Overcoming the Most Common Obstacles to Strong Mental Health
The mental health crisis in our country is at critical mass. Children are struggling like never before and parents are concerned, as they should be. I know that we’ve faced mental health issues in our home. So many parents have. Which begs the question:
What foundation do we need as parents to help our kids have strong mental health?
Dr. Bill Senyard helps us to answer that question in Episode 104 of CHRISTIAN PARENT/CRAZY WORLD. I just loved the encouraging, helpful, and oh-so-practical conversation I had with Bill in the last episode, where we defined the two greatest mental health needs of our kids. In part 2 of our conversation, Bill highlights some warning signs that a child is struggling and offers practical ways to establish a strong foundation for your child’s mental health.
We start by discussing the prevailing psychological theory in child development–attachment theory, which emphasizes a child’s emotional bond with their primary caregiver. Bill defines the four primary attachment styles that a child can exhibit. They are:
- Secure—confident, reciprocal, non-reactive, resilient.
- Anxious—emotional, reactive, volatile.
- Fearful—composite of anxious and avoidant.
- Avoidant—isolated, emotionally distant.
As you can see, one relational style is mentally healthy and strong, the other three are showing signs of distress, of a breakdown in mental health. Bill covers all the warning signs and gives some practical ways to help children who exhibit those unhealthy traits.
To hear this vitally important conversation on Life Audio, click on the image below:
Or you can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts. And please consider giving CPCW a 5 star rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. That would make my day!
EPISODE RESOURCES:
DR. BILL SENYARD’S BIO: Bill’s career has taken him from being a Chemical engineer, a strategic management consultant, and a co-owner of an Inc. 500 high-tech company to fulltime church ministry where he served multiple congregations as a Lead Pastor for over 35 years. He is a popular conference speaker in the US and Canada as well as abroad. He has written over a dozen non-fiction books and workbooks on a wide range of important topics including, how Christians can effectively and Biblically forgive others, how frustrated parents of teens can be “good enough parents” and most importantly, God’s love for the unlovable. Bill is the creator of The Good Enough Parent, a phenomenal curriculum that has a ton of free resources for parents.
Attachment Theory For Teens Simplified (video)
Bill’s Book: Tale of the Unlikely Prince
Episode 85: 8 Words Every Parent Must Say To Their Child
Beyond Consequences by Heather T. Forbes
