When gaming starts to take over, it can feel frustrating and hard to manage as a parent. What may have begun as something enjoyable can begin to affect sleep, school and family life.

For many families, it’s not just about “too much screen time”, but about something deeper that gaming is meeting.

In this Let’s All Talk Mental Health session, Family Psychotherapist Alison Smith explored why gaming can become so compelling, when it becomes a concern, and how parents can respond in a way that supports both boundaries and connection.

When a young person is struggling to attend school, it can feel confusing, distressing and, at times, impossible to know what to do next. For many families, it’s not about a child “not wanting” to go to school, it’s about something much deeper making attendance feel overwhelming.

In this Let’s All Talk Mental Health session, Child and Educational Psychologist Dr Mollie Higgins explored what sits underneath Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA), why it can develop, and how parents and schools can work together to support a young person back into education.

For teens experiencing panic, it can feel completely overwhelming. It shows up in their thoughts, in physical sensations in their body, and in the things they do to try to make it stop, which can quickly become self-perpetuating.

Technology is a big part of teenage life, but for many parents it can feel difficult to know where to draw the line. In this week’s Let’s All Talk Mental Health session, host Laura Biggs spoke with Dr Fin Williams, Clinical Psychologist, about how technology is shaping teenage development and how parents can respond in a way that supports, rather than conflicts.

Trauma is a word we hear more often today, but what does it mean in relation to a young person we’re trying to support, who may be struggling.

In this week’s Let’s All Talk Mental Health session, host Tara Dolby was joined by Dr Russell Woodhead, Clinical Psychologist, who specialises in psychological therapy for teenagers and young adults, with a particular focus on trauma.

The term AuDHD is increasingly being used to describe young people who experience traits of both autism and ADHD, although it is not currently a formal clinical diagnosis

In this week’s Let’s All Talk Mental Health session, host Tara Dolby was joined by resident clinical psychologist Dr Sarah-Jane Knight to explore how autism and ADHD can overlap in teenagers, why adolescence can be a particularly challenging time for neurodivergent young people, and how parents can focus on practical and appropriate support, rather than getting too caught up in labels.

Friendships are central to teenage life. They shape identity, confidence, belonging and emotional wellbeing. Yet they can also be complicated and emotionally charged, especially when teenagers are together all day at school and then remain connected online long after lessons have finished.

In this week’s Let’s All Talk Mental Health session, host Tara Dolby was joined by Jessica Hawley, CEO of the RAP Foundation (Raising Awareness and Prevention), to talk about teen friendships, peer dynamics and how parents can support young people to communicate with confidence, handle judgment and build courage in their relationships.

Adolescence has always been emotionally intense, but many parents feel that today’s teenagers are carrying more than ever. Academic pressure, social comparison, online life and constant connectivity can create a level of stress that tips from ordinary anxiety into overwhelm.

In this week’s Let’s All Talk Mental Health session, host Tara Dolby was joined by our resident Clinical Psychologist, Dr Sarah Jane Knight, to talk about overwhelmed teens, anxiety, avoidance and how parents can respond with calm, confident authority rather than control or panic.

Adolescence has always involved comparison, some self-doubt and a strong need to belong, but what’s changed is the intensity. Today’s teenagers are growing up with constant online exposure, peer pressure and standards that lack reality and are difficult to escape.

In this Let’s All Talk Mental Health session, Dr Gemma Allison, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, talk about how online influences and peer dynamics affect teen anxiety, body image and self-esteem, and how parents can support their children without hovering, overcorrecting or closing conversations down.

Self-harm is one of the most frightening issues a parent can encounter. Self-harm can be hard for parents to understand and emotionally difficult to sit with, particularly as it is something many feel unprepared for when it comes to light and raises immediate concerns over safety and wellbeing.

Teen sleep can become a daily battleground. Many parents describe the same pattern: late nights, slow mornings, big moods, and a teen who feels constantly tired, yet still cannot switch off.

In this Let’s All Talk Mental Health session, Dr Faith Orchard, Research Psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of East Anglia, explained what healthy teen sleep looks like, why adolescence changes sleep biology, and which everyday habits tend to knock sleep off track. She also shared practical ways parents can support better sleep, without turning bedtime into a nightly argument.

Teenagers have a lot on their plates; exams, friendships, identity, independence, and the constant sense that they should be “on it” with organisation, motivation and self-control.

For teens with ADHD, those same pressures can feel weightier because ADHD affects the very skills school and adolescence demand most: planning, time management, task initiation, emotional regulation and sustained attention.

Teenage years are a time of huge emotional change. Mood swings, withdrawal, tiredness and frustration can all be part of growing up. For parents, it’s often hard to know when these shifts are part of normal development and when they might signal something more concerning.

In this Let’s All Talk Mental Health session, our resident Clinical Psychologist Dr Sarah Jane Knight explored the difference between low mood and depression in teenagers, offering reassurance, clarity and practical guidance for parents who are trying to support their child without overreacting or overlooking something important.