Resources for Parenting

Websites

Books:

Daughters of Madness: Growing Up and Older with a Mentally Ill Mother by Susan Nathiel
Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace by Ayelet Waldman
Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry by Bebe Moore Campbell

Agencies:

Family Education and Resource Center (FERC)
For Geriatric Parents:
- Alameda County Social Services
- Abode Services Housing for Seniors
- Bay Area Community Services (BACS) Bay Area Community Services has been a leader in developing and delivering cost-effective services to adults with mental illness and seniors in Alameda County, CA.
For Teens: Youth Uprising for youth ages 16-24

Protective Services:

Support Group:
Parents with Mental Health Challenges. Fremont, CA. Every Third Tuesday.
Contact: rpeterlinz@comcast.net

Positive Factors:

Some people site positive factors as being part of growing up with a mentally ill mother.

Protective Factors:

The following can be protective factors for children with mentally ill parents.

Knowledge that their parent(s) is ill and that they are not to blame
Help and support from family members and friends
A stable home environment
Psychotherapy for the child and the parent(s). The ill parent working towards recovery
A sense of being loved by the ill parent
Positive self esteem
Resiliency – the ability to bounce back after a problem
Inner strength and good coping skills in the child
A strong relationship with a healthy adult
Friendships, positive peer relationships
Having someone to talk to
Interest in and success at school
Healthy interests outside the home for the child
Help from outside the family to improve the family environment (for example, marital psychotherapy or parenting classes)

Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation