Stories
By sharing our knowledge and experiences, we can put an end to the myths and assumptions around parental mental illness. If you want to share your own story and help others find out more about parental mental illness, you can submit your blog or your vlog online through the Our Time website.
Ambeya on winning ‘Young Student Volunteer’ at the Westminster Community Awards
I do not do what I do for appreciation or recognition, but when I found myself being celebrated at an award ceremony, where the Lord Mayor of Westminster, the director of communities and chief executives, were congratulating me for the time and dedication I give to Our Time, it made me realise that it isn’t officials or leaders who create change.
Building communities for Carers Week 2017
Everything we do here at Our Time, whether it is working with families, schools or lobbying the government, is working to build a community around the child who has a parent with a mental illness.
A young carer’s experience of living with a parent with mental illness
My name is Matthew, I am 14 years old and I live with my mum, dad and little sister. I am in Year 10 and I like school, but I find it hard to make friends because I don’t have time to do things with them, and I don’t want to bring friends home because my house is very messy and my dad is a bit unpredictable.
Helping children of parental mental illness to thrive in schools
Being a young carer or coping with a parent with a mental illness will have a significant impact on a young person’s school life – both the academic and the social aspects.
Perinatal Mental Health Awareness Week
Having a baby is a life changing experience, both exciting and terrifying at the same time. All parents know that it puts enormous pressure on the couple, the family and the mother in particular.
What’s the point of drama in KidsTime Workshops?
The core philosophy of KidsTime Workshops is that children’s resilience to parental mental illness is improved and vulnerability lessened when they: have an understanding of their parent’s mental illness can discuss it with a sympathetic adult feel their experiences are validated by the group The workshop does this in several ways.
A teacher’s perspective
When I first met Ambeya in 2005, I was a newly qualified teacher, aged 23, working in an inner-city London comprehensive. I had completed my training in two similar schools, but perhaps nothing prepares you for that first year of teaching in a school where many young people face such a multitude of personal and social challenges.
The impact of ‘Who Cares?’ in schools
Through the ‘Who Cares?’ project in school, I now recognise myself as a young carer, and that there are others like me. My peers in class now understand what my life is like, and why I am sometimes worried. I used to think that I was nobody, but it’s like ‘Who Cares?’ has given me a voice.
Who cares? We do
People are not always aware of the distinct role of the school nurse. In essence, we take over where health visitors finish, promoting the health and well-being of the school aged population, aged from five to 19 years old.
Five reasons why learning about my dad’s mental illness really helped me
The nature of mental health problems are often that they are confusing and unpredictable and this is especially true for people with bipolar, like my dad. We never knew when his next low or (even more scary) high would be.
