One question we often hear from parents in our community is:
“How do I support my child when we seem to be growing up in different worlds?”
Parents and children may adapt to life in Canada differently. Expectations around communication, independence, emotions, and family roles can shift.
Even when everyone wants the same thing, it can become harder to understand one another.
HF Care’s new Signature Family Series was created for these realities.
It’s a program made for parents and guardians who are currently navigating challenges with their teens, as well as those who want to feel more prepared as their children begin growing into adolescence and young adulthood.
It begins with the parent.
Unlike many parenting programs, this series does not begin with a list of strategies for changing a child’s behaviour.
As our facilitator Alice Yeung explains:
“Most parent groups focus on parenting tips or strategies, whereas we want to shift the focus back to the parents themselves.”
In this program, parents explore how their own stress and personal experiences can shape difficult moments at home. With this approach, they can better understand what their child is experiencing and respond with greater awareness. This allows them to become more confident and present when spending time within their families.
The first Mandarin group is already underway, with parents participating in guided activities and learning alongside others facing similar challenges.
Topics have included:
- How do adolescent brains differ from adult brains?
- Why certain conflicts happen.
- How best to respond when emotions are running high.
One participant said the program helped her look more closely at both sides of a difficult interaction.
Another parent described how she’d already been using what she learned during a recent conflict with her son:
“Instead of continuing the argument, I acknowledged how we were both feeling and suggested a break to relax. It actually worked!”
For participating parents, the group also offers a rare opportunity to slow down and reflect with one another.
One parent shared that they don’t usually take the time to think about when a conversation went wrong or how they could have approached things differently. When another participant heard this, they felt relieved:
When I heard what the other parents here were facing, parents who speak the same language and really understand our culture, I realized I wasn’t alone.
— Mandarin Signature Family Series Participant
From the outset, the Signature Family Series is being developed for families across the five language communities HF Care serves: Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Khmer, and Vietnamese.
Each version will be offered in each community’s language and shaped by the cultural and migration experiences of the parents participating — reflecting HF Care’s approach to culturally competent mental health care. This means we take family histories, migration experiences and cultural expectations seriously when supporting immigrant parents and guardians navigating their family’s well-being.
Interested in signing up or learning more?
- Join the Korean, Mandarin, Cambodian and Vietnamese Signature Family Series Waiting List.
(Programming will be taking throughout 2026-2027.)
- Cantonese registration is now open.
(The upcoming Cantonese series will take place on August 7, 14, 21, and 28.)
