Friends, Family & Carers Forum

[Emeraldsocks]

Hi,

I have a daughter who has a mental illness. She is 17. I also have another daughter who is 10. My 10 year old is extremely patient and considerate of the pressures that her sister's condition places on our family however she has reached a point where she wants to be able to connect with other children who have similar lived experiences. I am struggling to find any kind of support groups, like those I have mentioned, for my 10 year old. If anyone has any suggestions I would be very grateful. Having said that, please don't direct me to Siblings Australia - they do not appear to have interactive resources for a child my daughter's age. 

Thanks. 

[Appleblossom]

@Emeraldsocks Sorry I do not know of any support. I just want to affirm the difficulty of your situation and courage of younger sibling.  It took me a lot of vocalising to get get or find any support for even the older siblings ...

Carefully done... I can see how a group could be therapeutic for someone as young as 10.  Wondering if the relevant state children's hospital has thought of doing one???

[Appleblossom]

or asking ... Bouverie Famjly Therapy ... in Victoria.

I would like to see a system ... where such supports for siblings were able to be accessed when needed through hospitals   where the  presenting person is an inpatient ... and after discharge ... if needed.

[Emeraldsocks]

Thanks @Appleblossom. I have now come across a couple of resources that I will investigate further:
https://www.carergateway.gov.au/
https://youngcarersnetwork.com.au/
Hopefully they will have suggestions.

[Stargirl]

Hi @Emeraldsocks I am not sure what your older daughter suffers from and if this will help but there is a free online group run by an amazing OCD and Anxiety therapist in America. Natasha Daniels is an angel 😇 and has a heart of gold. She is one hundred percent genuine and she has amazing free resources and an online forum with parents from all over the world who all support each other. She also has an online children's group but I think that's more for children with OCD or anxiety to connect. Having said that, Natasha is open to everything and may even start or suggest a way for siblings to connect who are going through similar to what your ten year old is experiencing. No harm in trying. There are lots of parents from Australia in that group including me. Google Natasha Daniels and check out her resources as I think there's an email address you can contact her on. Good luck 🤞 Let me know how you go. 

[JC23]

@Emeraldsocks. I am from WA and we have a young carers program that organises counselling and school holiday programs. It's run by CarersWA so I'm not sure if a similar program is run where your from? 

[ShiningStar]

Hi @Emeraldsocks 

I just wanted to reach out to offer you some support 😊

I’m so sorry to hear about what’s happening for you and your daughters and just from what you’ve shared, it’s understandable that your 10 year old is searching for other children who can relate to some of her experiences.

In my experience, finding support groups for children under the age of 12 is incredibly difficult and there definitely seem to be a gap in services for little ones who fall into this particular age group.

I’m not too sure if this is the sort of thing that you’re looking for, but there’s a program called Kookaburra Kids that may be of interest to you and your daughter.

Basically, Kookaburra Kids provides support to young people 8 to 18 years of age who are impacted by family mental illness with the aim of empowering them to build resilience, lifelong knowledge and abilities so they can reach their potential.

Just from what I’ve read on their website, they provide activity days, camps and a Kookaburra Kids Connect Program which is delivered online so that it’s accessible for children and young people across Australia.

I also really love how family members don’t need to have a formal diagnosis in order for children and young people to be able to participate in their programs 😊

I’ve just shared the link to their website below, just in case you would like to explore this further:

https://kookaburrakids.org.au/

In addition to Kookaburra Kids, there are a couple of online resources / forums that have been designed especially for young people who are searching for support in relation to their mental health. However, unfortunately you need to be at least 12 years of age to participate.

Although I completely understand that these resources won’t be helpful for you right now, I wondered if they might be helpful further down the track when your daughter is a little bit older.

With this in mind, I’ve just shared the link to our resource section - just in case you would like to take a look:

https://saneforums.org/t5/Useful-resources/Mental-Health-Resources-For-Teenagers-Young-People-and-Th...

Also, just while I remember, one of the things that really helped me when I was new to the forums and still finding my way around, was that if you would like to chat with another forum member, or reply to one of their posts, place @ in front of their username just like I did at the start of my post to you i.e. @Emeraldsocks that way they will receive a message that you have contacted them. 

I really hope that this helps you a little bit and that your daughter finds a safe space where she can connect with other children and young people who share similar experiences to her own 💜

Take care,

ShiningStar 💜