and Confidence as a Parent:

• Build understanding of early brain development and its link to current challenges
• Explore how your own beliefs and judgments influence your parenting responses
• Introduce biosocial theory (how environment and biology interact)
• Strengthen your knowledge of emotional regulation
• Offer guidance on what to say and what not to say to your child
• Help you manage your own anxieties in moments of crisis
• Provide strategies for responding to harmful behaviours such as addiction and self-harm
• Clarify the NHS mental health system, including the difference between counselling, psychotherapy, DBT, and other approaches
• Support you to build “a life worth living” for both you and your child

When you begin to understand why your child is struggling, you can approach difficult conversations with greater empathy and compassion.

Seeking Support Isn’t Failure

Attending the Parents Programme doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong. It means you care. It means you’re committed to growth for yourself, your child and your family. Our Parents Programme was created to provide meaningful support for parents who often feel isolated while navigating their young adult’s mental health challenges.

Ready to Begin?

If you’d like to better understand your adult child’s struggles, or you’re looking for tools and strategies to support them and yourself, we’re here to help. By joining, you gain access to resources for parents that can make everyday challenges feel less overwhelming. Our parental support programme is designed to help you strengthen communication, reduce conflict and feel less alone in the process. Get in touch today to find out more or to sign up for the Parents Programme. We believe that support for parents should go beyond quick fixes, offering practical strategies, compassionate guidance and space for reflection.

FAQs

What support is available for parents of young adults with mental health challenges?

The Parents Programme provides practical strategies, guidance and emotional support for parents navigating their young adult’s mental health struggles. It focuses on building understanding, confidence and coping skills.

How can I get help as a parent of a child who self-harms?

Support for parents includes learning how to respond to self-harm safely, setting boundaries and managing your own wellbeing while helping your child access therapy or counselling.

Why is parental guidance important when my child turns 18?

Once your child reaches adulthood, you may lose insight into their mental health care. Parental guidance and support for parents can help you stay involved in a healthy, respectful way.

Are there resources for parents who feel isolated or overwhelmed?

Yes, the programme offers resources for parents, including reflective exercises, strategies for emotional regulation and tips to reduce conflict at home.

How can a parental support programme improve family relationships?

A structured support for parents programme helps you understand emotional patterns, communicate more effectively, and approach difficult conversations with empathy and confidence.