Sometimes offering support and making yourself available when the child or adolescent is ready to talk can be the most helpful you can be.

Parents should be able to develop goals about the type of parents they want to be.

People need to feel safe to talk without their ideas being criticized, judged, demeaned, or mocked.

Seeking the counsel of trusted and respected health professionals can also be helpful in providing parents with some balance for their concerns as well as other avenues of support.

Somewhat paradoxically, parenting programs should focus on the behavior of the parents not the behavior of the children.

Accessing a "professional listener" such as a psychologist or counselor can be useful if the loved one wants to use this form of support.

Parents typically don't talk to each other about their goals and attitudes to parenting but this type of conversation could be very useful for helping parents become clearer about the things that are important to them.