I think your questions were spot on to get to the real truth. The biggest problem in my opinion is no one actually listens…they assume they know what the issues are before you even finish speaking and jump to conclusions…please shut up and listen
As a child of trauma, this interview is very heart-and-mind opening. 🙏🏼 Especially this: "Teenagers know more about themselves and the world than we give them credit for." Helpful as I rewrite my evidence-based graphic novel to support young people who struggle with negative self-talk, "Meet Your Monkeys: Make Friends with the Meanies and Imps that Rule Your Mind." My mantra is "It's not your fault." (ever see the iconic scene in "Good Will Hunting"?). But now you get to learn how to deal with the feelings and thoughts that make life so hard. Well done!
This is an awesome interview. It touches on so many points not just supporting a suffering teenager but anyone who's suffering and may not have the voice or the vocab to verbalize what they are going through. But as we all know, it just take one person to think differently and ask questions and be patient, it is possible to lead them out of darkness
I agree, Sherman! I also found Emi's perspective helpful in thinking about so many different situations in which a person is struggling... Thank you so much for your note.
There are a lot of nice people with good intentions trying to help. But that's not how it works because it needs more than good intentions. Helping others require you to remove all assumptions and review the situation critically and then determine a game plan to move the situation out of it current path. And you need to know how to handle the human aspect. The emotions and the fear of the person and how to build trust in a very short amount of time. It is, in a way, like turning around a runaway project. And someone like Emi will require a lot of patience, ingenuity and trust to draw her out of her shell. And one must have the necessary training, skills and experience to succeed. Emi was extremely lucky to have someone there for her at the right place and the right time. Otherwise she would be just another statistic in a long list of kids who ended up never got out of their predicament 😞
It's interesting in a way that a suffering teenage is like being dropped into a runaway project except the teen doesn't have the skills nor the experience to turn it around. Emi's Acceptance not only show that it is possible to come out on the other end of the tunnel, but also, indirectly, gives someone a roadmap as to how it can be done, but they have to adapt it to their own circumstances and situations.
Yes. Helping others often time is like solving a problem, and the only way to do it is to do it methodically. Understand the challenge, create and execute a Plan A, wait and observe, and if it doesn't work, try Plan B and then C, D, and E. Most people stopped at Plan A and they go "well, I am trying to help but you are not taking my help, so I give up or make you do what you are told" and that just make the situation worse and the person further withdraw from the situation. There is so much go into helping others that, unless the person is ready to on the whole thing, they should just donate money to a good cause instead, because it is a commitment and it's not about their own gratification or feeling good about themselves. It's all about helping the other person and being selfless doing it.
I found this interview moving, fascinating and touching. Thank you. I have taken lots of antidepressants over the years, and they helped me. I have had other psychiatric treatments as well. It is so great to read about some one's experience with all that. Well done, Jessica! (I am your cousin!)
Nancy, thank you for this thoughtful note! I'm so glad you found the interview moving... and I'm so glad you've found treatments that have helped you, and that it was helpful to read about someone else's experience. Sending love!!
I think your questions were spot on to get to the real truth. The biggest problem in my opinion is no one actually listens…they assume they know what the issues are before you even finish speaking and jump to conclusions…please shut up and listen
Agree, Matt. Listening is everything.
As a child of trauma, this interview is very heart-and-mind opening. 🙏🏼 Especially this: "Teenagers know more about themselves and the world than we give them credit for." Helpful as I rewrite my evidence-based graphic novel to support young people who struggle with negative self-talk, "Meet Your Monkeys: Make Friends with the Meanies and Imps that Rule Your Mind." My mantra is "It's not your fault." (ever see the iconic scene in "Good Will Hunting"?). But now you get to learn how to deal with the feelings and thoughts that make life so hard. Well done!
Thank you Christine! And yes- it’s not your fault, a helpful message!
Loved this interview. Thank you!
Thank you, Amelia!
This is an awesome interview. It touches on so many points not just supporting a suffering teenager but anyone who's suffering and may not have the voice or the vocab to verbalize what they are going through. But as we all know, it just take one person to think differently and ask questions and be patient, it is possible to lead them out of darkness
I agree, Sherman! I also found Emi's perspective helpful in thinking about so many different situations in which a person is struggling... Thank you so much for your note.
There are a lot of nice people with good intentions trying to help. But that's not how it works because it needs more than good intentions. Helping others require you to remove all assumptions and review the situation critically and then determine a game plan to move the situation out of it current path. And you need to know how to handle the human aspect. The emotions and the fear of the person and how to build trust in a very short amount of time. It is, in a way, like turning around a runaway project. And someone like Emi will require a lot of patience, ingenuity and trust to draw her out of her shell. And one must have the necessary training, skills and experience to succeed. Emi was extremely lucky to have someone there for her at the right place and the right time. Otherwise she would be just another statistic in a long list of kids who ended up never got out of their predicament 😞
So true that good intentions are not enough-- and being thoughtful about each step. So often that is missing!
It's interesting in a way that a suffering teenage is like being dropped into a runaway project except the teen doesn't have the skills nor the experience to turn it around. Emi's Acceptance not only show that it is possible to come out on the other end of the tunnel, but also, indirectly, gives someone a roadmap as to how it can be done, but they have to adapt it to their own circumstances and situations.
Yes. Helping others often time is like solving a problem, and the only way to do it is to do it methodically. Understand the challenge, create and execute a Plan A, wait and observe, and if it doesn't work, try Plan B and then C, D, and E. Most people stopped at Plan A and they go "well, I am trying to help but you are not taking my help, so I give up or make you do what you are told" and that just make the situation worse and the person further withdraw from the situation. There is so much go into helping others that, unless the person is ready to on the whole thing, they should just donate money to a good cause instead, because it is a commitment and it's not about their own gratification or feeling good about themselves. It's all about helping the other person and being selfless doing it.
I found this interview moving, fascinating and touching. Thank you. I have taken lots of antidepressants over the years, and they helped me. I have had other psychiatric treatments as well. It is so great to read about some one's experience with all that. Well done, Jessica! (I am your cousin!)
Nancy, thank you for this thoughtful note! I'm so glad you found the interview moving... and I'm so glad you've found treatments that have helped you, and that it was helpful to read about someone else's experience. Sending love!!