TEENAGE ISSUES

The Teenage years bring their own unique issues including - Anxiety, Stress, Emotional regulation, Bullying and difficult relationships, Depression, Self Harm, Sexuality and many more

Here are some of the key ways that therapy can help teenagers:

1. To develop Coping Strategies. 

Teaching healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues common in adolescence. 

2. Improve Communication Skills.  

By working on assertiveness, active listening, conflict resolution, and expressing emotions in a healthy way. This aids teens in their family, peer, and romantic relationships.

3. Build Self-Esteem  

By addresses negative thought patterns and self-criticism self-worth can be rebuilt during this vulnerable period.  

4. Process Trauma

Unfortunately, many teens have experienced trauma from abuse, loss, or other adverse events. Therapy provides a safe space to process traumatic memories and emotions. 

5. Strengthen Identity  

Adolescence involves the complex process of forming one's identity. Therapy helps teens explore questions around values, goals, sexuality, and self-expression in a non-judgmental setting.

6. Navigate Family Issues

Family conflicts and dynamics can intensify during the teen years. Family therapy brings parents and teens together to improve communication, set boundaries, and resolve dysfunctional patterns.

7. Behavioural Changes

For issues like defiance, impulsivity, substance abuse, or self-harm, teaching replacing unhealthy behaviors with more positive ones, can help these issues.

A mixture of Counselling Skills & Psychotherapy therapies form the basis of therapy, together with CBT, NLP, Positive Psychology, Solution Focused Therapy.

Here are some ways parents can help their teenager who is going through a difficult time:

• Be Present and Listen Without Judgment - Let your teen open up without lecturing or minimising their struggles. Validate their feelings.

• Educate Yourself - Learn about the specific issue they're facing (depression, bullying, trauma, etc.) so you can better understand what they're going through.

• Provide Emotional Support - Reassure your unconditional love and support. Remind them this difficult phase is temporary.  

• Encourage Positive Coping Skills - Suggest healthy outlets like exercise, journaling, talking to friends, mindfulness, etc. Model coping strategies yourself.

• Access Professional Help - Don't try to go it alone. Seek counseling, therapy, a doctor or peer support groups to get your teen proper care.

• Allow Space When Needed - While staying involved, give them appropriate privacy and autonomy. Don't smother them.

• Take Care of Yourself - Manage your own stress through self-care. You'll be no help if you're burned out yourself.  

• Build a Safety Net - Whether teachers, relatives, or your teen's friends - involve caring others who can provide additional support.

• Have Patience - Understand healing is a process with setbacks. Don't try to "fix" them. Just continue loving them through it.

• Adjust Expectations - During this time, your teen may not be able to keep up as usual with chores/activities. Ease expectations appropriately.

With compassion, professional assistance, and persistence, you can help guide your teen through this rough period toward better days.

Need more support? Why not join our Parents Support Group.  You will receive a weekly email on navigating the difficult teenage years.