THE CHALLENGE

BC Children's Hospital had already developed Language Matters!, a guide that helps educators and school communities talk about mental health and substance use in accurate, respectful, and stigma-reducing language. The next step was to adapt it for a different audience: parents, guardians, and caregivers of school-age children and youth.

I was brought on to help build this family-facing version, working directly with the BC Children's Hospital team and a provincial advisory committee made up of education, mental health, and public health partners.

The scope of the guide was to

• Improve mental health literacy and address stigma

• Shift how families understand and talk about mental health and substance use

• Show how safe, caring, and inclusive school communities can support the mental health of students and families

WHAT I DID

Changed the structure around parent questions. The educator guide's was a dense, linear resource which moves through concepts like mental health literacy, the Compassionate Systems Framework, and intersectionality in a continuous, academic voice. Reflecting on how this resource can meet parent’s needs, I restructured the content around questions parents might ask — What is mental health? Who do I talk to if I'm worried? How do I take care of myself while I'm taking care of my kid? Each section stands on its own, with a reading-time estimate so parents can dip in based on what they need that day.

Brought the language down to earth. I edited the guide to a grade 7 reading level and cut sayings that may not translate across cultures or languages to reduce language barriers.

Wrote for families carrying stigma, not just curiosity. As with everything I do, I checked all content against this question: will this feel like support, or judgment? I wrote in language that is kind and validating for families who may never have talked about mental health at home, or come from cultures where there’s stigma and shame around mental health discussions.

Emphasized parent well-being. Not wanting this to feel like yet another load parents add to their plate, I added a section dedicated to parents' own well-being, which ends with: you do not have to be perfect.

THE WORK

Reviewing parent feedback, reworking the outline, helping to design advisory committee discussions and attending them, writing and revising content through multiple rounds with the BC Children's Hospital team, and discussing dissemination plans for the guide.