Adolescence is probably the toughest developmental stage for both the teen and the parents\caregivers.
You often feel anger, distress, and frustration: your teens' behavior can shift between shutting you out completely and dramatic outbursts. The shift in behavior can be frequent and unexpected or it can tend more towards one of these extremes over the other.
Watching your teen make bad decisions, time and again falling apart and/or shutting you out while going against “all common sense”, you are torn between wanting to take control and allowing them the freedom to “figure things out” on their own.
In the words of Anna Freud "There are few situations in life more difficult to cope with than an adolescent son or daughter during the attempt to liberate themselves".
It is nerve-racking to say the least. As if managing your own life, financial existence, other relationships (spousal/work) or even parenting other children, sometimes in different developmental stages, is not stressful enough?
Many parents to adolescents feel shame and inadequacy and therefore are hesitant to discuss their struggles with others. They find themselves anxiously waiting for their teen to “grow out of it" already.
Seeking therapy for yourself (parent\parents), for your teen, or for the family as a whole, will help you tremendously. As you will gain more insight to the specific dynamics that you and your teen are caught up in, you will learn strategies and skills to communicate better, and develop new ways to engage in your family, in which everyone is feeling seen and understood.
"It takes a whole village to raise a child" says the African proverb, and in the case of an adolescent, it's great if the village has a well seasoned therapist.
Schedule a free 20 minutes phone call to find out how I can help you and\or your teen.
You often feel anger, distress, and frustration: your teens' behavior can shift between shutting you out completely and dramatic outbursts. The shift in behavior can be frequent and unexpected or it can tend more towards one of these extremes over the other.
Watching your teen make bad decisions, time and again falling apart and/or shutting you out while going against “all common sense”, you are torn between wanting to take control and allowing them the freedom to “figure things out” on their own.
In the words of Anna Freud "There are few situations in life more difficult to cope with than an adolescent son or daughter during the attempt to liberate themselves".
It is nerve-racking to say the least. As if managing your own life, financial existence, other relationships (spousal/work) or even parenting other children, sometimes in different developmental stages, is not stressful enough?
Many parents to adolescents feel shame and inadequacy and therefore are hesitant to discuss their struggles with others. They find themselves anxiously waiting for their teen to “grow out of it" already.
Seeking therapy for yourself (parent\parents), for your teen, or for the family as a whole, will help you tremendously. As you will gain more insight to the specific dynamics that you and your teen are caught up in, you will learn strategies and skills to communicate better, and develop new ways to engage in your family, in which everyone is feeling seen and understood.
"It takes a whole village to raise a child" says the African proverb, and in the case of an adolescent, it's great if the village has a well seasoned therapist.
Schedule a free 20 minutes phone call to find out how I can help you and\or your teen.