![]() Notice when your child is stressed or emotional, even at a low level.There are a few steps to active listening: “For example, caregivers highlight that reflecting back what they're hearing oftentimes leads to their child sharing more information than usual, increasing their connection and closeness, and feeling more like a team working together on an issue,” she says. However, with practice, caregivers almost universally report many benefits when using active listening during conversations,” Jenness says. It can often feel unnatural or even robotic at first. “Like many caregiving skills, active listening is easier said than done. It’s a skill you can use regularly, for issues big and small, to show your kids that you are there for them. “It can feel intimidating to ask your child about mental health struggles, but overall research shows the use of active listening and validation to communicate about hard situations is an important protective factor for a child’s mental health,” says Jessica Jenness, a clinical child psychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine.Īctive listening is helpful in everyday situations as well as more serious ones. It also demonstrates that you recognize and care about your child’s feelings, plus it can be a helpful tool for slowing down difficult conversations instead of escalating them into an argument. It allows them independence and agency while helping you keep them safe and support them. How can active listening help youth mental health?Ĭhanging the way you listen to your kid may not seem like a big deal - something so small to do in the face of so many serious mental health issues among youth - but it can have a big impact.Īctive listening involves seeking to understand your kid or teen’s perspective rather than trying to jump in and fix things for them. ![]() Access to mental health care was already difficult for many families before COVID-19, and in the past few years the shortage of mental health care providers for kids and teens has only gotten more profound. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that, in 2021, more than a third of high school students dealt with poor mental health and 44% regularly felt sad or hopeless.Įven before the pandemic began, CDC research found that 1 in 5 kids had a mental health disorder but only 20% of those individuals received care from a mental health specialist. How the pandemic affected the mental health of kids and teens It’s a skill that anyone who regularly interacts with youth can benefit from - and it’s more needed now than ever. ![]() ![]() If you’re a parent or caregiver for young people, you’ve probably run into a communication issue at some point - or are concerned you might in the future.Īctive listening is a skill that can help you connect more effectively with your kids and help them feel heard and be more willing to talk about difficult things. ![]()
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