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Check in on Your Own Mental Health As Well as Your Kid’s

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Check in on Your Own Mental Health As Well as Your Kid’s

Apr 29, 2021

Concerned that your child or teen may be struggling with their mental well-being? It may be important to check-in with your own mental health first. On today's Health Minute, Andrew Smith, PhD explains what can happen if a parent lacks the bandwidth to see issues with their own children and why it’s so important to prioritize your own mental health.

If you need direct help, Huntsman Mental Health Institute has resources to prevent a mental health crisis and support you if one is happening. Here are more podcasts from our library about common mental health topics for you or your children.

Episode Transcript

Interviewer: How are your kids doing? Are they struggling with their mental well-being, or are they doing all right? Well, you might not even notice, because according to psychologist, Andrew Smith, in order to see how your kids are doing, you have to be honest with yourself and check in with how you're doing.

Dr. Smith: One of the things that creates problems and risk in families is when parents are struggling and they don't have the bandwidth, the emotional bandwidth to see and hear the distress of their adolescents and their kids. If you're listening to this, and you're struggling with your adolescents, and I'm hearing a lot of that in my clinic, reaching out and taking care of your own mental health needs is one of the answers. And having access to some sort of either online or bona fide psychotherapy is pretty critical to create that emotional health and bandwidth within a family.