Resource Library
How to Have the Conversation
Talking about mental health with adolescents can be challenging—teens can often get upset when asked about sensitive subjects, but there are ways to prepare that can help you be more successful and productive when you have “the conversation”.
We hear often from students that when they tell their parents that they are depressed, that parents don’t believe them or tell them to get over it. Having an honest conversation in this way is tough—it requires one to be vulnerable, and opens the door to challenges that no family member wants their loved one to be experiencing.
This is why we want to help families have meaningful conversations about mental health concerns; because at the least, it strengthens your relationship, and at the most, it can save a life.
The following are articles, websites, and videos that can help you prepare:
Conversation Starters
Dealing with Your Own Feelings
How to Talk to Your Child About Mental Health
How to Talk to Your Kids about Mental Health
If Someone Tells You They're Thinking About Suicide- AFSP
A great resource to help you respond to someone when they express that they're thinking about suicide and how to connect them to help.
Our Words Matter
The way we communicate about mental health and wellbeing, mental health concerns, suicide, and alcohol and other drugs (AOD) can have either a positive or negative impact on a person’s life. The words we choose to use can make all the difference.
Starting a Conversation with Your Child
What a Parent Can Do: Do’s and Don’ts
Train Adults in Your Community
Want to train the adults in your community to be able to better support the mental health needs of those you love? In one hour, QPR Gatekeeper Training teaches adults how to recognize potential mental health crises, what to do, and practices having the challenging conversation—including asking the all-important suicide question.
The more adults we have who are equipped to spot and respond to mental health emergencies, the safer our communities are!
We offer two options for QPR Gatekeeper Training:
- Schedule a free private group training with LifeAct: email us to book a session
- OR sign up to participate in our monthly community training, which are open to the public: click here to register.