Mental Health is a critical component of overall well-being, and parents play an essential role in supporting their children's mental health. As a parent, it's essential to be aware of mental health issues and to know how to support your child's emotional well-being. In this blog, we'll discuss some key points about mental health awareness for parents.

Given that teenagers are reported to be coping with a lot of confusion during their teenage years and are more prone to make hasty decisions based on their prevailing emotions rather than reasoning, having a strong and trustworthy parent-child relationship throughout this period is of the utmost importance.

Check out this interview with our partner, New River Valley Community Services (NRVCS). This episode of Dissect and Connect, NRVCS’ community podcast, features ARP’s Josh Diamond, Katie Mitchell, and Katie Forsyth, where they provide an overview of ARP’s work in southwest Virginia, and discuss meeting the sexual health challenges young people face today.  

Young people's stress doesn't always appear the same as stress in adults. But just like adults, children, and teenagers—even those who have had tragedies that have changed their lives—can learn appropriate coping mechanisms. Young people can learn to recognize the symptoms of excessive stress and, with the correct tools, manage it with the help of their parents or other caregivers.

The culture of today's society is image-driven and emphasizes unrealistic standards of beauty for people of all genders, ages, and backgrounds. These norms not only negatively affect adults, but they also have serious effects on adolescents and children.

Adolescence can be a time when your kids stop talking to you as much as they used to. Hiding out in their rooms, giving one-word answers, never offering any information… these behaviors are not unusual for this age group. However, adolescence is also a time when parent-teen communication is extremely important. Teenagers are on the cusp of adulthood and independence, and your guidance and advice are integral to their health and safety, especially when it comes to pornography.

Setting healthy personal boundaries, as well as being able to identify and respect those of others, is critical for developing healthy relationships. It is critical to instill healthy boundaries in children at a young age. It will be easier for them to manage good relationships as adults if they learn about their own limits and recognize the necessity of respecting others’.

Raising teens comes with many challenges, and it’s not uncommon for parents to think “teens these days” are so much worse than teens a generation ago. And, that might not be totally inaccurate – today’s adolescents probably aren’t “bad kids” as much as they face more and different pressures than their parents did.

As teens venture into the world of romance, dating, and parties, alcohol can become an ever bigger threat to health and safety. Read on to get more information about teen drinking, drinking and consent, and tips and talking points for talking to your teen.

Part of our work here at ARP is to train adults to facilitate youth programming. Back in July, we traveled to Marion, Virginia, to conduct a training in Draw the Line/Respect the Line and Teen Outreach Program© for about a dozen individuals of various backgrounds, united in their dedication to promoting optimal health for adolescents in Virginia.

Consent takes practice, and that’s why we advocate talking to youth early about peer pressure and sexual consent.

It’s back-to-school season! And as our kids return to their classrooms (be it virtual or in-person), it’s important to think about ways the sex ed classroom and all spaces can affirm and include all students.

We want students to know about the characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships - optimally before they enter into one! The middle school years are a great time to have this conversation, but it’s never too late to open up a dialogue – read on for tips for how to have these important conversations with your child.

As helpful as they are, smartphones can also be dangerous to kids. This post offers some ways you can protect your child from inappropriate content and cyberbullying.

It’s never too early to start talking about consent, but for younger kids, you might approach the topic by starting with the concept of body autonomy. Body autonomy is a person’s right to be in control of their body without pressure or coercion from others. Children who understand their body autonomy are less likely to fall victim to sexual abuse and sexual assault, less likely to experience intimate partner violence, and more likely to report any abuse they experience. Not only could it be lifesaving information, but it will increase communication and trust between you and your child. Read on to learn the doctor-recommended steps for teaching your child this profoundly important concept.

The benefits to child/parent sexual health communication are numerous and important. Communicating to children about sex results in delayed sexual initiation; increased use of condoms and birth control; decreased risk of STD and fewer sexual partners; better communication between adolescent romantic partners; and improved general communication between parents and their children. This blog post, written by ARP Director of Training and Fidelity Katie Mitchell, provides advice for opening the door to these important conversations.