Being the parent of a teenager is difficult, one could argue that it is as difficult as being a teenager.
Teenagers are facing a lot of concerns today that the generations before them did not have to face.
Examples include:
Parental Divorce
School shootings/lock donws
Self esteem and body image
Bullying & Cyberbullying
Social Media pressure
Cyber addiction
Dangerous influences (around drug use, suicide etc.)
The worst part about your teenager suffering with one of these problems is that they may keep it a secret, and even if they don’t they may just not want to talk about it. Parents can have a very hard time understanding the pressures that teenagers are under, which does not make it easy for the child to open up.
The reason I love treating teenagers is because I give the teenagers a third party, someone unrelated to look at the issues from a different point of view. I love breaking down that wall that teenagers have spent some much time building up, and help them understand their emotions and learn about the tools that can help them live out their teenage years in the healthiest way possible.
One of the hardest parts about getting a teen into therapy is getting them off their iPhone and into the office, and that is why I offer tele-therapy for my clients. Teenagers need someone to talk to, and giving them the option to communicate with a professional therapist through the one device that never leaves their hands- is one of the best things a parent can do.