As a parent, you want your teen to be healthy, connected, and ready for the future—but it’s not always clear how to support them in today’s world. This fall, Midland invites you to a three-part parent series designed to give you practical insight and reassurance for guiding your child through mental health challenges, fostering stronger connections, and helping them discover purpose.
Led by faculty and staff who are experts in adolescent education and development, these conversations will share research and real-world perspective to support you in one of the most important roles you hold. We invite you to join us for these powerful virtual gatherings in a season when teens—and parents—need actionable strategies and communal support most.
Sept 16 | Anxiety & Depression — Practical ways to support your teen’s mental health and resilience.
Oct 21 | Connection & Belonging — Strengthening bonds and belonging at home and with peers.
Nov 18 | Purpose & Motivation — Guiding teens toward meaningful “success” and a life well-lived.
Events can be attended individually or as a full series. Full event descriptions below.
#1: Anxiety and Depression: Raising Resilient Teens in Uncertain Times
Tuesday, September 16 | 5:00pm – 5:45pm
Parents today are often carrying deep concerns about their teens’ mental health. Rates of anxiety and depression are rising, and it can feel overwhelming to know how to help. This session with Director of Counseling Dan Petrocelli and Head of School Hannah Nelson will focus on what’s driving these struggles and, more importantly, what you can do as a parent to support your child. Drawing on research from Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, we’ll share practical approaches for building resilience and confidence in teenagers, while also reminding you that you are not navigating this alone.
#2: The Power of Connection
Tuesday, October 21 | 5:00pm – 5:45pm
Many parents wonder: is my teen truly connected? Between phones, social pressures, and academic demands, it can be hard to know if they feel a genuine sense of belonging. Dean of Residential Life Taylor Replane and Head of School Hannah Nelson will lead a conversation about connection as the foundation for resilience. We’ll explore how relationships—with peers, with adults who care, and with the natural world—are powerful antidotes to loneliness. You’ll leave with insight into how to nurture connection at home and how schools can partner with families to ensure young people don’t merely push through adolescence, but thrive within it.
#3: Pressure to Purpose
Tuesday, November 18 | 5:00pm – 5:45pm
Parents want their children to succeed…but success today feels tied up in grades, college admissions, and achievement pressures that can drain joy, play, and meaning from the teenage years. In this conversation, Associate Head of School Ellie Moore, College Counselor Leah Hebie, and Head of School Hannah Nelson will explore how to reframe the high school and college journey through the lens of purpose. We’ll talk about the shift from achievement for achievement’s sake to building lives rooted in meaning, belonging, and direction. You’ll gain perspective on competency-based learning, best-fit college pathways, and the ways you can guide your teen toward purpose without adding more pressure.
Stay tuned for our upcoming Spring 2026 sessions!
For additional information about any of these events, please contact Cierra Rickman, Director of Admission & Advancement, at crickman@midland-school.org.
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