Suzanne Alderson: ‘I found my daughter sobbing on the floor, begging to die’
The Different Minds podcast seriesShow Notes
When Suzanne Alderson’s 14 year old daughter became suicidal in 2015, following a period of sustained bullying, Suzanne found herself in a desperate place, facing an uncertain future with little support and even less understanding. While her daughter was immediately wrapped in professional care, Suzanne found that there was no support available to help her or her husband make sense of the situation and give their child the best kind of care.
One night on suicide watch, she decided if she ever got through this time, she would ensure no other family had to go through this alone. In 2016, as her daughter improved, she set up a Facebook group to try and help other families facing their child’s mental illness. The community, called Parenting Mental Health, is now a registered charity with a mission to end generational mental illness and help 1m parents by 2025. It currently supports over 25,000 parents from around the world who have a child with poor mental health. The charity offers a range of interventions such as Listening Circles and In Person Meet ups, training, Q&As with experts, social events and peer mentorship and community support and aims to support parents through their experience so they can support their child through theirs.
Broadcaster John Offord chats to Suzanne Alderson, Founder at Parenting Mental Health, Community Leader, Public Speaker, Author of "Never Let Go: How to Parent Your Child Through Mental Illness" about mental health. Please go to www.suzannealderson.com for more details.
More from The Different Minds podcast series
After 20 months and 65 episodes, the Different Minds podcast series is coming to an end today, (the 31st December, 2021). The host of the show, John Offord said “It’s been an incredible journey and I’ve been honoured to have interviewed such inspirational guests on the series, such as Chris Packham, Steve Silberman and Temple Grandin to name but a few. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all my listeners, who without, none of this would have been possible and my sponsor, Aspire Autism Consultancy and former sponsor, Tiimo.” To commemorate the ending of the series, a final episode has been released today where John looks back on some of the highlights of the podcast. “Remember to celebrate our differences and I hope this podcast series has helped you realise there is no such thing as normal. Thank you and Happy New Year!”
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