Tweens & Teens Therapy
Tweens and teens have never had it easy.
During these years, school gets more challenging, friendships get more complex, and emotions are more intense and difficult to manage.
As children, they came to their parents with these difficulties. But tweens and teens tend to turn to their friends or keep things bottled up.
When that happens, emotions come out in other ways: grades may go down, irritability increases, tasks get left behind, walls get punched, and their body image and self-esteem suffer.
It’s the same as it was… and it’s not
In previous generations, tweens and teens had limited ways of connecting with friends. It happened at school, on the phone, passing notes in class, or spending time together during hangouts or sleepovers.
There are many ways to communicate, socialize, and get information. Kids today are more connected (virtually) but spend more time alone.
There are new influences for parents to be aware of – some good and some not… but constantly changing.
What can parents do when they’re at their wits’ end?
The only perfect parents are the ones who don’t have children!
There’s no worse feeling as a mother or father than worrying about your child and not knowing how to help. Knowing your child needs help but not knowing what to do can be frustrating, stressful, and downright scary!
Parenting the way previous generations were parented doesn’t work (and never really has).
Part of our philosophy with children is that they always do their best. When the demands of life outstrip their skills or ability to adapt to the situation, you get problems.
Punishment doesn’t give skills.
Lecturing and shaming doesn’t give skills.
And taking away doesn’t give skills, either.
Let us help.
At Nurtured Hope, we have nearly a half-century of experience working with tweens and teens.
We cut our teeth in this field by connecting with and providing direct care to the kids that had it the hardest in life: the abused, the neglected, the thrown away… the misfits who got into sticky situations and ended up in juvenile detention centers. We worked with the ones who were cutting and sent to psychiatric hospitals or residential institutions. This is only the tip of the iceberg of our experience!
So, we never say we’ve seen it all, but we’ve seen a lot!
We always strive to work collaboratively with tweens and teens in therapy. The quality of our relationship is essential, so we work hard to establish that first and foremost. Children have a valuable viewpoint that needs to be heard, understood, and validated.
Of course, parents are a crucial part of the team, and we always want them to know that progress is being made. Moms and dads are always updated on their child’s goals and progress. We want communication to be as open with them as possible as it benefits the child.
But like Vegas, what happens in therapy stays in therapy unless it’s safety-related. We value confidentiality just as much as we do communication.
Take the leap…
Having your child meet with a therapist is a big choice, and we value your process.
If you’re ready but still have questions or want to see if we’re a good fit, we offer a free phone consult. The call won’t be long, but it will allow you to feel us out, soothe your doubts, and let us hear your concerns. You won’t regret it.
Contact us today for more information: (786) 401-5603.