"It's Not Like That" Supports Kids' Mental Health

Family gathered around a dinner table in a scene from “It’s Not Like That,” showing a shared meal and moments of connection between parents and children
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It’s Not Like That Mental Health Discussion Guide for Parents and Caregivers

The Kids Mental Health Foundation created this guide to help you use It’s Not Like That as a starting point for open, supportive conversations about mental health and difficult life experiences at home.

Each episode is paired with simple resources on topics like divorce, grief, friendships, and more as a starting point for open, healthy conversations for mental health at home.

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Family shopping together at an outdoor market in a scene from “It’s Not Like That,” featuring parents and children interacting during a community outing

“A multigenerational family drama that shines…” Decider - Joel Keller

The series follows Malcolm (Scott Foley), a recently widowed pastor raising three children, and Lori (Erinn Hayes), a newly divorced mother of two teens. Once inseparable family friends, their lives have shifted, and they must now navigate single parenthood, evolving identities, and the complexities of Malcolm being a modern-day pastor. Is this the beginning of a love story? It’s not like that. Or is it?

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Bonus Content

Dr. Megan Schaefer, pediatric psychologist and clinical expert with The Kids Mental Health Foundation, leads an insightful conversation with Erinn Hayes, Leven Miranda and Caleb Baumann about their character’s journey with mental health and intentional ways to address these themes for viewers at home. Dr. Schaefer and the cast emphasize the importance of open dialogue in families and understanding how to navigate kids’ unmet emotional needs.

Man smiling inside a home in a scene from “It’s Not Like That,” a Wonder Project series focused on family relationships and mental health conversations

“What The Wonder Project and Kids Mental Health Foundation have built with It's Not Like That is exactly the model of collaboration we need more of: storytelling that takes its responsibility to young viewers seriously, and a partnership infrastructure designed to turn that responsibility into storytelling audiences love.

At MHSI, we convene 80+ organizations across entertainment, mental health, and philanthropy to build the conditions where better stories become possible — and where those stories compound into healthier cultural narratives. We're SO proud that both KMHF and Amazon are part of the MHSI coalition, and proud to see that coalition membership translates into exactly this kind of meaningful collaboration.”

— Ashley Kolaya
Founding Executive Director, Mental Health Storytelling Initiative

Supportive adult holds a basketball while talking with a young boy on a yellow couch, representing open conversations about bullying prevention, emotional support, and youth mental health.

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