Kate Middleton has helped launch a series of podcasts that seek to support children suffering from mental health issues.
The Duchess is patron of the children’s mental health charity Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, the organization launching the series titled Child in Mind.
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The podcast is comprised of several 20-minute episodes that can be downloaded from the Anna Freud National Centre’s iTunes channel and SoundCloud account. Each segment focuses on an issue surrounding child and family mental health with an expert and a young person or parents, and is presented by BBC Radio 4 presenter Claudia Hammond.
Urging parents to utilize the service she added: “Please do listen, and share them with your friends and family and let’s change the way we all talk to each other about our mental health.”
The Duchess of Cambridge also spoke about the importance of giving mental health support to young children. She said getting early support for a child who is struggling to cope is “the best possible thing we can do.”
“One in three adults still say they would be embarrassed to seek help for their child’s mental health,” Middleton explained. “No parent would fail to call the doctor if their child developed a fever, yet some children are tackling tough times without the support that can help them because the adults in their life are scared to ask. It doesn’t need to be like this.”
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The mother of two added: “Throughout my work with family and child support organizations, one thing that has stood out to me time and again is that getting early support for a child who is struggling to cope is the best possible thing we can do to help our children as they grow up.”
“Knowing this, both William and I feel very strongly that we wouldn’t hesitate to get expert support for George and Charlotte if they need it. I hope that this excellent series of podcasts by the Anna Freud Centre will go some way to help families overcome that fear of what happens next if they look for professional support,” Middleton revealed.
The first episode of the podcast series focuses on childhood anxiety and features Cathy Creswell, Professor of Developmental Clinical Psychology from the University of Reading, and Beckie, whose 10-year-old son Luke’s anxiety caused severe difficulties in her family’s life.
In February, Middleton helped launch Children’s Mental Health Week as the royal patron of Place2Be, an organization which works within schools to provide early support. She recorded a special video message on the occasion in which she called for prioritizing the emotional well-being of children.
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