Jun 4, 2017 | Media Release
An Australian-first service that
provides busy parents of teenagers with free, confidential one-on-one parenting
help will be launched today by digital mental health service ReachOut Australia. Delivered using a mix of
online and pre-booked phone sessions, ReachOut
Parents Coaching gives parents the flexibility to easily access support
from anywhere in the country.
Any parent who is worried about their
relationship with their teenager, or concerned about their teenager’s wellbeing
or behaviour, can access up to four phone sessions with a professional
parenting coach as well as a range of personalised digital resources. Parents
looking to better understand their teenager or wanting general parenting
support would also benefit from the service.
All phone sessions are delivered by
trained professionals from The Benevolent Society – experts in helping families
build strong relationships – and tailored to an individual’s specific goals and
situation. This means that parents will receive practical strategies they can
put to use immediately after their first call.
ReachOut CEO Jono Nicholas said the
service is a solution for busy parents of teenagers who are looking to access
support without having to travel to on-the-ground services, many of which
struggle to keep up with demand.
‘Raising happy and healthy teenagers today
can be a minefield. This is the first generation of parents facing issues
around technology and social media in addition to the age old challenges such
as bullying, drinking, sex and relationships. We also know that around one in
four young people are likely to have a mental illness.
‘At the same time, today’s parents are
working longer hours, making it even harder to access support during the week.
‘Because this is a digital-based service,
parents have the flexibility to schedule sessions at times that suit them – whether
at home or during a lunch break. Booking a session is as easy as buying a
cinema ticket online.’
Matt Gardiner, Executive Director Child and
Family Services, The Benevolent Society, adds: “We believe that parents
and caregivers are the most important person in a teenager’s life. We
provide parents and caregivers with effective parenting strategies and tools to
strengthen their relationship with their teenager and feel as though they are
back in control. This service is an excellent way to assist parents in
their own time. It’s confidential, it’s available to them when they’re
available and it helps parents create a plan with the coach, putting them on
the path to communicating well with their teenagers.”
Through the ReachOut Parents Coaching
Program, parents will be able to access up to four free sessions with support
from a Benevolent Society coach, who will help parents to:
- recognise what’s working with
their parenting and what isn’t
- discuss parenting strategies
- develop a parenting action plan
- share additional strategies,
share tools and resources over digital interface
- keep track of their progress
- book in additional coaching
sessions if they need to
The new service is the newest addition to ReachOut Parents, which provides
evidence based digital self-help, tools and parenting peer support that parents
can access around the clock.
Register for the ReachOut Parents Coaching
Program here
To be eligible, parents need to
- be a parent or carer of a child
aged 12-18
- have access to a phone and
computer or tablet
