Tips for Communicating With Teens: Good Communication Is Safe Communication
One reality behind common parent-teen struggles is that teens have one foot in childhood and one foot in adulthood. Therapists call this developmental individuating. It means your child is becoming their own person. They’re gaining independence and getting ready to launch out on their own. And that process of separating from you is normal, natural, […]
Managing Family Conflict with your Teen
Living with family is not always easy. Living with teenagers can be especially challenging. We find ourselves experiencing hurt, disappointment, and anger, no matter how often we might want to avoid or ignore it. Whether it’s a major life transition, loss, behavioral concern, or just general difference in opinion, unresolved issues can lead to strained […]
How to Help Your Teen With Social Anxiety
It’s been almost 3 years since the COVID-19 pandemic, and in some ways, we are still learning how to reintegrate back into life. For many adolescents with social anxiety, the pandemic gave them a reprieve from experiencing their anxiety but the lack of social interaction with others also served to maintain it. Teens who live […]
The Teen Suicide Pandemic
There is a pandemic affecting adolescents that has been growing in severity for decades, without the coverage or attention that it deserves. Suicide is a hard subject to talk about, and in many cultures speaking of any mental illness or problem includes the connotation that those struggling mentally are defective members of society, overreacting to […]
Do You Respect Your Teen?
Parents of teens have a high (and hard) calling: Help them become adults. Depending on the day, we might give in to every whim because we don’t want a battle, or we don’t want them to struggle — or else we demand that they unquestioningly follow every directive. Respect finds the balance. Yes, your child […]
Teen Emotions: Moodiness or Depression?
We all interact with teens. We’re parents, grandparents, coaches, mentors. We hire the kid next door to mow; we chat while they bag groceries. So we know teens usually have a few more down days than up. Part of our job as nurturers of these souls is to understand whether the down days are part […]
Teen Emotions: Moodiness or Depression?
We all interact with teens. We’re parents, grandparents, coaches, mentors. We hire the kid next door to mow; we chat while they bag groceries. So we know teens usually have a few more down days than up. Part of our job as nurturers of these souls is to understand whether the down days are part […]
Teen Depression and Suicide
The teen years are a time of change and transition, so how do you know if your teen is just experiencing the blues or if they’re going through something more serious like depression? Oftentimes there are signs to look out for: a state of sadness or irritability for more than a few weeks, withdrawing from […]
Teen Depression and Suicide
The teen years are a time of change and transition, so how do you know if your teen is just experiencing the blues or if they’re going through something more serious like depression? Oftentimes there are signs to look out for: a state of sadness or irritability for more than a few weeks, withdrawing from […]
