Suzanne Alderson

Suzanne Alderson is the founder of Parenting Mental Health, a global community and UK charity that supports, skills and empowers over 35,000 parents of young people with poor mental health as they navigate the practical and emotional impacts on themselves, their families and their lives. She started the community in 2016 after her 14-year-old daughter attempted suicide following a period of sustained bullying and Suzanne found herself in a desperate place, facing an uncertain future with little support and even less understanding. Suzanne’s bestselling book, Never Let Go: How to Parent Your Child Through Mental Illness, was published by Penguin in 2020 and shares her experience and the approach she devised – ‘Partnering not Parenting’ – to support her daughter’s recovery. Suzanne runs courses for parents and practitioners on ‘Partnering not Parenting’ and is a regular speaker and media contributor on how to parent through poor mental health and building healthy communities.