Grief is one of those things we feel before we ever have words for it. It lives in our bodies, in the quiet spaces, in the ache that tells us something important is missing. And if you’ve ever watched a child grieve, whether over a pet, a grandparent, or a move across town, you’ve probably felt how deep and bewildering those feelings can be.

Our childhood experiences can play a powerful role in shaping who we become. Early events impact the way we think, what we believe about ourselves and others, how we manage stress, and how we form relationships. Researchers have identified both adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and positive childhood experiences (PCEs) that impact adult mental health. 

For parents with children experiencing suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-injury, or any other mental health crisis, it can often feel like your world has been turned upside down. Every child is different, so, therefore, every crisis will be different. My hope is this blog will provide some helpful feedback to help parents keep putting one foot in front of the other in the event their child experiences a mental health crisis.

At Ensemble Therapy, we care deeply about the “why” behind our practice of counseling. We believe there is not a “one-size-fits-all” approach to counseling; each therapist views the counseling process and their clients through a unique lens formed from years of education and experience. This means that as a client, you can choose the counselor who is the best fit for you or your child. While this freedom to choose the best-fit may sound nice at first, it can be difficult to know how to choose when there seem to be so many ways to do therapy. Not only are there lots of theories on how to practice counseling, often the language behind counseling theories is difficult to understand and apply without any previous background knowledge.