We Think Twice™: Resources for Parents and Caregivers

Are you a parent, caregiver, or mentor in search of resources to help you communicate with an adolescent in your life about topics such as healthy relationships, goal setting, and avoiding risky behaviors? With support from the Administration for Children & Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), the We Think Twice™ campaign has developed a valuable set of resources for parents and other caregivers to promote healthy and positive development among teens. This collection of resources includes tip sheets and activities designed to support you in communicating with your teens about these important topics.

We invite you to take advantage of these resources and share them with other parents or caregivers in your community. We also invite you to encourage the youth in your life to join the We Think Twice™ campaign and visit the website. The website has resources to help youth make healthy decisions, set goals, manage money, improve leadership skills, look out for their mental health, and resist peer pressure. Check back for new resources and updates.

Caregivers and teens smiling together.

Talking with Teens About Sex, Dating, and Relationships

This guide provides practical tips to navigate important discussions surrounding sex, dating, and relationships with teens.

Dads enjoying time with their kids.

Strengthening Your Parent/Caregiver–Teen Relationship

This guide introduces strategies and tactics parents and caregivers can use to build close relationships with the teens in their lives.

Young people using devices.

Social Media and Teen Mental Health

This guide demonstrates how parents and caregivers can help teens build healthy social media habits.

About this Resource

This guide from the Family and Youth Services Bureau provides tips on how you can establish good communication with teens around topics of sex, dating, and relationships. The guide comes with a communication game to promote fun conversations while empowering teens to make informed and responsible choices about sex.

View the Guide

About this Resource

This guide from the Family and Youth Services Bureau introduces strategies and tactics you can use to begin the conversation and establish trust, open communication, set expectations, and support teens’ mental and emotional health. The parent/caregiver guide comes with a discussion guide to promote open communication and strengthen the bonds with the teens in your lives.

View the Guide

About the Resource

This guide from the Family and Youth Services Bureau provides tips on how you can help teens build healthy social media habits, manage screen time, share safely, recognize the signs of excessive or problematic social media use, and understand the benefits of social media, all while protecting their physical safety and mental health. The parent/caregiver guide comes with a discussion guide to help you better understand how social media plays a role in teens’ lives and how you can support them with any challenges they might face.

View the Guide

Supporting Your Teen's Mental Health. Tips for Parents

Supporting Your Teen’s Mental Health: Tips for Parents

This tip sheet provides recommendations for parents and caregivers on addressing youth mental health and tips for helping youth become resilient and thrive.

About the Resource

As a parent or other caregiver, you play a critical role in supporting your teens’ mental health. This tip sheet identifies warning signs that a teen might be experiencing challenges with mental health, provides tips on starting and conducting conversations with your child about their mental health, discusses the importance of getting professional mental health care when needed, and offers suggestions on locating an appropriate mental health specialist. The tip sheet also includes resources you can share with youth, including hotlines for teens who are in distress.

View the Tip Sheet

Caregivers and teens smiling together.

Talking with Teens About Sex, Dating, and Relationships

This guide provides practical tips to navigate important discussions surrounding sex, dating, and relationships with teens.

About this Resource

This guide from the Family and Youth Services Bureau provides tips on how you can establish good communication with teens around topics of sex, dating, and relationships. The guide comes with a communication game to promote fun conversations while empowering teens to make informed and responsible choices about sex.
View the Guide

Dads enjoying time with their kids.

Strengthening Your Parent/Caregiver–Teen Relationship

This guide introduces strategies and tactics parents and caregivers can use to build close relationships with the teens in their lives.

About this Resource

This guide from the Family and Youth Services Bureau introduces strategies and tactics you can use to begin the conversation and establish trust, open communication, set expectations, and support teens’ mental and emotional health. The parent/caregiver guide comes with a discussion guide to promote open communication and strengthen the bonds with the teens in your lives.
View the Guide

Young people using devices.

Social Media and Teen Mental Health

This guide demonstrates how parents and caregivers can help teens build healthy social media habits.

About the Resource

This guide from the Family and Youth Services Bureau provides tips on how you can help teens build healthy social media habits, manage screen time, share safely, recognize the signs of excessive or problematic social media use, and understand the benefits of social media, all while protecting their physical safety and mental health. The parent/caregiver guide comes with a discussion guide to help you better understand how social media plays a role in teens’ lives and how you can support them with any challenges they might face.
View the Guide

Supporting Your Teen's Mental Health. Tips for Parents

Supporting Your Teen’s Mental Health: Tips for Parents

This tip sheet provides recommendations for parents and caregivers on addressing youth mental health and tips for helping youth become resilient and thrive.

About the Resource

As a parent or other caregiver, you play a critical role in supporting your teens’ mental health. This tip sheet identifies warning signs that a teen might be experiencing challenges with mental health, provides tips on starting and conducting conversations with your child about their mental health, discusses the importance of getting professional mental health care when needed, and offers suggestions on locating an appropriate mental health specialist. The tip sheet also includes resources you can share with youth, including hotlines for teens who are in distress.
View the Tip Sheet

For other parent-focused resources, please use the site’s main search bar.