Skip to main content
Donate Now

Support for Parents

No5 has been supporting young people, and their families, in Reading and the surrounding area since 1971. We understand how scary, overwhelming and often isolating having a young person who is struggling with their mental health can be for parents, caregivers and those around them.

On this page you will find information about mental health and the support No5 can provide your young person.

Support for Parents
Understand

Understand

It can be overwhelming to carry the responsibility to do the best we can for our children, and sometimes, despite feeling we are doing all we can for them, things don’t always work out how we may have wished.

Understand

Understand

We recognise that you can feel isolated and alone in your struggle to do the best for your children, and this can be amplified if you’re a single parent.

Understand

Understand

Difficulties experienced by our children may also raise memories of our own challenges when growing up.

How parents can support their children

There is little you can do to change what a young person is going through but there are things that can be done to make it easier to cope with.

It can help if parents are more aware of what the brain changes are and the effects of them. It can help at many levels to understand that brain changes are normal for young people and a part of their natural development.

Research on the web provides lots of information. Try searching

  • Teenage brain development
  • Adolescent brain development

The following link is text from a parent’s experience. (The parent is not known to No5 and this text is freely available on the web): Find out more here

Counselling can help because it provides a safe, impartial and non-judgemental place for a young person to talk about what’s going on for them without the emotional influence of family and friends.

Myths and facts about adolescent and
teenage brain development

If your adolescent seems difficult to deal with, it is entirely their fault.

If your adolescent seems difficult to deal with, it is entirely their fault.

If your adolescent seems difficult to deal with it is usually an entirely natural stage in their brain development.

If your adolescent seems difficult to deal with it is usually an entirely natural stage in their brain development.

They are behaving in this way on purpose and to annoy you.

They are behaving in this way on purpose and to annoy you.

You have failed as a parent and it’s entirely your fault.

You have failed as a parent and it’s entirely your fault.

The change in behaviour / attitude is due to huge physiological changes in the structure of their brain.

The change in behaviour / attitude is due to huge physiological changes in the structure of their brain.

Young people stop developing when they reach 20yrs old.

Young people stop developing when they reach 20yrs old.

Young people don’t stop developing until they reach about 25yrs old.

Young people don’t stop developing until they reach about 25yrs old.

It can feel like we have lost our child forever during this stage.

It can feel like we have lost our child forever during this stage.

Don’t worry, they usually settle down again but it might take a couple of years.

Don’t worry, they usually settle down again but it might take a couple of years.

How No5 can support your child?

When times are difficult for young people, their family members can often feel the struggle too. It can be difficult for the parents or guardians to come to terms with their child needing more help with emotional issues or events in their lives than they themselves are able to offer.

If you think your child would benefit from some support, we’re here to help; we offer free, one-to-one counselling for young people aged 11-25 at our home in Central Reading, online via Zoom, or over the phone. We pride ourselves on delivering a professional, confidential counselling service in our local community, since 1971.

Understand counselling

What is counselling?

  • Counselling involves a client (the person coming for counselling) and a counsellor, setting aside time in order to explore difficulties a person is going through, which may include stressful or emotional feelings. People can talk about whatever they like to a counsellor; they will not tell clients what to do, judge, criticise, interrogate or make decisions for them.
  • Counsellors are trained to really hear what a person is saying. We know the idea of seeing a counsellor can seem scary; young people are often worried about ‘opening up’ to a stranger. This is understandable. As part of their training, counsellors will have had personal therapy themselves, so they know what it is like to be the client as well as the counsellor.
  • A counselling session can involve talking with a counsellor, or they might suggest creative techniques to do together to help.

Useful info

  • Counselling is most helpful when done one-to-one with a  counsellor, but a parent or guardian can come in to the first session with their child for the first 10 minutes, if you’d like
  • Counselling sessions last up to 50 minutes, but we understand not everyone is able to manage this much time
  • Your child will meet with your counsellor at the same time, on the same day, and in the same room, each week
  • You can refer your child for counselling at No5 – you don’t need a GP to do so

Learn more about our counselling for young people aged 11-17 and 18-25

Counselling for 11-17 year olds

Counselling for 18-25 year olds

Confidentiality and safeguarding

An important aspect of counselling is that it is confidential – or private. This means that nothing you say to your counsellor will be repeated to anyone outside No5, including family, teachers or doctors. No one will answer any questions, or talk about, your counselling without your permission.

No5 is an organisational member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and therefore follows their Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions to guide best practice, in particular around confidentiality and safeguarding for young people. Please click here for more details.

Safeguarding

No5 takes confidentiality very seriously, and we also have a duty to ensure your safety. If we believed you or another vulnerable person was at serious risk of harm, we may need to break confidentiality. This may mean involving someone else who could help keep you, or them, safe. Counsellors always try to discuss this with you first and work with you to come up with a plan. See our privacy policy

To request counselling at No5 please fill in our referral form:

Request Counselling Learn more

What parents have shared with us after their young person’s counselling at No5

“For a parent sometimes it’s hard to accept that we can’t do everything for our children and that there are others that can do these things. This does not mean that we are giving up being a parent, but that we are doing more as a parent by seeking help for our children”

“For a parent sometimes it’s hard to accept that we can’t do everything for our children and that there are others that can do these things. This does not mean that we are giving up being a parent, but that we are doing more as a parent by seeking help for our children”

"Even after the first visit, I could see that we had done the right thing by coming to No5… there was an unbelievable change in them throughout the whole process."

"Thank you so much for all your help with my son. He is like a new person."

"Thank you to the counsellor and No5 team for helping us and giving me my daughter back."

#AsktheYAs - 10 things we want parents to know about mental health

“I’ve got more self-confidence – the experience has been amazing.”

“I’ve got more self-confidence – the experience has been amazing.”

Get Involved and Support No5
How you can make a difference

Your support through fundraising allows us to carry on supporting young people’s mental health. Without the generous donations that we receive from our supporters and partners we would not be able to continue to provide free counselling services to young people.

There are many ways you can support No5 including raising free funds for us when you shop online, organising a fundraising event, taking part in a sponsored challenge, and raising money for us through your workplace.

Find out more or get in touch with the team:
Sponsored Events

Sponsored Events

Take on an event for No5

Learn more
Donating and raising money

Donating and raising money

Ways of donating or raising money

Learn More
Community fundraising

Community fundraising

Get involved in community fundraising

Learn More
Merchandise

Merchandise

See our great No5 merchandise selection

Learn More

To request counselling at No5 please fill in our referral form:

Request Counselling