What Your Child Won’t Tell You

The SonRise Project creator Kelli Richardson Lawson introduces veteran speaker and psychologist, Dr. Linda McGhee. Dr. McGhee is a clinical psychologist specializing in children and young adult psychology. In this episode, she talks about all the issues children, especially teenagers, won't tell their parents but share with others. Those include the fear their parents won’t recognize their mental health problems as real and will be labeled “crazy.” Dr. McGhee says often children won’t tell parents they're cutting themselves or self-harming. She explains teens also won’t share with parents they have an eating disorder. Dr. McGhee says there is an uptick in eating disorders among children of color and especially in boys. She says in addition teens usually avoid discussing issues related to race, gender identity and sexuality. Dr. McGhee says even if your child doesn’t discuss any of these issues with you, it’s important to find a therapist they can talk to. The goal is to help teenagers or young adults move toward positive mental health and ultimately independence, while also being part of a healthy functioning family.