Our Approach

Our perspective here at Stride Mental Health draws from continuum theories (Peter et al, 2021) and emphasises the idea that mental health and its causes cannot be understood in isolation but rather need to be viewed on a broad spectrum. This approach acknowledges that mental health issues exist along a continuum, ranging from optimal wellbeing to severe distress, and that various factors influence where someone falls on this spectrum. It is our hope to reduce stigma and increase awareness. One useful framework in this context is the Power Threat Meaning Framework (Johnstone & Boyle, 2018), which helps us understand how experiences of power, threats, and the search for meaning shape our mental health. This perspective suggests that mental health problems often arise from complex interactions between individual experiences and broader social structures, including issues of power and inequality. By considering these factors, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of mental health, recognising that it is influenced by a wide range of factors beyond just individual symptoms or diagnoses.

Our narratives hopes to bridge the gap between the individual and wider systems, particularly for families, parents and children, offering a collective approach that empowers people to work alongside each other, developing skills together and using shared tools to manage mental health distress collaboratively, rather than addressing needs separately.

This approach is important particularly for families because mental health doesn’t just impact the individual; it affects the entire family dynamic. By working together, parents and children can build a stronger emotional connection, fostering a sense of trust and understanding. Collaborative efforts allow parents to model healthy coping strategies, creating a shared language around mental health that supports the child’s growth. This joint and systemic approach empowers both the parent and child, ensuring that the child feels supported while developing the tools they need to manage their anxiety long-term (Merete Myra et al. 2024).

In all our material, we use the word “parent” to encompass all caregivers, including mothers, fathers, guardians, and anyone playing a significant role in a child’s life, acknowledging the diverse support systems that contribute to a child’s well-being.

The terms “child” and “young person” are used interchangeably throughout to refer to individuals aged 10-18 years, covering both the tween and teenage years.

References

Johnstone, L., & Boyle, M. (2018). The Power Threat Meaning Framework: An alternative nondiagnostic conceptual system. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 1(18). https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167818793289

Merete Myra, S., Grøver, T., & Axberg, U. (2024). New Horizons in Systemic Practice with Children and Families. Springer Nature.

Peter, L.-J., Schindler, S., Sander, C., Schmidt, S., Muehlan, H., McLaren, T., Tomczyk, S., Speerforck, S., & Schomerus, G. (2021). Continuum beliefs and mental illness stigma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of correlation and intervention studies. Psychological Medicine, 51(5), 716–726. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291721000854