Parents need to nurture their children's mental health from a young age as half of all cases of mental disorder start before the age of 14, a psychologist says.
A free seminar being held at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery this evening aims to help Otago parents raise resilient children who can cope with trauma and lead purposeful lives.
The session has been organised to mark the 50th jubilee of the 1200-member New Zealand Psychological Society, the largest association of psychologists in the country.
Guest speaker, Ministry of Education psychologist Max Gold, said parents needed to be active participants, encouraging children to live well.
``They need to help them define a purpose for their life, help them discover what kind of person they are, what kind of things are important to them, and how they want to make a contribution.''
Children were not naturally resilient but could be taught to draw on inner strength and become resilient. Parents had to teach that skill, Mr Gold said.
``What parents say and do is very important.''
