Parents BYachad
A compassionate community of parents who share and
understand the pain of witnessing their child struggle with mental illness
The layers of feelings are complex
The layers of feelings are complex.
We parents may feel fear, sadness, confusion, guilt and shame.
First, there is the diagnosis. And with it, confusion, fear, sadness and hopelessness.
We want to jump into action mode, our first priority is our child. But without guidance; what can we do? Say? Where can we go to get our child the help they need? Both the emotional and physical energy this entails exhausts parents.
So the question becomes,
“What about us?”
Who is there for us?
So often, we learn that our child has been suffering quietly, sitting with their own shame and pain for some time. Not sure what to do. When our child does finally reach out for help, we are blindsided by the news.
What?
When did it start?
And most importantly,
“How did I miss this until now?”
While we do our best to help our children, we ourselves need support. But, who can we turn to? Who will really understand? In a world where, unfortunately, there is still judgment and stigma around mental illness, it can be scary to reach out to friends and family.
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​As a parent who is on the ongoing journey of watching their child suffer, I want to help other parents find a warm, embracing community. We need our families to connect with one another. The validation and emotional support other parents can offer cannot be overestimated.
Enter ParentsBYachad
In Hebrew, “Yachad” means one. Togetherness. A sense of “we are all in this together”. We really are. Even though we may not know each other yet, my hope is that this group will bring us together to share. Share the heartache, disappointments, fear, sadness, and yes, also the victories and successes (Bezrat Hashem) we will see.