Practically Speaking: Behind the Episode - “Don't Forget the Caregivers: Support for Caregivers of Children and Teens After Self-Directed Violence”
I didn’t think this blog would be as difficult to write as it has turned out to be. Like many of you reading this, I am a mental health provider. I have worked with a wide variety of clients dealing with a wide variety of challenges–successfully and competently (or at least I hope). I have had the privilege of bearing witness to and helping people navigate some of the darkest, soul-crushing experiences, sometimes supporting them, sometimes helping them approach rather than avoid, sometimes grieving with them, and always cheering their successes and their strengths. And never judging anything they were going through–reassuring them that they were doing the best they could under very challenging circumstances.
Listen to the full discussion here: Don't Forget the Caregivers - Support for Caregivers of Children and Teens After Self-Directed Violence
Last fall, I found myself on the other side–well, not exactly. My daughter came into our room late one evening, crying and scared, and said she had taken a handful of pills. Like so many of her high school peers (almost 20% of high school students report suicidal ideation in the past year, and 10% report a suicide attempt in the same time period according to our podcast guest, Dr. Alejandra Arango), she was dealing with significant distress and pressure. We were doing all the right things, as far as we knew–had her in regular therapy, monitoring social media use, trying to encourage social interaction, etc. And yet I had a feeling of utter failure, helplessness, and even a bit of shame.
I’m a mental health provider. I have the insider info. I should know all the right things to do. If I can’t prevent this for my own child, what right do I have to try to help other people through their stuff? And I suddenly could identify with a group of people that sometimes are forgotten in the work we do–parents and other caregivers. I am not my daughter’s therapist. I am her dad. And I needed support both with knowing what to do to support my child first, but also addressing some of the deep hurt inside me.
This episode of Practical for Your Practice was personally meaningful to me. In it, Dr. Alejandra Arango discusses how we can support caregivers after a their child’s or teen’s suicide attempt. “I think we're asking parents to do a lot. We're asking parents to monitor their child. We're asking parents to engage in lethal means safety. We're asking parents to find a provider for their child… We're asking them to ensure safety and make sure this kid goes to school, even though they're not feeling okay… What do we tell the school personnel? How much do we tell them? How do we navigate that? We are asking parents to be parents. How do you discipline a kid who is really distressed?” she explained.
I needed this discussion. And I imagine many of you can benefit too. Join us here: Don't Forget the Caregivers - Support for Caregivers of Children and Teens After Self-Directed Violence
Your feedback and interaction is so meaningful to us. Please let us know what you’d like to hear about in future Practical for Your Practice episodes. You can leave us a voice message at www.speakpipe.com/cdpp4p, or send us an email at cdp-podcast-ggg@usuhs.edu.
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Kevin Holloway, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist working as Director of Online Training, Technology and Telehealth (OT3) at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. In this capacity, he leads a team of subject matter experts and support staff to develop and present workshops across the world to military and civilian audiences on topics in deployment behavioral health and evidence-based therapies for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
I didn’t think this blog would be as difficult to write as it has turned out to be. Like many of you reading this, I am a mental health provider. I have worked with a wide variety of clients dealing with a wide variety of challenges–successfully and competently (or at least I hope). I have had the privilege of bearing witness to and helping people navigate some of the darkest, soul-crushing experiences, sometimes supporting them, sometimes helping them approach rather than avoid, sometimes grieving with them, and always cheering their successes and their strengths. And never judging anything they were going through–reassuring them that they were doing the best they could under very challenging circumstances.
Listen to the full discussion here: Don't Forget the Caregivers - Support for Caregivers of Children and Teens After Self-Directed Violence
Last fall, I found myself on the other side–well, not exactly. My daughter came into our room late one evening, crying and scared, and said she had taken a handful of pills. Like so many of her high school peers (almost 20% of high school students report suicidal ideation in the past year, and 10% report a suicide attempt in the same time period according to our podcast guest, Dr. Alejandra Arango), she was dealing with significant distress and pressure. We were doing all the right things, as far as we knew–had her in regular therapy, monitoring social media use, trying to encourage social interaction, etc. And yet I had a feeling of utter failure, helplessness, and even a bit of shame.
I’m a mental health provider. I have the insider info. I should know all the right things to do. If I can’t prevent this for my own child, what right do I have to try to help other people through their stuff? And I suddenly could identify with a group of people that sometimes are forgotten in the work we do–parents and other caregivers. I am not my daughter’s therapist. I am her dad. And I needed support both with knowing what to do to support my child first, but also addressing some of the deep hurt inside me.
This episode of Practical for Your Practice was personally meaningful to me. In it, Dr. Alejandra Arango discusses how we can support caregivers after a their child’s or teen’s suicide attempt. “I think we're asking parents to do a lot. We're asking parents to monitor their child. We're asking parents to engage in lethal means safety. We're asking parents to find a provider for their child… We're asking them to ensure safety and make sure this kid goes to school, even though they're not feeling okay… What do we tell the school personnel? How much do we tell them? How do we navigate that? We are asking parents to be parents. How do you discipline a kid who is really distressed?” she explained.
I needed this discussion. And I imagine many of you can benefit too. Join us here: Don't Forget the Caregivers - Support for Caregivers of Children and Teens After Self-Directed Violence
Your feedback and interaction is so meaningful to us. Please let us know what you’d like to hear about in future Practical for Your Practice episodes. You can leave us a voice message at www.speakpipe.com/cdpp4p, or send us an email at cdp-podcast-ggg@usuhs.edu.
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Kevin Holloway, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist working as Director of Online Training, Technology and Telehealth (OT3) at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. In this capacity, he leads a team of subject matter experts and support staff to develop and present workshops across the world to military and civilian audiences on topics in deployment behavioral health and evidence-based therapies for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).