Family
Couples and Family Counseling | Parenting Children, Adolescents and Young
Adults
Parenting Children, Adolescents and Young Adults
The adolescent and teen years can be a fragile and difficult time. Struggles with peer relationships, pressures to succeed, and issues with drugs and alcohol are just a few of the daily struggles for adolescents.
At Isenberg & Associates and Dunham Counseling Center, we have several therapists who have developed a specialization in working with adolescents and families. Our specialists often work with both the child and parents using a combination of practical problem-solving solutions and emotional therapy techniques.
Teens can face difficult adult decisions and pressures that they are not always equipped to handle effectively. Impulsive decision-making and a lack of problem-solving skills can lead teens to serious life consequences. To make matters more difficult, teens may have poor communication with parents and keep them at a distance during these difficult times. Parents often learn of a problem well after their child is facing consequences for poor decisions and choices.
Teens face many of the same challenges as adults including issues with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or ADHD, low self-esteem, drug and alcohol abuse and sexual activity. Unlike adults, teens are not developmentally equipped to handle many of the adult situations they encounter. Often, they act impulsively, rely on poor information or don’t know how to cope with the situation.
Individual counseling gives them a safe place to express feelings and to learn more effective coping and problem-solving strategies. Parents and the children can learn to reach out to trusted professionals to help the teen to make better life choices. Parents benefit too, if they are included in counseling, as it provides an opportunity to learn new strategies and to open up parent-child communication.
Problems that adolescents experience do not normally stay isolated from the family. A problem in one area will eventually impact other relationships in the family. The commitment to counseling can help both parents and the teen to make valuable behavioral changes to improve decision-making skills and to help reduce family stress.
Some common reasons adolescents and teens seek help include:
- Acting out behavior with difficulties around discipline or anger.
- Trouble at school or in peer relationships.
- Feelings of loneliness, moodiness, depression, sadness, failure, stress of anxiety.
- Conflict and disrespect in the family.
- Problems with drugs or alcohol.
- Help before or after a divorce.
- Issues with depression, anxiety, bipolar or ADHD.
- Issues with perfectionism or body image.
- Issues with self esteem and confidence.
- Persistent feelings of dissatisfaction.
- Unexplainable fatigue or difficulty sleeping.
- Difficulties in talking with or dealing with parents, or other family members.
- Performance stress and pressures from grades.
- College preparation or life after graduation.
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