Advocacy Isn't Optional, It's Survival - Navigating the Mental Health System
Jun 26, 2025Let’s just name it:
There are not enough therapists in this country to meet the mental health needs of our children.
Not enough for kids with trauma.
Not enough for neurodivergent kids.
Not enough for the kids who are spiraling silently or acting out loudly.
Not enough for your kid.
Not enough for mine.
This is not a feeling. It’s a fact.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry says we need five times more child psychiatrists than we currently have. Over 60% of youth with major depression don’t receive any mental health treatment. And in many communities, especially those with less wealth or more children of color, the gap is even more devastating.
So what are agencies doing to fill the gap?
They’re hiring QMHAs — Qualified Mental Health Associates — often right out of undergrad, often without clinical training, supervision, or long-term experience.
These folks are kind, committed, and doing their best. But let’s be honest:
They are not therapists.
They are not trained in trauma-informed care.
They are not equipped to lead family sessions, develop treatment plans, or manage complex cases.
And yet… agencies send them into our homes with titles like “mental health associate” or “behavioral health provider" or "family intervention specialist". Sometimes, even we as parents start calling them “therapists,” because we want to believe we’re finally getting help.
The disappointment comes later — when the interventions don’t go deep enough, the family work doesn’t happen, or things escalate and no one knows what to do, or worse, your kid gets blamed for lack of engagement.
It’s not that these professionals are the problem.
It’s that the system is setting them up to play a role they’re not qualified to fill — while our kids are the ones who suffer the consequences.
So what happens when the real therapist doesn’t exist? When the referral doesn’t go through? When the only person available is someone barely trained to be in the room?
We step in.
We, the parents.
We become the case managers, de-escalators, note-takers, advocates, crisis teams, and therapists by default.
Not because we’re superheroes. But because we have no choice.
To the parents carrying more than anyone realizes — I see you.
If you’ve been told your child is “on the list,”
If you’ve mistaken a skills trainer for a clinician,
If you’ve held it all together while the system falls apart…
You are not imagining how hard this is.
And you are not alone.
I created White Awake Parenting to support parents who are navigating impossible systems — especially white parents raising Black and Brown children, where the cracks in care are even more dangerous.
If you’re tired of apologies with no solutions...
If you’re advocating out of sheer necessity...
If you’ve learned not to trust titles until you see the training...
You’re not just a parent. You’re the glue. The backbone. The lifeline.
And you deserve support too.
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