ohhh @Beemum I'm intrigued by 'song shows' - what's that? Sounds fun I love music ... View more

Some tips from the peer supporters: Maybe try and start fresh with a tidy room and desk ? Make sure uniforms, bag and shoes organised I think it's good to have a chat about what foods they want to make/ have at school so maybe go to supermarket together and make sure everything needed is ready My teen likes to have a social day just before school goes back to kind of say goodbye to holidays - tries to organise it with as many friends as possible ... View more

Totally understand that @motherbear! We love how much you care about everyone here. It's probably the first time this has happened here in the Parents forum - but we deal with suicidal thoughts much more regularly in the youth forums and have established best practice processes etc. It's a good reminder for us to make sure we update you all that we're onto it when we take something to email. Thanks again @motherbear! ... View more

Hey @motherbear - we have intervention procedures that we follow when it's needed and are also following up with this one with what is appropriate and within our means. Cheers ... View more

Unfortunately yes @motherbear it's based in Sydney! What a shame.... ... View more

Hey @HelpMe - did you try Suicide Call Back Service? Webchat or call... I'd love to know how it went.... https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au ... View more

Hey @rupe1012001 - how have things been? ... View more

Hey @robmay71 - I'm wondering how you are also...   It can be a very confusing time, but you both aren't alone. In fact @MelbMumofTwo is a great source of info on this...   Also, check out this video we made :     Also, do you mind letting us know what state you are in? We might be able to recommend some resources. ... View more

@taokat wrote: Thanks @Sophi-RO, and @Ngaio-RO I did see changes and I felt like I had a good handle on things again doing the coaching. It was very empowering when I'd been struggling to know what to do. We actually had a family meeting the night after a session and talked about and set up guidelines and conesquences around behaviour. My daughter had a say in it all, and it was really positive for her as well, and her behaviour improved. At times when things weren't so good, she was more accepting of consequences because she'd had a say in what those would be.   I really recommend the coaching to all parents! Love this, taokat! ... View more

Thanks so much to @taokat for sharing your wise words as always and your experience with coaching...   Thanks to to @jphole, @Goleby and @the_ant65 for stopping by - hope to keep seeing you all around the forums and also good luck with coaching, we're here to support you! Just sign up here.    If you ever have any questions about the process or something is not working like you think it should, email us at coaching@reachout.com   And of course thanks to @Ngaio-RO for organising tonight! ... View more

Also, if anyone is interested, this video also explains a lot about coaching:   ... View more

I'm the same @taokat, if I didn't have it written down it didn't happen!!! ... View more

that's awesome to hear @taokat that the ideas were practical and things you could do straight away.. Sometimes it can feel like things will never change but I know that you are living proof that things can change and improve! ... View more

These are good questions -  What if things don't get better or something else happens, can I do it again? What if I have a different issue with another child, can I do it again?   So first off I guess the thing to note is that with coaching, the things you learn you might be able to apply yourself in another situation - it's about building on your existing great knowledge and expertise as a parent, so you have skills you can apply in different situations.   However, yes you can do the program again - at the moment the way to do that is sign up again with a different email address, however in the future we will have a better way for you to that with your existing account...   Hope that helps ... View more

Before each session you need to watch a video in the online dashbaord that helps set you up for the session, and at the end of each session there is a very short questionnaire for you to give us feedback. And at the end of the program you answer the same quesions you did at the beginning and your coach will show you your progress!   Here is an image I  made to try and so the coaching model   ... View more

Q: Are they related to each other or completely separate? Are they different topics etc? So I'm keen to get @taokat's take on this too - but I'll explain a bit about how all the different sessions work...   Technically you can have 5 different phone sessions with your coach.   The first one, you have booked at the end of doing the registration form and is 90 minutes long... it's called "Understanding my teenager" - you get to know each other and document what is you want to work on and you'll come away from this session with a clear, personalised action plan that you coach will share with you through the online dashboard.   At the end of that session you and the coach will decide if one session was enough - or is one of the other 60 minute sessions a good idea to do next? and you can do up to three more structured sessions, in any order.   "Connecting with my teenager" - about reviewing your action plan, whats working or not and building up your relationship and problem Solving   "Communicating with my teenager" -  action plan review: communicating/negotiating   "Supporting my teenager" – support planning- formal and informal supports for your teenager, especially if more ongoing support is needed...   Then there is a the "Follow Up" at the end. It's a 30 minute check on your progress, making sure you have what you need and closure of the program ... View more

So we have the question I'm married but my spouse doesn't want to do coaching does that matter?   And yes that's ok, we can do it either way. There is the ability to put your spouses details into the form and have you both on the coaching phone call (on speaker phone!) - or you can just do it on your own and put the strategies in place yourself, or fill your partner in afterwards.... ... View more

Excellent Goleby! So glad you found us... ... View more

Hey @Goleby, coaching could definitely help... When you are filling out the rego form it will ask you to fill in about a "focus" child, so pick one to focus on for the form, but in your session you will be able to talk through both children.... ... View more

So the question is, If my teenager wants nothing to do with this, does that matter?   So no, that doesn't matter! In fact that's kinda how the program is designed... It focused on you, the parent. If you wanted to though, there is no harm in suggesting our youth service to your teenager (reachout.com), so they can have a look for themselvesat info, videos, podcasts, forums, apps & tools... ... View more

Thanks @taokat, we also use the "GROW" model of coaching if anyone wants to research that more...   ... View more

Yes @taokat, that's a great way to describe it. Welcome @Goleby! Glad to have you here - if you have any questions as you sign up for coaching let us know here! ... View more

So hopefully this image might explain it a little bit too - but a coach is not a counselor: instead of focusing on the problem, they focus on the solution and the way forward. It's very practical and action/future focused.    The coach is aiming to work in partnership with you, clarify what you want, what’s working and what's getting in the way. The coach will ask the right questions that will help you come up with solutions that will work for your family, and make a plan to move forward. Along the way, the coach will provide effective parenting tools.   So essentially, the focus is not on the problem, but on the solution.   Coaching ... View more

hmmm @jphole, I understand why you are worried - have you talked to your son about it? What is his take on whats going on for him? ... View more

That's great @taokat, thanks... I'm sure you had a lot of strength and positives that you were already that you were able to draw on through that process ... View more