SITUATION
A concerned mother sought assistance through the Child and Family Wellbeing plan for her 17-year-old daughter. She reported that her daughter had begun lying and hiding her occasional social use of cannabis. This behaviour caused undue stress in the family. The mother was concerned, because a couple of years early, the daughter had engaged in counseling for superficial self-harm tendencies. However, there had been no recent engagement in any therapeutic services.
The mother emphasized that there were no immediate risks, such as severe self-harm or suicidal ideation, but she was deeply worried about her daughter’s emotional regulation and impulse control. These concerns were compounded by the daughter’s struggles with managing stress and the potential negative impacts of cannabis on her developing brain. The mother sought guidance on how to best support her daughter’s mental health and wellbeing.
ACTION
The clinician took a comprehensive approach to address the mother’s concerns. First, she empathized with her feelings of worry, guilt, and disappointment, recognizing the emotional toll these issues can take on a parent, in addition to what the child felt. Next, the clinician provided thorough psychoeducation on several key areas: mindfulness techniques for emotional regulation, which could help the daughter manage her emotions more effectively; helped her understand the behavioural signs of cannabis use, equipping the mother with the knowledge to address potential substance use; and provided strategies for helping the daughter with potential impulse control challenges.
Understanding the importance of holistic support, the clinician also highlighted the available resources the mother could access via her Employee Assistance Program (EAP), emphasizing that support is accessible around-the-clock. The clinician also arranged for the daughter to begin a five-session therapeutic counselling program, ensuring the received the necessary professional support she needed.
RESULTS
The daughter engaged positively in a solution-focused therapeutic approach. Throughout the sessions, she demonstrated a willingness to learn and apply new skills. The therapeutic process focused on several key areas: emotional regulation, helping her practice mindfulness and other techniques to manage her emotions; effective communication that enabled her to learn how to express her feelings and needs more clearly and constructively; and developing healthier coping strategies to replace her previous, less effective methods of dealing with stress and impulse.
The clinician closely monitored the teenager’s progress. No risk concerns were reported throughout the intervention. The daughter showed notable improvement in her ability to manage her emotions and impulses, providing a foundation for continued personal growth and emotional resilience. The positive outcome of the intervention not only benefited the daughter, but also alleviated the mother’s concerns. Overall, the parental engagement with the counsellor alleviated a major stressor in their family, which reinforced the importance of timely and supportive mental health care.
