Young People

Separation Anxiety Disorder

It is normal for children to sometimes feel anxious or insecure when separated from their parents or other important caregivers. Usually, such separation anxiety fades as they grow up and become more confident. If your child's separation anxiety continues to persist after the age of five and starts affecting his or her life, then your child may have separation anxiety disorder.

Specific Phobias and Young People

Fears are common and expected in childhood; however, for some children and teens, their fears can become very severe over time, and even develop into a phobia. A phobia is an intense and unreasonable fear of a specific object or situation.

I’m worried about my child or teenager. Where can I find help?

It can be hard to figure out what to do if you’re concerned about a young person in your family.

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Parenting Strategies for Anxiety

As a parent, you can help your child or teen learn techniques to manage their anxiety.

Bullying

Everyone seems to be talking about bullying these days, and not just at school. But what exactly is bullying? And why should all of us care about bullying? Bullying is any repeated behaviour meant to hurt someone else.

Finding the Right Help - Navigating the System

While it's common to talk about the mental health system, the system isn’t a singular entity. The system might include primary care, mental health, substance use, housing, income assistance, and justice. They are not always accessed the same way, through similar gatekeepers.

Talking to Your Child or Teen About Anxiety

Children and teens often don’t recognize their anxiety for what it is. Instead, they may think there is something “wrong” with them. Therefore, the first step is to teach your child about anxiety and how to recognize it.

Hosting a Teen Party

Different families have different attitudes about teens and alcohol. Some parents prefer that their teen never use alcohol, even in adulthood. Other parents allow their children to drink small amounts as part of family traditions or cultural customs. Still other parents fall somewhere in between.

Cannabis Use and Youth: A parent's guide

Some of the information we hear about cannabis is conflicting, making it hard to understand the ways it may affect our children. Is it addictive? Does it cause psychosis? Is it really a medicine? What will happen if my child uses it? What should I tell—or not tell—my child about it?

Body Image and Self-Esteem

Body image is both the mental picture that you have of your body, and how you perceive yourself when you look in a mirror. Self-esteem is how you value and respect yourself as a person—it is the "real" opinion that you have of yourself.

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