Hi everyone,   Our research team is currently running a national survey of people who use ReachOut Parents, and we would love to hear from you. Taking part in this survey will help us to better understand your experiences of using ReachOut, and how we can improve the service to best meet your needs.    By completing the survey, the ReachOut Parents you know and love can be made even more awesome, and as an added bonus, by participating you’ll go in the draw to win 1 of 10 gift-cards (valued at $100 each).   Have your say and participate by clicking on this link:   https://inspire.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eLJ465uMYvMLHal   ... View more

    As some of you may know it's   Movember   which marks a time to think about and bring awareness to Men's health.    You can read about all the incredible work Movember do all year round   here. As it is November and we'll be seeing more and more people growing moustaches to raise money - we thought it would be a good time to talk about Men's health       We wanted to ask all you wonderful parents...    Discussion:    How do you talk to your son about the importance Men's health?    What are some tips for talking about health with your teen?                                                                                            ... View more

  The experience of being a single parent can be described as life-changing, rewarding and exhausting. Like anything in life when it comes to huge challenges, it’s best to tackle them with a support network you can rely on. It’s not always easy to ask for help, in fact sometimes it can feel impossible if you don’t have family to step in or an established community to fall back on.    We believe being apart of a community, like our forums, is a good way of getting support if you're finding things hard.I’m sure most of you have heard the expression “It takes a village to raise a child”. We’d like to use this post as a prompt to think about how you can expand your support networks or feel able to use the one you already.    A good place to start is asking yourself, what kind of support you need. Some main areas that have been identified as important areas of support for all parents are:    Physical - school runs, cooking/cleaning,practical help.  Emotional - tips on coping, relating to others, comfort. Social - time out and a chance to fulfil other areas of your identity.    When you have a clear idea of what kind of support you need and will be able to accept it could be good to consider how to get the extra help, if it isn’t readily available to you. Some suggestions are:    Connecting with other parents: This could look like planning play dates with parents and their children, reaching out to other parents at school pick up/drop off, getting involved in your child school or even joining a parents support group.  Joining community centres: Getting involved in your local community is a great way of fulfilling your social needs, meeting other parents, growing your "village".  Interest/Hobbies: Connecting with a sense of self is really important. Setting this time aside also  creates opportunity to expand your social networks.  Online communities: Finding support online is a new thing to do - but we think it can be really useful. Coming to forums like ours can be a good way of getting emotional support if that is something you're needing. There are also plenty of Facebook groups for parents you can be part of.    We want to acknowledge here that there are times where more needs to be done so that you feel supported in your role as a parent. In these times it can be helpful to call upon services designed for sole parents.    ParentLine NSW: This is a hotline that can used by any parent. The counsellors on this service understand the complexities of family life and can help you develop strategies as well as find support near you.    CatholicCare:  Practical and emotional services for single parents are available with this organisation. You can call the CareLine on 13 18 19   National Council of Single Mothers and their Children: This organisations works to empower single mothers by giving them information and support.    Child Support: Information here on how to apply for child support.    Single Parent Support Groups: Here you can find support groups in your local area.    For our forum users in the USA there is Parents Without Partners who can provide some local information for you.  ... View more

What is Recovery in Mental Health?    Recovery is a word we often hear in mental health and well-being settings. Recovery is often described as a deeply unique and individual journey of personal growth towards living a meaningful and fulfilling life. We may hear words associated with recovery such as hope, choice, empowerment, well-being, support, identity, connection and meaning.   Recovering from a period of poor mental health looks different for every person. We recently asked the users of our youth forum what recovery means to them. These were some of their responses:    “ Recovery to me is not about restoring myself to my original state, because struggles or traumas truly do change you forever. Instead, recovery is about accepting these changes and rediscovering and accepting yourself in the midst of difficulty.”   “Recovery isn't always easy, sometimes recovery means relapses but it didn't mean your a failure in any way, as long as you try to recover and pick yourself up I suppose.”   “Recovery, to me, means a never-ending process that is part of living life. While trauma and tragedy do exist and is something we have experienced both individually and collectively, so does healing and growth exist.”   Recovery in Mental Health looks different for everyone but we’d like to discuss and share ways of noticing recovery in our teens. Here are some to get us started:     Reconnecting with old friends and making some new friends  Partaking in hobbies/usual interests/trying new interests  Being open to trying a therapy plan (counselling, medication etc)  Talking about goals/ the future  Discussing a plan in case of a relapse/identifying signs of relapse.    It’s important to mention that people reach recovery in different stages and at their own pace. It can be really difficult to wait for your teen to find these solutions in their own time - because of this it’s a good idea to seek out some of your own support people.    Discussion   What are the signs that your teen is happy/content?    How can you support your teen to understand their own recovery journey?                                                ... View more

A very warm welcome to this new discussion board!   We've created this space especially for those parents doing it solo. Feel free to share your experiences, challenges and triumphs as a single parent, as well as hear from other parents too.      Many single parents have told us they feel proud that they’re raising their children on their own. Many also enjoy the freedom it gives them to make their own decisions about what they think is best for their families. Parenting alone can also be exhausting and difficult sometimes, and that’s okay. Many single parents experience unique challenges and we're excited to create a safe space for us all to support one another.    To get things going we want to know...    What support would you like as a Single Parent?    @ SingleMom @1SingleMom @singlemom01 @singlemom11 @solomum @SolomumNeedhelp @Addieshiks @momof1teen @tenacious_dad @taokat @Sister @Mitzi @MelbMumofTwo  @MeJane @YellowMango  ... View more

It can be really easy to get swept up in the chaos of life - work, appointments, school and extended familial responsibilities. As hard as we try to fit everything in sometimes good quality time with our loved ones falls to the bottom of the list.        Quality time is great for catching up on non-serious issues, learning more about your teen and how they are changing. It can also be a good chance to role model healthy habits and encourage both of your well-being.    I thought we could use this weeks well-being activity as a time to share ideas and tips for quality time. To get us started here are some of my thoughts:    Long car drives/mini road trips can be a good way to have long talks together, sing along to the radio and make memories. I remember I always opened up to my mum about what was going on for me on long trips together. Later on in life when I did face-to-face youth work, car time was always the best time to have meaningful chats.  Cooking/Baking together. This is usually more fun when it's not for dinner but getting a special treat cooked for the family. It can also be a nice time to talk about nutrition, food and the importance of eating well.  Exercise together. Setting and achieving goals together is really rewarding and we can all use some of those lovely happy hormones you're flooded with after a great workout.  There are also some examples here of relaxing activities you could try with your teen as well.    Activity   Share a memory of quality time spent with your teen and how that strengthened your relationship?   Do you have some tips for quality time activities?                                                         ... View more