And on top of that, the number of children and young people referred to emergency mental healthcare rose by 10% between 2023 and 2024, with mental health charity YoungMinds stressing that many of these young people were waiting for NHS support for months, or even years.<\/p>\n
But how can parents talk to their children about how they\u2019re feeling, and take action to help them if necessary?<\/p>\n
Speaking to mark Children\u2019s Mental Health Week <\/a>(February 9-15), Dr Rebecca Kirkbride, clinical director of the children\u2019s mental health charity Place2Be<\/a>, which organises Children\u2019s Mental Health Week, says it\u2019s important to speak to children at a time and place when they feel comfortable.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be about the individual child, so I always suggest parents think about when their child feels most comfortable opening up and talking about things,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cMost children don\u2019t like being interrogated and obviously it depends on their age, but you might find that if you\u2019re sitting watching telly together or playing a game together, that when you create that safe space, the conversation flows.\u201d<\/p>\n Stevie Goulding, services manager, parent and carers services at\u202fYoungMinds, says many young people are experiencing multiple pressures which\u202fimpact\u202ftheir mental health, including schoolwork worries, relationship issues, and dealing with the online world and social media.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re\u00a0also\u00a0adapting to lots of changes as they grow up,\u00a0which can cause\u00a0them to express raw emotions and change moods quickly,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cFor parents, it can be hard to know when to be worried about your child\u2019s mental health. Talking to them about their mental health can be hard, and they might struggle to\u202f open up\u202fto begin with.\u201d<\/p>\n Tips for starting a conversation about mental health with your child<\/p>\n 1. Try general questions initially But she suggests: \u201cIf you know there\u2019s something going on, you can ask questions like \u2018Do you want to talk about what\u2019s going on?\u2019, or \u2018Is there anything you need from me? Space, time to talk, time to do something fun\u2026?\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n 2. Organise an activity you both enjoy together \u201cActivities like baking,\u202fgardening\u202for drawing cartoons of each other, can also help relax your child and encourage them to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n 3. Leave silences<\/p>\n Instead of parents filling all the time they\u2019re with their child with chatter, Goulding suggests they leave some silent moments. \u201cThis can create space for the child to talk about anything\u202fthat\u2019s\u202fon their mind,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0 Consider starting with an email or text with older children \u201cLet them know you\u2019re concerned about\u202fthem and\u202fare there if they need you,\u201d she says. \u201cSending an email or a text can work better if this is the way your child likes to communicate.\u201d<\/p>\n 5.\u00a0 Ask for their opinion 6. Take an interest<\/p>\n Kirkbride says parents need to make children aware that they\u2019re interested, because they care.<\/p>\n \u201cThe key thing I would say at all ages is be genuinely interested. So say things like \u2018I would really love to hear about your day\u2019, or \u2018I would really love to understand what\u2019s going on for you. I realise you might not want to talk about it at the moment, but hopefully we can find a space later when you feel like you want to talk about it\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cMake sure they know you\u2019re curious. You want to know. You want to help, but equally, really be mindful not to put pressure on them.\u201d<\/p>\n 7.\u00a0 Be positive<\/p>\n Goulding advises parents to give children positive encouragement, and says: \u201cLet them know you love them and they can talk to you if they need to, but if they want to talk to someone else\u202fthat\u2019s\u202fokay too.\u201d<\/p>\n She says being positive includes listening without judgement\u00a0, and suggests: \u201cSay how pleased you are that they\u2019ve managed to\u202fopen up\u202fto you.\u201d<\/p>\n 8.\u00a0 Empathy is key<\/p>\n Kirkbride says that helping the child feel that you understand what they must be feeling, so you have empathy with them, can really help.<\/p>\n She says: \u201cThink about what might be going on for them, what they might be feeling, maybe using some empathic conjectures, as we call them in therapy, like \u2018I wonder if you\u2019re feeling like it\u2019s really, really difficult to talk about this. I completely get it\u2019. And \u2018Sometimes I find it really difficult to talk about things too. But when you feel like you want to open up, I\u2019m here\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd also you might want to say that you\u2019re going to keep checking in, that \u2018I don\u2019t want to put pressure on you, but I think it\u2019s really important that we talk about this. So I\u2019m going to give you an hour or so, and then I\u2019ll check in\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about making them aware you think it\u2019s really important that you talk about it. The empathy part is really important \u2013 you understand they might be struggling at the moment, and they might be finding it difficult, but actually you\u2019re going to keep checking in. You want them to understand that you care.\u201d<\/p>\n And Goulding adds: \u201cSometimes a child just needs to know you\u2019re there and understand how they\u2019re feeling. Remind them you love them and are proud of them.\u201d<\/p>\n She stresses if your\u00a0child is\u202fconsistently struggling, for example you notice a sustained change in their behaviour, sleeping or eating patterns, or if they\u202fseem to be\u202fupset over\u202fa long period\u202fof time,\u202fit\u2019s\u202fimportant to take it seriously.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you think your child needs professional support, speaking to their GP and school, and\u202fconsidering whether counselling or therapy might help, are good places to start,\u201d she advises.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769155501401_1.jpg--.jpg\")
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Goulding says asking\u202fgeneral questions\u202fcan help\u202fopen up\u202fconversations with your child, so try asking things like \u2018How are you feeling?\u2019, \u2018What do you want to talk about?\u2019, or \u2018What was the best and worst bit of your day?\u2019.<\/p>\n
Do something together like going for a walk, even if\u202f it\u2019s\u202fjust to the shops. Goulding says this can make for a more relaxed conversation, pointing out: \u201cStarting with an activity that you both enjoy can help create a relaxed environment.<\/p>\n
Older children might not want to talk at first, says Goulding, so it might be worth opening a conversation with a digital message.<\/p>\n
Asking children what they think would help\u202fthem can sometimes be useful, says Goulding. \u201cThey often have\u202f good ideas\u202fabout solving their own problems,\u201d she points out.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769155501401_2.jpg--.jpg\")
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