Just One Thing for Parents with Dr Bettina Hohnen
Sep 18, 2026 · 20 min · 7 segments
What makes a young person more likely to reach out for support? In this episode, I'm joined by Kyle Morrison, a youth leader and an outreach and resilience worker in a substance support service for…
Kyle MorrisonGuest
Bettina HohnenHost
And I suppose you were younger, like maybe, you know, late adolescence, early 20s.
I think a lot of young people feel very lonely and disconnected, but they don't know how to access their support.
And then there are lots of adults who want to give the kids support, but they don't know how to reach them.
So I think even being around other children was like an outlet, but I didn't realise how different my story was to everybody else.
I didn't have like a voice to find, well, actually some of the things maybe I'd gone through was quite challenging.
But yeah, no, I guess growing up, you're young and you're just kind of one way thinking that, oh, yeah, you'll be fine.
Or he's getting on with life until you get to a challenge and realize how things have affected you.
Basically you have, as a kid, you only know the culture of your family and maybe you know the community that you're growing up in, but you don't really, and I remember that as well, you just don't realise.
Other people do things completely differently and actually some of your things, the things that happen to you, are not happening to other people.
So it's really hard as a young person to know, well, what should I be looking for help for? What is just part of being human? And what bit of this is really, really difficult? That, yeah, it's really tough.
I think what you were saying was that it's some of the kind of mentors in your community that started to make that link for you.
yeah i think what really helped me personally is just the space where i felt accepted for me and it was encouraged to come out of my shell more where i think growing up naturally i'd sit in the background if it was possible but there was people especially growing up with mentors in church who seeing something in me and wasn't afraid to kind of say I think you're really gifted at this or what do you think Kyle or encouraging me to speak up more but from a relationship because I found there's people who have said stuff but without genuine connection and relationship
think it's harder to go through the years and actually stay there for you to do something about it
Yeah, so you've got to kind of, as a young person, you've got to have that feeling of trust within the relationship.
What do you think are the important things that adults do that give young people that sign that the trust is there or that builds that connection?
And I suppose you were younger, like maybe, you know, late adolescence, early 20s.
I think a lot of young people feel very lonely and disconnected, but they don't know how to access their support.
And then there are lots of adults who want to give the kids support, but they don't know how to reach them.
So I think even being around other children was like an outlet, but I didn't realise how different my story was to everybody else.
I didn't have like a voice to find, well, actually some of the things maybe I'd gone through was quite challenging.
But yeah, no, I guess growing up, you're young and you're just kind of one way thinking that, oh, yeah, you'll be fine.
Or he's getting on with life until you get to a challenge and realize how things have affected you.
Basically you have, as a kid, you only know the culture of your family and maybe you know the community that you're growing up in, but you don't really, and I remember that as well, you just don't realise.
Other people do things completely differently and actually some of your things, the things that happen to you, are not happening to other people.
So it's really hard as a young person to know, well, what should I be looking for help for? What is just part of being human? And what bit of this is really, really difficult? That, yeah, it's really tough.
I think what you were saying was that it's some of the kind of mentors in your community that started to make that link for you.
yeah i think what really helped me personally is just the space where i felt accepted for me and it was encouraged to come out of my shell more where i think growing up naturally i'd sit in the background if it was possible but there was people especially growing up with mentors in church who seeing something in me and wasn't afraid to kind of say I think you're really gifted at this or what do you think Kyle or encouraging me to speak up more but from a relationship because I found there's people who have said stuff but without genuine connection and relationship
think it's harder to go through the years and actually stay there for you to do something about it
Yeah, so you've got to kind of, as a young person, you've got to have that feeling of trust within the relationship.
What do you think are the important things that adults do that give young people that sign that the trust is there or that builds that connection?
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