Empowering youth to talk about mental health fosters trust and understanding. This fun practice activity from AllHealth Network can help children become more comfortable talking about what can sometimes be an uncomfortable topic.
This guide, authored by local high school senior, Desiree, provides practical steps and real-life examples to make conversations about mental health approachable and meaningful. Discover how to help your child reduce stigma, create safe spaces, and build connections with friends through open dialogue.
How to Interview a Friend About Mental Health: A Guide to Help Tweens and Teens
Step 1: Help your child pick someone that they are comfortable talking to.
- For me, this was my friend group, but this can include a trusted adult such as a parent, teacher, grandparent, or a sibling.
- Explain the importance of talking about mental health.
- For me, the importance of talking to friends about mental health is to reduce stigma, allow for safe spaces to be made via trust, and to better understand how we all cope.
Step 2: Brainstorm with your child a few simple questions to get the conversation started.
- These questions might include, “What is your favorite activity to do after school?” “Do you have any hobbies?” “What are some little things that you admire in your day-to-day life?”
Step 3: With your child, gradually introduce mental health topics.
- These questions don’t have to be complex. The questions above could be extended towards mental health simply by adding the words “mental health,” to them.
- For example, taking the question about hobbies above, you could ask, “Do you have any hobbies? How do they help with your mental health?”
- Give them time to answer. If the questions feel too invasive and you believe it will make the person uncomfortable, try rephrasing them and making them simpler.
Step 4: Conduct the interview
If your child is unfamiliar with interviews, here’s a brief explanation and some helpful tips.
- An interview is typically a meeting with two people, face to face, to understand more about the person. In our situation, surrounding yourself and a loved one, you are not interviewing them for a job, you are just interviewing about mental health. So, you are asking questions to better know them mentally.
- To conduct a successful interview, start with a simple introduction and explain the purpose of the conversation.
- Take note of the conversation and store them safely for future use.
- Thank them for their time and conclude the interview.
Step 5: Reflection
After the interview, reflect on the following questions:
- What is one thing that you and the person you interviewed did well?
- What is one thing that you and the person being interviewed could do better at?
- What is one question you might ask next time and how would you respond to the questions being asked?
Practicing these conversations about mental health now with friends will help empower your teen to talk about mental health when the need arises. These safe spaces will be important resources for them as they grow into successful adults.
About AllHealth Network, Premiere Site Sponsor of Macaroni KID Highlands Ranch-Parker-Castle Rock-Lone Tree
AllHealth Network is a trusted family of mental health and substance use providers. Our compassionate clinicians (counselors, therapists, social workers, psychiatrists, case managers, nurses) offer a consistent model of clinical excellence with a focus on individualized goals for growth and recovery. Whether this is one’s first call to seek services, a mental health emergency, or if someone has been a client with us for years, ALL of our providers are here to serve with an open heart and mind TOGETHER. AllHealth Network has over 250 clinical providers and more than 30 psychiatrists and nurse practitioners. Beyond our 12 physical locations, our teams provide services in schools, detention centers, community centers, and other community locations throughout Arapahoe County, Douglas County, and the greater Denver Metro region.
Macaroni KID Highlands Ranch-Parker-Castle Rock-Lone Tree is thankful for AllHealth Network's generosity, which keeps our publication free for our readers.
Connect with AllHealth Network on Facebook and YouTube.
