063 What I Wish Parents Knew with Nathan Watkins LMFT

In the first installment of the series "What I wish parents knew" where therapists will share their thoughts about helping parents in the home.  I chat with therapist Nate Watkins about what parents can do in the home to help promote good mental health for their kids. 

Let's face it, even if we have our kids in regular weekly therapy, that is only 4 hours a month.  That leaves the rest of the week that we as parents have to support and help our kids.  So what are some things we can do at home to help them? A few things he shared

*Parents work on yourself 

*Shop around for a therapist and make sure its a good connection

*If the therapist and your child don't seem to connect, move on and find a new one.  Therapists aren't offended if you find someone who can help you better.

*Help them complete homework/assignments

*Dont drop them off and go shopping, be an active participant.  Check in with the therapist regularly

*Do some family therapy sessions with your child and the therapist.

*Don't wait until your kid is in crisis mode to get into therapy.  Get them support if they are struggling.

Therapy can be a wonderful and supportive tool to use to help our kids, Nate shares great ideas in this episode on how we can help it be a better experience.

https://wasatchfamilytherapy.com

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