For the second year running, stem4 are promoting positive parent mental health through their Parent Mental Health Day on 27 January 2023.
Who are stem4?
stem4 are a charity who encourage positive mental health in teenagers and those who support them including their family, carers, education professionals as well as school nurses and GPs. They do this through the provision of mental health education, resilience strategies and early intervention.
What is Parent Mental Health Day?
Parent Mental Health Day (#PMHD) was founded by stem4 in 2022 to focus on parent’s mental health following the challenges, strain and inevitable exhaustion imposed by the pandemic.
#PMHD promotes understanding and awareness of the importance of the family as a system where parent and carer mental health is as important a focus as young people’s mental health. Its aim is to shine a light on parents and carers who are continuing to parent under unprecedented circumstances and may be struggling in the face of adversity.
#PMHD aims to challenge the stigmas surrounding parents’ and carers’ mental health by encouraging discussions regarding and providing some resilience tips.
What is this year’s theme?
This year the theme is #BuildFamilyResilience where the aim of the day is to explore how family resilience can be built, minimising the negative impact on either the parents and carers or their children and young people.
What is resilience?
Resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional and behavioural flexibility. It is more than ‘bouncing back’ when knocked down; it is the ability to adapt to hardship by establishing and utilising protective factors to help us navigate and balance any risks or challenges we may face.
Building resilience not only affects an individual, but also their families, relationships, and their wider social system.
How are stem4 implementing the theme of #BuildFamilyResilience?
stem4 are providing access to a number of resources designed to deliver tips and information to encourage resilience for parents and their families. The following resources can be located on stem4’s website:
- ‘Talking about Resilience’ podcast, with a focus on helping parents and carers understand what resilience is and the steps they can take to create resilience in both themselves and their families.
- Parent Mental Health Day Resilience Pack.
- Free webinar on building resilience in parents and carers on 26 January at 7pm.
The above resources (and more), along with further information about stem4 and their #PMHD can be accessed via their website: https://stem4.org.uk/parentmentalhealthday/
