Counseling Teens

Teens these days are faced with myriads of problems and challenges. Teens live in a lot of different circles. They have family relationships, friends, school relationships, clubs and other activities, and these days they spend nearly 50% of their time in a virtual/digital world of social networking, texting, and other online activities, which presents its own sets of problems and creates many other relationship circles. Teens of every generation find themselves living in very different worlds than they see their parents living in. Teens may also live in very different family situations than their friends.

Teenagers experience a lot of stress balancing all of their activities and relationships. And they are often faced with problems and fears that their parents and peers don’t know how to relate to, let alone help them with.

Many teenagers are exposed to violence. Most have no structured place to be after school or on off days as the parent or both parents are working. Many have only one parent. Some experience physical, sexual or emotional abuse at home or may be affected by domestic violence in the home, even if it isn’t directed at them.

Teens may experience a lot of social pressure to do drugs, alcohol, take up smoking, or jump into sexual relationships when they are too young, some get pregnant.

Most parents recognize that their teenagers have problems by the symptoms that the young people exhibit: rebelliousness, talking back, staying out after curfew, overreaction, poor grades when s/he had been doing well in school, withdrawal, depression, weight loss or gain, selfishness, disruptions or acting out in school, poor grooming, shoplifting, shopaholic behavior, etc.

Challenging the authority of their parents is part of teenagers’ attempts to make the transition between childhood and adulthood. Part of adolescence is about separating and individuating from parents and family so that they can discover who they are. At this time teens focus on their friends, and also question the value of those friendships, much more than they care to relate to their families.

Teenage times are challenging times for both the young person and their parents. However, all the issues that come up for teens lives can be addressed so that teens can feel better about themselves, identify stressors, and live in better harmony in all of their circles: family, social, online.

I work with teens and help them identify the areas in their lives which may be causing them stress or causing other identifiable problems. I help them gain confidence, increase self-esteem, and deal with addictions, social pressures, loss, sexuality, and family problems. Together we will create a plan for bringing peace into their teenage life.

Counseling Teens is one of many Healing Services that can be used in Family Counseling and general Counseling.