Does your teen struggle with fears, worries, sadness, or irritability?
Is your teen bullied at school and through social media?
Has your teen struggled with the isolation since Covid19 started?
Are you worried that your teen might harm herself?
Teens struggle with the balance between asserting their independence while also being accepted by friends and family.
Their brains and hormones are changing rapidly, making it difficult to always understand or control their own emotions and behaviors.
Teens have to balance schoolwork, friendships, sports or other activities, family relationships, work, and now their social media pages.
Some teens have had traumas in childhood or in their teen years that they may feel unable to cope with.
And on top of all that, Covid19 is wrecking chaos with additional fears of getting sick, not being able to see friends, changes at work for those with jobs, potential family financial insecurity, and uncertainty with what to expect in school.
Emotional Pain
Teens may also be struggling with
- feeling rejected by friends
- loneliness
- depression
- anxiety
- anger
- low self-esteem
- self-harm or suicide thoughts
- ADHD
- or many other stresses
Parents, even those with a strong relationship with their teen, often feel lost and don’t know how to help their teen.
You want to take away their pain, you would do anything to help make the situation better.
But what can you do?
Family Conflict
The teen years are a time of transition, when teens need to take on more responsibility in preparing for adulthood.
But they’re not adults yet.
Parents often struggle with the balance of giving their teen more freedom and independence, but also maintaining necessary boundaries and rules.
Teens may act out when they feel their parents are unfair or over-controlling, and parents get frustrated when their teen doesn’t obey or do as they wish.
It may not be surprising that these years can often be marked by strong emotions, family conflict, and rebellion.
Therapy Can Help.
Teens often just need a space to talk about their problems in a trusted, neutral, and safe place.
Your teen will learn skills he or she can use to manage emotions, communicate more effectively, and resolve conflicts.
I also coach parents separately on how to support their teen through mental health issues, how to diffuse tension, problem solve, and set effective boundaries with their teen.
Therapy is often very successful.
I have worked with many teens and seen results. Decreases in depression, less anxiety, more confidence, better anger management, an end to self-harming or suicide thoughts, and improved relationships with parents or friends.
It does take work.
You and your teen will both need to try new things.
If those changes can help make things right again for you and your teen, is the effort worth it?
Does your teen need support?
Call me at (402) 937-9700 or email Christina@RiverCairnCounseling.com.
What if my teen doesn't want therapy?
Therapy is effective when the person is engaged and willing to be open and learn. Therefore, I only work with teens that want to try therapy. They may feel nervous, unsure, or hesitant at first. That is very normal. However, I do request that the teen is coming willingly to therapy and is not forced into it.
If your teen is uninterested in therapy, please call and I can direct you to some of my colleagues that work wonderfully with teens that are not yet open to therapy.
How does confidentiality work with teens?
As the legal guardian, you have the right to access your teen’s medical record. However, I ask parents to provide their teen with privacy in therapy so the teen feels comfortable in opening up. I will notify parents if I learn their teen is engaging in behaviors that put them in harms way or that are illegal. Teens are aware of this at the beginning of therapy, and may choose whether or not to disclose information to me that I will need to inform their legal guardians about. And as with all clients, if I learn that the teen is an immediate danger to themselves or others, I need to alert the proper authorities to keep everybody safe.
What age of teens and preteens do you work with?
I work with middle and high school students. The age range is typically 11 and older, but mature 10 year olds or those close to their 11th birthday may receive services decided on case-by-case.
Our family is going through a divorce, or is already separated. Do you need both parents' permission for services?
When possible I ask that both parents provide written permission for me to work with their teen. There are many situations in which this is not possible, so that may be decided on a case-by-case basis. I do not make recommendations to courts for child placements or custody disputes.
It's time to get help.
Call me at (402) 937-9700 or email Christina@RiverCairnCounseling.com.
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In Crisis?
- If you are currently working with me and we have developed a safety plan together, follow that safety plan.
- If you do not feel able to keep yourself or others safe right now, please call 9-1-1 or go to the closest hospital ER for help.
- If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide or homicide, call 9-1-1 or 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Contact Me
Phone: (402) 937-9700
Email: christina@rivercairncounseling.com