The SEEN book continues to make it into more and more hands. People who read it often want to share with others how they feel the book could help them as they care for, raise or mentor kids and students. So we thought we would put together an outline to help you share what SEEN is about with other parents or caring adults. You can use this outline to share with small group leaders, fellow educators, counselors, or any group that works with kids and teens. We know your time is valuable, so we kept it at a target of 10 minutes.

Introduction

Take 2 minutes and talk about who you are and how you are seeing a rise in a problem in your role as a mentor, parent or teacher. Just express your heart and your genuine concern.

Identify the Problem

Don’t just tell people there is a mental health crisis. Give them some information that makes it relatable to them. You can get that information from the book or see some of the resources on our website. Don’t try to tackle everything at once. It usually works the best to talk about one to three potential problems. Allow yourself 2 minutes to explain them.

Connect with Them

When you bring some of those startling facts to their attention, it’s easy for your audience to feel overwhelmed. This is a perfect opportunity to slow down and give them the good news. There is hope! Share with them the research that shows that we can help our kids heal when they are facing anxiety and despair. Spend 2 minutes helping them see the potential impact of helping every kid feel SEEN.

Give Practical Applications

Don’t just tell them to read the book but give your audience a little direction. Two of the most powerful tools are simple ones. Use 2 minutes to share them.

·       SHOW UP: Explain that when we show up before they ask us to. We have the ability to show up when they need us to. Keep showing up.

·       SEE THEM: After we show up, see them. See beyond their behavior. See beyond the emotion that is manifesting at the moment. The Feelings Wheel can help.

Tie it Together

Take 2 minutes and share your experiences. Share a time when you missed it and didn’t see the teen who really needed to be seen. Or share a time when you did see it and looked past the surface to see a kid who was hurting. Just talk from your heart. Getting more copies of SEEN is easy to do on Amazon. There is also a parenting course available at Parent Cue that we’ve put together to help resource you. Some other things that could help are blogs on the Parent Cue website or on the SEEN website. Contact us if you have further questions or would like to discuss having an assembly at your school.

About the author:

Will Hutcherson is a motivational teen speaker, author, and pastor. Will has worked with kids and teens for over 15 years. Over the past several years he has become increasingly passionate about finding practical ways to bring hope to kids and teens who are facing increasing amounts of anxiety, depression, and despair. This led to him starting Curate Hope, a non-profit that focuses on suicide prevention, mental health awareness, and partnering with schools, churches, and parents to help heal despair in teens. Will seeks to build a bridge between the local church and the schools and families that are navigating this mental health crisis. Through Curate Hope, Will speaks in public schools across the country, letting students know that there is always hope.