New support group for parents of suicidal children

Saturday 17 July 2021

Parents of children experiencing suicidal thoughts are being invited to join a "confidential space" where they can share their experiences and support each other.

Mental health charity Mind recently set up the group in response to requests from parents.

"A couple of parents have come forward to me asking whether there were any support groups as their children were experiencing this, and there wasn’t," Mind's Children and Young People’s Service Manager, Tina Hesse, explained.

"So I had a bit of a chat with [CAMHS Team Manager Lee Hayward], and we thought it would be a good idea to do a bit of partnership working, and we brought together a space and a place for parents to be able to do this."

Pictured: Tina Hesse, Mind Children and Young People’s Service Manager, established the group following requests, as a "confidential space" for parents to share their experiences.

She said the group will be "parent-led", with professionals available to help them, but ultimately taking the form of "a peer support group where they can support each other."

The main aim of the group, Tina explained, was to help parents of suicidal children to "realise that actually they’re not the only person going through it", giving them "an opportunity to talk... and hopefully give a better quality of life and promote the sharing of how to keep children and themselves safe in regard to their own wellbeing."

She said she hoped it would show parents that "there is light at the end of the tunnel, that people can be supported and children can come through this."

"We know that there are gaps of support within this area, and parental support is one of those gaps," Tina added.

"This is a part of filling in some of that - it doesn’t fill it all in, but it’s about beginning to find out what these parents need."

The sessions will take place every second Thursday of the month from 19:00-20:00 at Pip's Place in Union Street.

You can find out more by contacting Tina via email.