Aimed to help parents wishing to know more boosting mental health & spotting signs of problems

Following the success of the first stem4 parent conference on teenage mental health in March this year, stem4 held their second parent conference on teenage mental health at Saint Cecilia’s Church of England School in Sutherland Grove.


Dr Nihara Krause speaking at the stem4 Parent Conference

The conference was aimed at parents who have children in secondary school and want to know more about boosting positive mental health and spotting early signs of common mental ill health problems in children. The Conference also aimed to help parents develop their awareness of teenage mental health issues, pick up on early signs and become more informed on how to support and make early change. Building teenage and family resilience is at the core of the work stem4 carry out and was reflected in the conference discussions.

The Parent Conference covered specific areas of mental health such as eating disorders, depression and anxiety - providing evidence-based information to promote best practice and share common experiences. It involved some practical topics such as ‘how to talk to your teenager’ and provide a forum to discuss issues and concerns. There was focus on preventing relapse after treatment of a mental health condition and on how parents can make sure they support the whole family.

Speakers at the Parent Conference featured well-known speaker Dr Nihara Krause, eminent Consultant Clinical Psychologist and CEO and Founder of stem4. She was joined by Iain Maitland, author of the book ‘Dear Michael, Love Dad’, parent Miriam George, well known actress and stem4 ambassador Rosie Day and Joe Stone, social worker and systemic family therapist.

Dr Krause said: ‘We are really pleased with the response to our very successful, second parent conference and would like to thank St Cecilia’s school for permitting us to host it at the school. This conference provided parents with up-to-date information on mental health difficulties, gave tips on building well-being and resilience and enabled parents to learn about mental ill health from some of our speakers with lived experience, as well as from theoretical and clinical perspectives. 100% of those who attended said they would recommend the conference to other parents, whilst 95% parents said the conference had increased their awareness of the early signs of mental health issues and helped them know what early steps to take. Whilst effective family management of mental ill health problems can benefit a child or young person enormously, healthy family mental health is a resilience factor.’

July 24, 2017