Tips for Working with Troubled Teens
For the parents of a troubled teen, every day can seem like a nightmare. The child engages in reckless behavior, yet the closer you get to helping them, the further they pull away. The following information is designed to help parents who need a place start in their effort to help their troubled child.
Who is a Troubled Teen?
Many teenagers become involved with activities that can have highly negative repercussions on themselves and their family unit. Commonly, these behaviors include:
- Substance abuse involving drugs or alcohol
- Self-harm due to low self-esteem or poor self-image
- Anger management issues
- Criminal behavior
- Poor performance at school or chronic truancy
While teenagers are rebellious by nature, there are those young people who cross the line from "just going through a phase" to exhibiting behaviors that will have a serious effect on the rest of their lives. It is the latter group that requires quick parental action, or eventually, professional counseling or treatment.
Tips for Working with Troubled Teens
The following represent a series of tips for parents who believe they have a "troubled teen". While not every action will be appropriate for every family, these suggestions are broad enough so that they will work to some degree for almost everyone.
Tip #1: Open up the Lines of Communication
All too often, teenagers fall into negative behaviors because parents are unable to effectively communicate with them. While this is not meant to lay the blame for a teenager's behavior at the feet of the parents, improving communication within the family does have a profound effect on the actions of the child. If you fear that your child is involved with drugs or alcohol (or at risk for starting) sit down and talk to them about the dangers of substance abuse before it is too late.
Tip #2: Take a More Active Role in your Teenager's Life
Whether it is asking more questions about their friends and activities, or simply spending more time with them, children respond positively to parents who take an active role in their lives. While the realities of our often-stressful daily lives tend to preclude us from spending as much time as we would like with our children, it is a sacrifice that must be made in order to keep them on the right track.
Tip #3: Find Counseling for Parents
Coping with a troubled teen can be an isolating experience. Working with a parenting counseling program can provide not only solutions to the challenges that parents face daily, but also offer a "safe place" to talk openly and honestly about the challenges that the troubled teen has placed on them.
Tip #4: Find a Treatment Program for your Troubled Teen
The most important tip for working with a troubled teen is to seek out professional help for the child. Many times, a parent's voice will only carry so far, and it takes a professional counselor/therapist to really create the breakthroughs required to change the child's life for the better.
For caring families who have tried everything in their power to help their troubled teen, there is hope! Newport Academy offers a unique opportunity for teenagers and their families who have suffered through drug addiction, criminal activity and other behaviors that can put a tremendous strain on relationships. Contact Newport Academy today for more information.