Adolescence is a time of life that is central to our sense of who we are in the world. It is a time of intense emotion, of startling changes, of growth and of passionate feelings. 

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The preteen and teen years can  be challenging for the child as well as the parents and family. Parent-child relationships can become strained and communication can be challenging. Often a child who has had no previous issues begins to show emotional or behavioral red flags. Anxiety and depression often appear at this time. Being an adolescent in today's culture is difficult. Help is often needed from a professional. 

Body Image – Teens are at the age where their appearance is extremely important. They tend to compare themselves to others and fixate on parts of themselves they don’t like. Add ideas of what a “perfect” body is, a teen may often feel inferior leading to depression and low self-esteem.

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Low Self-esteem/Lack of confidence – Teens generally want to fit in, while simultaneously seek their own identity. If they don't feel accepted by their peers, they may feel insecure in general and bad about themselves.

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Anxiety/Stress – I have witnessed an ongoing trend of increased anxiety in my work with teens. Anxiety over demanding homework, pressures and fears of their future can cause excessive worry and feeling out of control.

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Depression – It’s common for teens to experience times of sadness. However, if you notice a change in how often your teen seems down or tends to isolate they may be depressed.

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Angry outbursts – Often teens struggle with ways to express themselves or communicate. They bottle up feelings and tend to shutdown when uncomfortable. These behaviors can lead to impulse control issues such as reacting angrily.

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Sexuality – It can be an extremely confusing time for teens when they are dealing with hormonal changes and the onset of sexual urges. This subject is particularly difficult to talk about which can make them feel isolated and alone.

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Self-destructive behavior – Two common methods teens use to attempt to cope with their feelings are self-injury and the use of drugs and alcohol. With self-injury one often has difficulty tolerating overwhelming feelings and is unable to express or verbalize the pain they are in. Through drugs and alcohol, teens may attempt to escape their emotions or drown them out.

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Dysfunctional Eating – If you notice an alteration in your teen’s diet such as eating less, overeating, or weight loss they may be struggling with unhealthy eating patterns.

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Family changes such as divorce or illness – Teens tend to deny the impact big changes in the family may have, but events such as divorce and illness are very difficult on everyone in the family. They may say they are ok, but more often than not it can disrupt their sense of stability.

The challenge in managing this complex stage of life is often as much for the adults in an adolescent’s life as for the young person themselves, 

 

Parent counseling may be just a one-time consultation or more long-term work. It usually involves clarification and understanding the presenting problems  and learning more effective interventions. Child and family counseling is often interspersed with parent counseling.

Parents may want to know if their child's behavior is "normal" and therapy can often relieve anxiety around questions like this.

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Family therapy with a trained family therapist can be affordable and impactful. If you are in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills or West Hollywood area, please connect with me for more information.