Support for parents of youth

A new support group for parents and caregivers working and supporting young people who exhibit tricky, complicated, and difficultto-manage behaviours is about to get up and running.

The group will meet twicemonthly from January 21. It will specialise in dealing with the needs of parents and caregivers who are looking after young people aged five to 25 who have mental health issues.

It is the brainchild of Timarubased social worker and author Joy Sylvia, who said the idea came about after talking to other social workers about the current state of mental health care.

‘‘I’ve thought about it over the years, but there’s not a lot of funding out there. But now that I’m semi-retired, I’m in the position to do something about it,’’ Sylvia said.

She said the focus would initially be on Timaru, but she hoped that through services such as Skype, she would be able to connect with the broader South Canterbury community.

‘‘We’ve got feedback from places such as Twizel, where people say they’re in just as much need, but are really isolated. So it’s something I want to address.’’

Sylvia said the aim of the twice-monthly support sessions was to help parents and caregivers understand exactly what is going on for their young person.

‘‘It’s about working out the best responses to the behaviours – both short-term and long-term; and helping the young person be the best they can be,’’ she said.

‘‘We are identifying a lot more anxiety and depression issues. It’s right out there, and the earlier we can help families deal with these things, the less detrimental impact it will have on the individual later on.’’

Sylvia said the aim was to help parents as much as the affected young people.

‘‘If we can help the parents become more resilient, then that would help the young people become more resilient,’’ she said.

Sylvia also expected Oranga Tamariki, Youth Drug and Alcohol and GPs to be interested in linking with the service.

‘‘I’m looking forward to putting something in place that I’ve known, in my experience as a social worker, could actually bring about change. We might get to see some families before they have to seek intervention. If we can get in at the early stages, that’s just saving so much later trauma.’’

Sylvia hoped to get about 10 clients for the first meeting, while she was also finalising a suitable place to hold the sessions.

‘‘If we can help the parents become more resilient, then that would help the young people become more resilient.’’ Joy Sylvia