How To Support Young People Living with Parental Mental Illness
Discover how parental mental illness impacts children’s development and learn skills and strategies to help young people affected.
Duration
4 weeksWeekly study
2 hours
How To Support Young People Living with Parental Mental Illness
Understand how parental mental illness can impact child development
On this course, you’ll build a deeper understanding of the impact a parent’s mental illness can have on a child, and learn how to deliver the support they need.
This support is designed to help children and young people develop resilience, overcome adversity and avoid a range of negative outcomes in later life, such as mental ill health.
Learn how to support children living with a parent who has a mental illness
The course begins by teaching you how to identify children living with a carer suffering from mental illness. Given their vulnerability, they may not have the confidence to open up and discuss the issue and the course will equip you with the skills you need to approach and help them open up.
You’ll be introduced to various strategies you can share with young people that they can implement in their daily lives to build their resilience.
Explore society’s attitudes towards mental illness
As part of this course, you’ll also explore society’s attitude and perception towards mental health, including the phenomenon of unconscious bias.
You’ll feel empowered by the knowledge and skills to critically reflect on the challenges that children who have a parent with a mental illness face and how this impacts their childhood.
Learn from Our Time’s and UCL’s experts
This course is taught by global experts from Our Time, an organisation founded by Dr. Alan Cooklin – an internationally recognised expert on children of parents with a mental illness – in collaboration with Professors from UCL.
Our Time is the leading organisation in supporting children living with parents suffering from mental illness, and you’ll benefit from their wealth of expertise on the topic and learn using evidence-based, global research.
Syllabus
Week 1
The context and impact of parental mental illness
Introduction
An overview of the course content and the topic of parental mental illness
Understanding the impact of parental mental illness
We will explore how young people living with or caring for a parent with a mental illness are impacted in their every day lives.
Contributing factors of mental illness
We explore the wide range of contributing factors that can lead to an adult or young person developing a mental illness or mental health concern.
Summary, reflection and assessment
A chance to look back on what you have learned in week 1 and check your understanding.
Week 2
Supporting Young People and and their families
Understanding and supporting children and young people who have a parent with a mental illness
An introduction to Our Time's approach for supporting children of a parent with a mental illness.
Schools Programme
Our Time's specialist work for school settings
KidsTime
Our Time's national model of workshops designed to support families living with parental mental illness
Summary, reflection and assessment
A chance to look back on what you have learned in week 2 and check your understanding.
Week 3
Recognising children who have a parent with a mental illness and understanding their needs
Identifying children who have a parent with a mental illness
This week we will be exploring how to recognise and support children who have a parent with a mental illness: they are often a hidden and vulnerable group
Stigma and barriers
We examine the stigma surrounding parental mental illness and the barriers this can create for young people living with this issue.
Addressing the needs of children who have a parent with a mental illness
How can we best listen to and respond to the needs of these young people?
Summary, reflection and assessment
A chance to look back on what you have learned in week 3 and check your understanding.
Week 4
Offering practical support and building resilience
The power of communication
Here we will explore some specific practical activities to support children of a parent with a mental illness.
Supporting children who have a parent with a mental illness to build their own coping and resilience strategies
How can we give young people the tools they need to build their resilience?
Summary, reflection and assessment
A chance to look back on what you have learned in week 4 and check your understanding.
Reflection on the course and next steps
What have we learned and how can we carry this forward in our own practice?
Who is this accredited by?
The Royal College of Psychiatrists accredits training courses across a range of providers that deliver mental health training to the public.
The CPD Certification Service: The content of the following course has been certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles.
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Reflect on the challenges facing young people who have a parent with a mental illness.
- Develop a deeper understanding of the issue and a greater sense of compassion.
- Explore attitudes towards mental illness in society and how this contributes to the stigma attached to this issue.
- Assess the most effective approaches and forms of communication to support young people who have a parent with a mental illness.
- Apply some of the strategies in your own environment, where appropriate
- Explore a range of strategies and approaches that young people can implement themselves in order to build their resilience.
- Engage with peers in the wider community on the topic of mental illness
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for health professionals, teachers, counsellors, social workers, and anyone else working with young people. No prior experience is or knowledge is required.
Who will you learn with?
I am a senior research fellow and lecturer in psychiatric epidemiology at the UCL Division of Psychiatry. I investigate the causes, treatment and prevention of depression and anxiety.
I am the CEO of Our Time. I have trained and worked in a wide range of therapeutic settings and am passionate about giving young people living with parental mental illness the space to be heard.
I'm Jade, the Development Manager at Our Time Charity, and I help to develop all of our training and CPD courses.
Who developed the course?
UCL (University College London)
UCL was founded in 1826. It was the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, and the first to open up university education to those previously excluded from it.
Our Time
Over 2.9 million young people in the UK have a parent with a mental illlness. Our Time helps, campaigns for, and builds resilience in them.
What's included?
This is a premium course. These courses are designed for professionals from specific industries looking to learn with a smaller group of like-minded individuals.
- Unlimited access to this course
- Includes any articles, videos, peer reviews and quizzes
- Tests to validate your learning
- Certificate of Achievement to prove your success when you're eligible
- Download and print your Certificate of Achievement anytime
Still want to know more? Check out our FAQs
Learning on FutureLearn
Your learning, your rules
- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
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