Youth mental health coaching is a form of strengths-based support for parents and caregivers who are concerned about their child or adolescent’s mental well-being. Coaches provide parents and caregivers with resources to help their youth develop a healthy balance in life, give guidance in decision-making, offer support in navigating mental health difficulties, and assist in establishing a recovery plan. Coaches help parents and caregivers find ways to help youth obtain and maintain stability, manage difficult symptoms, rebuild relationships, and find a purpose for living. Coaches also help find resources for professional care and treatment, family support, and education.

Youth mental health coaches are not licensed mental health care providers. Youth mental health coaches do not work directly with children or adolescents, diagnose, or offer professional care or treatment for mental health difficulties and disorders. Coaches support parents by providing them with psychoeducation and resources to help youth make positive changes that complement professional mental healthcare to manage symptoms, build support for recovery, and work on life goals such as relationships and education. Youth mental health coaching is action-oriented, aimed at providing parents and caregivers with the tools necessary to help with youth’s present life and reach goals for the future.

Youth mental health coaches use a partnership model wherein the client is considered to be the expert on his or her life, the one who decides what is worth doing, while the coach provides expertise in supporting successful change. Youth mental health coaching focuses on achieving any goals important to the client, not just recovery-related goals. Youth mental health coaching emphasizes honoring values and making principle-based decisions, creating a clear action plan, and using current strengths to reach future goals. The coach provides accountability to help the client stay on track.