KUOW's Swimming Upstream

KUOW's three-part series "Swimming Upstream" details the mental health-focused journey of one Seattle-area family through crisis. This series is part of a collection of stories about children’s mental health solutions.

Part 1: A family’s mental health journey out of crisis

As parents, Tynikki Arnold and her partner Sean have set a clear goal to give their kids a more loving and protected childhood than what they experienced, and to break cycles of trauma that contributed to deep emotional wounds and a mess of bad decisions.

Tynikki and Sean know it will be a prolonged and challenging effort to reverse some of the childhood trauma of their daughter's early years, and they’ve come to understand how she’s at a critical age for forming her coping responses, to both past and future stresses.

Part 2: Breaking a cycle of generational trauma

Lynnwood couple Tynikki Arnold and Sean became parents to their two children without much of a roadmap, if any.

Now, they’re working to break the intergenerational cycles of trauma that scarred their childhoods and seeped into adulthood.

Part 3: A family’s newfound resolve is tested — again

Tynikki and Sean spin through a cycle of scattered thoughts about what will happen to their family next following an unexpected loss.

Tynikki is especially pained to see her 5-year-old daughter revert to some of the same fears and questions she had a year ago, when they reunified after a nearly two-year separation.

For moms in recovery, these home visitors offer a lifeline

The pandemic left a lot of job vacancies in voluntary home visiting programs that assist parents with complex needs, including many who struggle with substance use or mental health.

Advocates are making a big push for the state to invest more in this workforce and expand capacity for families.

Reporter's notebook: tending to childhood scars in a pandemic, both old and new

For most of my life, I’d wondered about the adversity my dad faced as a child, including substance abuse in the home and time he spent in foster care. The questions got louder during the pandemic, as I started a reporting project about children’s mental health.

I knew I needed to rope my dad into an uncomfortable conversation — uncomfortable for me anyway. His response surprised me.

Reporter interview: The roots of mental health start younger than you think

Reporter Liz Jones discusses this series with Soundside host Libby Denkmann.