Raising Troubled Kids : Help for parents of children with mental and emotional disorders

Raising Troubled Kids: Help for parents of children with mental and emotional disorders If you like what you read here, consider the book:

“Raising Troubled Kids” is filled with practical ideas & information from parents and families like yours, explains how treatment works, and teaches proven behavioral techniques that are used by psychologists and therapists. $14.99.

“As both the parent of a teenager with a mood disorder and a professional working with other "troubled kids", I wholeheartedly endorse this beautifully written and theoretically sound book. Parents of mentally ill children are often misunderstood, maligned, and misjudged. Ms. Puckette provides practical advice, encouragement and realistic, yet hopeful glimpses into the lives of those of us who walk this difficult path.”

---Elizabeth Hamilton, Psychologist, Newberg OR

“The most important message in Raising Troubled Kids is that parents who have children with mental health situations are not alone. The book is a blessing to those who don’t know what to do next, or even where to start.”

---Earl Maxwell, CEO, St. David’s Community Health Foundation, Austin TX

Help for Parents of Children with Mental and Emotional Disorders

--If your child or teen is endlessly frustrating and exhausting,

--If they continually cause trouble in school or are failing, or cannot attend school

--If they are violent and assaultive, or seriously depressed

--If they do unsafe things to themselves or others, such as cutting, thinking about suicide, bullying,

--If you've ever had to call the police or an ambulance,

This site is dedicated to YOU: the parents and siblings, foster parents, adoptive parents, grandparents, and other caregivers of a child or teen with a behavioral disorder.

Have hope
You can raise a difficult child while keeping yourself and the rest of your family safe and thriving. But accept the challenge: you may have to change the way you parent. You may have to postpone some dreams. You may need to let go of your plans for your child's success. But that be OK, and it will all work out.

Recovering Family Sanity: A brief summary of ways to get your life back and restore your family’s peace of mind.
News: The latest news and research in children's mental health, covering multiple disorders and issues, including good news about treatment.
Blog: Find regular articles about common parenting issues for different types of behavior and disorders, and find out what the latest research tells us.
Resources: Links to recommended web sites that have been reviewed for integrity. Also included is information about medications, and links to support and advocacy organizations.

Remember:

You are not alone -- All families experience the same struggles as you do no matter what the age of the child or their diagnosis. They come from all walks of life, all educational levels, all races, and all backgrounds.

Children's behavior disorders are common, and they are caused by many things:

family genetics

trauma history

stressful living conditions

diabetes, epilepsy, thyroid dysfunction

brain damage (including fetal exposure to substances)

You have options -- There are many different ways to help children with behavioral problems, and most of them work, and few are harmful.

It's no one's fault -- It's not your child's fault, if he or she could do better they would. It's not your fault. Forgive yourself if you think so and move forward with helping yourself and child.

You can start now — even if there is no diagnosis or known cause. The steps to returning order in your life and home are the same for all families, no matter what your child’s age, diagnosis, or cause for their serious behavior.

Your parenting techniques will need to be very different, not the same common sense practices you would use with a 'normal' child. These are easy to learn, but take practice and patience. It can take years for your child to function better.

Your effort to be a good parent is heroic -- Your child has a true disability, and your family deserves the same compassion and support as any other family with a disabled child. Mental disorders are serious, and cause more fatalities than childhood cancers and leukemias.

You can get your life back and return safety and order to your home.

Examples of blog articles:

Defying ODD: what it is, and how to manage

Managing resistance, tips and advice

What to do when they stop listening

Last updated: August 2011