Parenting a Child Through Mental Illness

Youth Voices in Mental Health

In this episode, NAMI-NYS NextGen member MacKenzie Wood talks with her mother, Mandee Puleo, about her experience parenting children with mental illnesses. The two openly discuss Amanda's experiences in trying to support and address MacKenzie’s illness, hospital visits, and multiple diagnoses, while also feeling inadequate and incompetent as a parent. The duo hopes this open and honest conversation about the difficulty in parenting teens with mental illnesses, and the toll that took on Mandee’s mental health, will help other families have similar conversations. This episode highlights their personal stories of struggles and triumphs and what they learned along the way. They encourage others to have these crucial conversations as they believe it will help end the stigma about talking about mental health and strengthen the bond between parents and their children. Produced by: MacKenzie Wood, Brad Gage, and Haley Amering Featuring: MacKenzie Wood and Amanda Puleo Key Topics: The role parents play in finding support for their children with mental illness • The toll it can take on parent when they feel lost in the wellness journey • Personal experiences and building parent/child bonds • Parents letting go of guilt to better focus on the needs of their children