HOUSTON – As graduation season comes to an end, it is the beginning of a whole new adventure for the class of 2023 as they head out into the world and while it is a really exciting time, it can also be a little daunting. With big life changes like this, some anxiety that can come along with it. Rashad Skinner, LCSW-S, Executive Director and therapist at Sapphire Therapy shared advice on how to navigate the road ahead for you and your kids.
“The biggest tip I give is, this is the what you’ve trained your kids to do,” said Skinner who compares graduation being like the Super Bowl of parenting and the next step is to trust you have done a good job and be confident in letting your children head out into the world and be adults. “You have to trust that you’ve done a good job. Right?” he said.
One way to help support your children during the transition into adulthood is to give them access to therapy. But how do you broach the subject?
“The best way to do it is to talk about their motivation and let them understand it’s their decision, just like you pay for them to play a sport or pay for them to wear a certain outfit, therapy is the same way, you are just paying for another service for them,” said Skinner. But he warns that parents should not think of therapy as something that “will fix them or that the therapist will tell them what’s going on.” Therapy should instead be viewed as a tool that gives your child a safe space within which they can express their feelings or frustrations without judgement.
Most of the time a therapy session will start with the parents in the room until the child decides they would like the space to themselves. “The kids love that part. Because it gives them that sense of control,” said Skinner.
At Sapphire Therapy the team helps families through all aspects of the challenges that they might come across in life, from grief and marriage counseling to helping kids. But something that Skinner tells everyone when it comes to improving mental health is this...
“I’ve always told people, you need to accept the world the way it is and not try to change things or situations. Don’t compare your life to what you think it should be....a lot of times people look back and have regrets. They bring that baggage with them. Baggage of regrets. Sometimes you have got to let it go and say, ‘you know, from here, I can move here forward.’ I try to tell people all the time just know that not every decision you have made has been bad. You’ve made some good moves. Go with those.”
To check your insurance benefits and Give Sapphire Therapy a Follow Rashad Skinner on Instagram here and call 281-714-5121 to schedule a FREE 15 minute consultation. Sapphire therapy takes insurance you can check your insurance benefits on their website Sapphiretherapy.org.