“Most kids don’t need therapy, they need their environment to change.”
In this episode of the Really Good Conversations podcast, Amy speaks with psychotherapist, parent coach, and author Nicole Runyon about modern parenting, child mental health, and the unseen impact of technology.
In this honest conversation, Nicole explains why therapy isn’t always the answer, and how children’s behaviours are often a response to their environment, not a diagnosis.
Drawing from her book Free to Fly, she shares insights into child development stages, screen time by age, and the long-term effects of permissive parenting.
Nicole encourages parents to reclaim their role, delay exposure to tech, and prioritise everyday moments of connection to help their children grow into resilient, independent adults.
Key Outtakes:
Why the mental health industry may not want people to truly get well
The problem with over-relying on therapy for anxious children
How early screen use disrupts natural development stages
Why discomfort and frustration are essential to growing resilience
What parents can do to course-correct, even if they feel it’s “too late”
For more information:
Nicole Runyon Website https://nicolerunyon.com/
Book: Free to Fly https://nicolerunyon.com/free-to-fly/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolerunyonlmsw/
