Seeing Children Differently: A Fresh Perspective on Mental Health

Why ‘Ten Things I Wish You Knew About Your Child’s Mental Health’ offers hope and perspective for families.

Key Points:

Children’s behaviour is often a signal, not a problem, and understanding mental health requires compassion rather than quick judgement.

Dr Billy Garvey encourages parents and carers to reflect on the whole child, including trauma, sleep and the emotional wellbeing of the adults supporting them.

This book offers reassurance, not guilt, providing a hopeful, faith-aligned perspective for families seeking to care for children well.

Are you a parent? An aunt or an uncle? Maybe you work with children in some capacity? If you spend any amount of time with the little people in your life, then this book is for you.

Ten Things I Wish You Knew About Your Child’s Mental Health is a book I picked up simply because I have my own children, I teach and care for other children in different ways, and I assumed the extra information would be helpful. What I didn’t expect was that Dr Billy Garvey would offer not just “extra information”, but an entirely new perspective.

For a long time, mental health has been a taboo subject. Parents often push aside their own feelings in order to “just get on with it”. Children are quickly labelled “naughty” and disciplined without much reflection. Dr Garvey, however, invites parents and carers to step back and view these situations with fresh eyes.

He asks important questions:

Has the child experienced trauma?
Is the child getting sufficient sleep? (It sounds simple, but sleep affects everything.)
Is the parent or carer looking after themselves, so they can emotionally show up for the child?

Ten Things I Wish You Knew… includes real-life examples of children and families Dr Garvey has worked with, from a wide range of backgrounds. Throughout the book, he gently reminds us that every child is special, individual and capable of great things – and sometimes all they need is to know someone believes in them.

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Throughout the book, he gently reminds us that every child is special, individual and capable of great things – and sometimes all they need is to know someone believes in them.

As parents, we can often read “parenting” guides and walk away feeling guilty, as though we’re not doing enough or getting it right. This book is refreshingly different. Dr Garvey approaches the reader with compassion, clearly wanting the best for the ‘mini humans’ of the world, while also honouring the importance of a secure and supported family unit.

Please, please, please read this book. We can all do better. We can all grow in compassion and grace. This book is a rich source of both knowledge and encouragement, and a wonderful place to begin.

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.”
– Psalm 127:3 (ESV)

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Feature image: Penguin Books