Hi @keladeine
Thank you for deciding to share what you and your son are going through right now. It must be heart-wrenching and concerning to see your boy struggling in this way. I wanted to ask if you have support at the moment? Be it a friend, community, relative or counsellor?
You sound like a supportive and proactive parent - getting a psychologist involved was a good idea, but I can understand why you'd be feeling unsure of what to do next given the lack of communication. So here are a few tips/ideas/links to resources that might be helpful for you right now:
If you find that you cannot get a meeting with the psych + school counsellor, exploring other support options is not a bad idea.
There are so many different kinds of practitioners, therapy styles and approaches. I will send you some of our articles that go into different kinds of mental health professionals and therapies. For example, It might be that your son clicks better with a social worker/peer worker or youth worker.
We offer a One on One support service for parents, which you can sign up for here. You'll receive four sessions with a family support service that can help you with tools/strategies/coming up with a plan.
Family support services are a good option when you want that collaborative relationship with his therapist. Ask Izzy is a great search engine for community services - if you put in your local area and search family support, you'll be able to see what is available in your area.
I hope that info is helpful and gives you some options to consider.
You mentioned your son spoke to you about the goblins in his head, and I can imagine this was alarming for you to hear. But, firstly, I think it's positive that he told you this. It really shows that he trusts you and feels safe with you - which is invaluable for a teenager experiencing depression.
I'm not sure if you've already thought of this, but encouraging your son to discuss the goblins with his psych is a good first step. This would also be a good thing to discuss with the psych (if you can get a meeting) or a new psychologist/family support service.
Supporting a loved one with their mental health can be really confronting, but I want to assure you that your son is normal. Depression is a difficult but normal part of the human experience - and there is always hope for recovery.
Please know that you are very welcome to continue coming here to vent and get support with this situation. We are here for you!
... View more