The mental health crisis in our country is at critical mass. Children are struggling like never before and parents are concerned, as they should be.

What foundation do we need to have in place to help our kids to be strong mentally?

Catherine’s guest, Dr. Bill Senyard, shares some warning signs that a child is struggling and offers practical ways to establish a strong foundation for your child’s mental health.

Attachment theory, the prevailing psychological theory in child development, emphasizes a child’s emotional bond with their primary caregiver. Dr. Senyard defines the four primary attachment styles that a child can exhibit. They are:

1. Secure—confident, reciprocal, non-reactive, resilient.
2. Anxious—emotional, reactive, volatile.
3. Fearful—composite of anxious and avoidant.
4. Avoidant—isolated, emotionally distant.

One relational style is mentally healthy and strong, the other three are showing signs of distress., of a breakdown in mental health. In this episode, Dr. Senyard gives practical ways to help children who exhibit those unhealthy traits.

Dr. Bill Senyard’s bio: Bill’s career has taken him from being a Chemical engineer, a strategic management consultant, and a co-owner of an Inc. 500 high-tech company to fulltime church ministry where he served multiple congregations as a Lead Pastor for over 35 years. He is a popular conference speaker in the US and Canada as well as abroad. He has written over a dozen non-fiction books and workbooks on a wide range of important topics including, how Christians can effectively and Biblically forgive others, how frustrated parents of teens can be “good enough parents” and most importantly, God’s love for the unlovable. Bill is the creator of The Good Enough Parent, a phenomenal curriculum that has a ton of free resources for parents.

Bill’s Website

Good Enough Parent Curriculum

Attachment Theory For Teens Simplified (video)

Bill’s Book: Tale of the Unlikely Prince

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Episode 85: 8 Words Every Parent Must Say To Their Child

Beyond Consequences by Heather T. Forbes