While day-to-day life is far from a black and white list, it never hurts to have a few reminders of what can help to boost your child’s wellbeing and mental health. The following list is based on the recommendations of mental health campaigners, psychotherapists, teachers and education experts who took part in our GCSE Survival Guide for parents, which you can download for free here.

DO!

• Encourage them to exercise and get some fresh air each day - a change in surroundings can do wonders for shifting a negative mindset.

• Act early! If you think they are struggling, don’t sweep it under the rug. Even if you’re not sure of the best way to help, it’s always better to address any underlying issues or unhappiness as soon as it arises.

• Start the conversation! Ask them questions about how they’ve feeling and if they’re not comfortable sharing try opening up about any struggles you’ve faced in the past. Vulnerability is contagious!

• Educate yourself on mental health and the best ways to support your child if they are struggling. Papyrus UK has great resources for parents and carers who want to feel a bit more informed.
  
  

DON’T

• Stop them from seeing friends during revision time. It’s good to break up the work with healthy social situations and everyone needs some downtime.

• Bottle up your concerns! Talk to your child if you’re worried about their stress levels and see what you can do to help - it might be simpler than you think.

• Try to take everything on yourself - it’s really important to remind yourself that you are not a professional and there may come a time when your child needs more than just your personal support. This is very hard, especially for parents, as our natural instinct is always to try and ‘rescue’ someone we care about from situations that are hurting them, but we can’t do everything ourselves, nor are we qualified to.

• Allow stress to become sickness. Intervene before your child has a chance to get overwhelmed - it’s all too easy for everyday stress over GCSEs to tip into something more sinister, so don’t let a fixable situation get worse than it needs to.

  
  

We hope this helps at least one parent to feel more confident navigating the complicated world of teenagers’ mental health. These tips are aimed at equipping you with the knowledge and assurance you need to start important conversations and continue to support your child through their GCSEs and beyond.

Don’t forget you can find more information and advice in our GCSE Survival Guide for parents, which can be downloaded for free HERE. If you are a teacher, please share the download link with parents of year 9-11 students at your school.