Objective Depression is a common mental illness experienced by young people. Yet we know little about how their parents manage their symptoms at home, and how parents may experience their treatment at child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Thus, the aim of our study was to create a typology of parents’ experiences over a 2‐year period, beginning with their teenage child's referral to CAMHS in the United Kingdom. Method A total of 85 semistructured interviews were conducted with one or both parents of 28 adolescents at 3 time points, and qualitatively analyzed using ideal type analysis. Results Three distinct types or patterns of parental experience were identified: the learning curve parents, the finding my own solutions parents, the stuck parents. Conclusion These patterns of parental experience could perhaps provide a basis for clinicians working in CAMHS to reflect on the families that they see and to adapt their ways of working accordingly to best support these families.