One of the most common things I hear from parents after their teenager is diagnosed with depression is: “I don’t know what to do about school.” By the time a teen is in my office, they have often been struggling academically for months — and most of that time, nobody
Parents often tell me some version of the same thing: “I know teenagers are moody, but something feels different this time.” They’re not sure whether to be worried or whether they’re overreacting. In my clinical work, that uncertainty is almost always worth taking seriously. The instinct that something has shifted
Most parents want desperately to say the right thing to a struggling teen — and most aren’t sure what that is. Research from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and NAMI is clear: the words parents use genuinely matter. Validation — being heard, seen, and understood — is clinically documented
