Parenting Strategies:
Protecting your child’s mental health
Mental health problems like depression and anxiety are common in young people.
Parents have an important positive influence on their child’s mental wellbeing. There’s now good evidence to show that by supporting parents in their parenting we can help children and teenagers to stay well.
This website provides practical guidelines on how parents can support their child’s wellbeing. Our guidelines are based on high quality scientific evidence and international expert consensus.
Currently, most of our content focusses on reducing risk of depression and anxiety disorders. We also have a set of guidelines on school reluctance and refusal, and on preventing alcohol misuse in teenagers.
Although these guidelines were developed to help parents prevent these problems in their children, the suggested strategies may also be useful for parents whose child is already experiencing some problems with depression or anxiety.
*NEW* guidelines for parents of primary and secondary school-aged children
NEW: Helping your autistic child sleep better: Strategies for parents
New expert-endorsed parenting guidelines to support sleep in primary-aged autistic children. These guidelines are intended for parents who want to support their child’s sleep or those whose child is already experiencing difficulties with sleep.
NEW: Supporting your child’s mental health following a traumatic event: Strategies for parents
New expert-endorsed parenting guidelines for parents of primary and secondary school-aged children who have experienced a traumatic event. These guidelines are intended for parents who are seeking a better understanding of trauma and its effects on children and for those supporting their child’s trauma recovery.
Guidelines for parents of children and teenagers with school reluctance or refusal difficulties
Responding to school reluctance or refusal: Strategies for parents
Evidence-based parenting guidelines for parents of primary and secondary school-aged children who are struggling with school attendance. These guidelines are intended for parents who are worried about their child’s engagement with school and those whose child is already experiencing school reluctance or refusal.
Is your child struggling to attend school?
Parnters in Parenting (PiP) has online programs and research trials for parents. See what's available: partnersinparenting.com.au
Guidelines for parents of teenagers
(aged 12-17 years)
Parenting guidelines for prevention of depression
& anxiety (COVID-19 update)
We’ve updated our original parenting guidelines for prevention of adolescent depression and anxiety disorders. These guidelines contain all of the original content, plus new expert-endorsed recommendations for protecting teen mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the most up-to-date advice, we recommend downloading these guidelines.
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Parenting guidelines for prevention of depression
& anxiety (2013 edition)
Our original parenting guidelines for parents of adolescents, based on decades of scientific research on what parents can do to help prevent these problems in their teenage children. These guidelines do not contain the latest COVID-19 content.
Want support putting these strategies into practice?
Partners in Parenting (PiP) is a suite of free, evidence-based online programs for parents, developed by Monash University and built on the content of the guidelines on this website. Through interactive online modules, and in some programs one-on-one coaching, PiP helps parents strengthen their skills and confidence to support their child’s mental health.
PiP offers programs for parents of primary school-aged children and teenagers, with different versions for concerns such as anxiety and depression, school attendance difficulties, and autism. Some programs are offered through research trials, so availability changes over time.
Working with families? Professionals are welcome to share PiP with parents who may benefit. Click the button above, and share this link with families.