Supporting young people exposed to public violence

Pepper spray for self-defence and guns for public safety officers. Merryn Hughes, our Clinical Operations Manager at headspace in Darwin and Palmerston, was on the radio recently talking about how to support young people when public law and order is getting stricter and potentially more violent. 

Merryn, who has a teenage child, agrees it’s tricky to raise young people. But she warns parents not to underestimate how much young people know and understand what is happening around them. “The way young people cope with seeing confronting things is not only about how old they are, but also where they are developmentally and socially and emotionally.”  

These are Merryn’s tips on supporting young people to make sense of public violence  

Be safe – “This starts at a young age, making sure your child knows that no matter where they are or who they’re with, they have a right to feel safe. There’s always something that they can do, or someone they can talk to about how they feel”.  

Communication and dialogue – “As parents, we can’t protect our child from everything or be with our child 24/7, especially as they get older and want independence. Acknowledging how a confronting incident made a young person feel and allow time to process what happened is important.” 

Empathy – “I try to humanise the situation. Talk about what the young person saw and try to empathise with why a person might be angry or violent in public. It can alleviate some of the distress the young person might be feeling by trying to understand the perspective of all the people involved.” 

Balance – “Keeping conversation balanced is really important. We live in a fantastic community where people care. Putting confronting experiences into context will help young people have a balanced view of safety in their community.”  

Research – “We can’t know the answers to everything as parents, but being willing to learn will help our young people. There is a wealth of resources available in our community and online.”  

For more information about supporting young people with their mental health, go to https://headspace.org.au/