Navigating conversations with young people can feel overwhelming.
But you don’t have to do it alone. Learn about practical guidance, conversation starters, and resources to help you support and connect with the youth in your life. Whether you're facing tough topics or just want to strengthen your relationship, we're here to help.
Building Healthy Foundations
Caring for children's mental well-being from an early age is just as important as caring for their physical health. As children learn to understand and cope with their feelings, they develop resilience and strong emotional foundations that last a lifetime.
How To Talk To Your Child
Talking with your child about tough topics doesn't have to feel impossible. With the right approach, you can foster trust, encourage open dialogue, and create a safe space for them to share.
Co-Regulation
Emotional regulation isn't something we master alone — it's a skill built through connection. Explore co-regulation strategies to guide children and teens toward self-regulation, strengthening their ability to handle big feelings with confidence.
Helping Your Teen Handle Peer Pressure
Peer pressure is a normal part of adolescence, but teens don't have to face it alone. Learn practical strategies to help your teen navigate tricky social situations, set boundaries, and make choices that align with their values.
Substance use: What to know & how to talk to about it
Substance use is a significant issue among youth. It's crucial to recognize signs the young people in your life may be using substances and understand the consequences of substance use. Knowing and communicating the impacts substances have on a young person can help prevent youth from using substances.
Talking about heavy news
The world can feel overwhelming and the news can often be hard to process, especially when it hits close to home. This is a place to start when navigating conversations with young people in your life about the news.
How to Seek Professional Help
Your child’s health matters. Learn about community resources here. Allina Health also offers a robust mental health care continuum, including mental and behavioral health conditions diagnosis, medication management, structured intensive outpatient programs and more. No matter the condition or concern, we’re here to help. Immediate child and adolescent psychiatry appointments and intensive outpatient program openings are available. Call 866-603-0016 to schedule– no referral needed.
Video Resources
This six-part video series is designed to support caregivers as they help children and teens navigate stress, uncertainty, and life's challenges. Each video offers practical strategies to promote well-being, resilience, and connection.
-
Let's Talk: Parenting is Hard
Parenting is hard, and you're not alone. In this first video of a six-part series, Dr. David Nathan, PsyD, LP, Adolescent and Child Psychologist at Allina Health, explores why parenting can feel so challenging.
-
Let's Talk: Taking Care of Yourself to Take Care of Others
Taking care of children and adolescents starts with taking care of yourself. Dr. David Nathan, PsyD LP, Adolescent and Child Psychologist at Allina Health shares why caregivers need to prioritize connecting with others and taking care of their own physical and emotional wellbeing.
-
Let's Talk: Building Healthy Coping Skills Beyond Breathing
A common question caregivers ask is how to help a child regulate their emotions when the child seems resistant to support. Dr. David Nathan, PsyD, LP, an adolescent and child psychologist at Allina Health, shares practical strategies for helping young people manage stress when talking about their feelings or using traditional breathing techniques is not effective.
-
Let's Talk: Managing Your Emotions while Supporting Your Child
When children are overwhelmed, its natural for their caregivers to feel overwhelmed too. Dr. David Nathan, PsyD LP, Adolescent and Child Psychologist at Allina Health, offers practical tips for staying calm and supporting your child during difficult moments
-
Let's Talk: Modeling Healthy Coping to Young People
Children learn how to respond to stress by watching the adults around them. Dr. David Nathan, PsyD, LP, Child and Adolescent Psychologist at Allina Health, explains the powerful role caregivers play in modeling healthy coping skills and offers practical tips to help young people build resilience and manage stress.
-
Let's Talk: Seeing Your Child's Perspective
Supporting your child often begins with validating their feelings and perspective, even when they feel difficult to understand. Dr. David Nathan, PsyD, LP, Adolescent and Child Psychologist at Allina Health, explains why validation is important and shares practical tips for better understanding your child's experiences and concerns from their point of view.
