Jubilee Counseling Blog

Welcome to the Jubilee Counseling Blog

Interested in emotional wellness? Hoping to build stronger relationships or learn more about mental illness? If so, you are in the right place. This quarterly blog from Jubilee Counseling LLC offers honest conversation about mental health, practical tips for improving your emotional well-being, insight into mental illness, and ways to support people facing emotional and behavioral challenges.

Read on to meet the author and learn about the practice behind the blog.

Meet the Author

I am Kate Nelson-Dooley, a licensed independent clinical social worker in Alabama. This licensure reflects the education and experience required to provide psychotherapy services to the community. For more than 12 years I have delivered clinical services to culturally diverse populations, and as a therapist I have dedicated my career to helping individuals and families become happier and healthier — which is why I founded Jubilee Counseling LLC.

Our Mission

Jubilee Counseling LLC exists to provide behavioral health services to children, older adults, individuals, and families facing mental illness and a wide range of barriers to emotional wellness, so they can live happier, healthier lives. We also strive to end the stigma around mental illness through education and awareness. This blog supports that mission by serving as a venue for education and awareness, and we hope it helps reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. Thank you for reading.

Written by Kate Nelson-Dooley LICSW on May 11, 2026

Supporting Emotional Fitness: How Do I Speak to My Child About This?

Discussing Uncomfortable Topics with Children — June 23, 2026

Hello everyone, and thank you for visiting the Jubilee Counseling Blog again. I am delighted you took the time to stop by. This past month has been a doozy. Here in Baldwin County, we were just becoming adjusted to isolation protocols set forth to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Businesses began slowly reopening, bringing many changes ranging from sanitizing stations to mandatory face masks. It felt as though our entire country was turned upside down. Our citizens began experiencing more stress and anxiety resulting from job loss and fewer supports, and marginalized populations experienced stressors at a much higher rate. Sometimes problems that were previously ignored come into the spotlight during a crisis such as this — and that is exactly what happened.

The murder of George Floyd by four police officers seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Black Lives Matter protests began appearing in every state and around the world; as they should. Truthfully, I did not know what to write this blog about with all that went on. I went back and forth considering writing about coronavirus or racism. I just could not pick one because both topics are incredibly important, particularly now. I asked myself what the common aspect of everything going on was, and finally I realized that communication was that common element. We use communication to educate people about illness and racism. Since I provide psychotherapy to children and families, it felt natural to write about opening up communication with children about the hard topics we face today.

Parents and guardians have an instinct to protect the young ones they love, which may mean they avoid uncomfortable conversations involving topics such as violence, illness, death, racism, divorce, and sex. Some parents fear that speaking about these topics may cause anxiety in the one they love or encourage undesirable behaviors. In actuality, the opposite is true. Creating an open and safe place where children and youth can express big feelings and thoughts about uncomfortable topics is highly therapeutic.

So now we know that having uncomfortable conversations with children is essential for healthy development. But how do we start?

• First, understand your own experiences and feelings about each topic. Are there fears you hold? Perhaps a negative experience is preventing you from talking with your child. Take a few moments to embrace and process your emotions.
• Second, consider the child's developmental level by assessing their understanding, how they learn, and what information may be too much for them. Developmentally appropriate is not necessarily age-appropriate; children learn at different speeds and at different times, and no child is alike in this respect. Typically, I suggest beginning conversations as early in a child's development as possible. Consider that the information you tell a two-year-old is significantly different from what you tell a twelve-year-old.
• Uncomfortable conversations should come from a loving, nonjudgmental, and understanding place. Children's books are a wonderful way to begin having these conversations.

I have listed books and tips based on uncomfortable conversations below.

Racism

Let's face it, racism exists, and it begins early. Children begin noticing racial differences as early as 6 months of age, and studies have noted that children can begin showing racism at 3 years of age. So talking about race, culture, and ethnicity early can improve your child's social functioning. Children are smart, and many have already heard about recent tragedies involving Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, among many others. They may have questions about the Black Lives Matter movement that has spread across the country. Avoiding the subject can lead a child to believe misinformation or become confused — for instance, some children believe that people who are killed are bad, which was not the case. Be truthful and use concrete terms such as black and white. Teach them how to identify racism and what to do if they see it. This may also be a good time to discuss bullying: talk about what they can do if they witness bullying and how to stay safe.

• Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story About Racial Injustice by Ann Hazzard, Marianne Celano, and Marietta Collins
• All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman
• Let's Talk about Race by Julius Lester
• Say Something! by Peter H. Reynolds

The Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic is still impacting communities worldwide. Children already know that life has changed drastically; they hear about it from others or maybe on the news. It may seem as though life is back to normal with the phased reopening, but I assure you it is not the same. Talk about the virus and the reasons children were forced to leave school. Talk about taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. I like to think about precautions as similar to wearing a seat belt: I don't plan on getting into a wreck and needing my seatbelt, but I put it on in the event it may happen. Telling your child that children are less likely to become very ill may be a source of comfort. Here are a few books that you can print and read to your child today.

• Trinka and Sam Fighting the Big Virus: Trinka, Sam, and Littletown Work Together
• Fighting the Big Virus: Trinka's and Sam's Questions
• My Hero is You: How Kids Can Fight COVID-19 by Inter-Agency

More Books for Tough Conversations

• Todd Parr
• Sesame Street in Communities: Divorce
• Sandra Levins, Children's Writer
• What Makes a Baby and Cory Silverberg
• The Safe Child, Happy Parent Series
• Robert Munsch
• The Dragonfly Story
• Pat Schwiebert
• Floyd Cooper

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