Underage drinking can lead to health and behavioral problems for teens. While the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reported that an estimated 60 percent of all teens had at least one drink by the age 18, it also states (under heavier consumption) it can cause aggressive and/or violent behavior, poor decision-making, plus carelessness concerning drinking and driving or sexual activities. It may be natural for adolescents to experiment with dad’s beer in the garage or try the...
Gone are the days of the negative stigmas concerning psychotherapy. In fact, at one time, anyone who visited a psychotherapist was considered “crazy” or had “major problems.” This could be further from the truth. Therapy is a well-known and effective resource to help people of all ages manage their personal problems, including troubled teens. Of course, teen boot camps, therapeutic schools for teens, or teen summer camps are all viable options that are known to provide positive results. Psychotherapy is...
There are many causes of troubled teen behavior. It’s natural for adolescents to gravitate toward their peers for guidance and acceptance. Yet, as a parent, it’s still extremely important to monitor your teen’s friends, activities, social circles and basically know “what they are up” in their daily lives. There are many troubled teen services with plenty of information available. Yet it’s widely known that troubled teen behavior can be caused from influences from that “bad crowd” or a certain friend...
There are many programs available to help with troubled teens. Independent counseling and in more extreme cases, teen summer camps, troubled teen boarding schools, even teen Christian programs that offer various solutions of problematic adolescents. The conflict that arises from a troubled teen not only affects the teen, but it also affects parents, siblings and other family members. Even though various programs are effective, family therapy is another option to consider, especially if your troubled teen’s behavior starts to disrupt...
Insecurities. Mood swings. Peer pressure. Bullying. These are a few of the common issues that adolescents commonly face, which can potentially lead to early signs of troubled teen behavior and the problems that may arise with it. There are several troubled teen programs available with positive results. Yet, according to verwellfamily.com, one of the most important steps is recognizing early signs of trouble teen behavior, then intervening and taking action. While this is common advice, what’s next and as a...
This is a difficult question to answer. However, for you, as a parent, this is a double-edged sword. Determining the best solution for your troubled teen may not always be the easiest one to accept. This is especially true when it comes to sending them to a therapeutic school for teens (or similar programs), even though it may be for the best. There are many aspects to consider when you “send them away” or you feel “you have failed as...
Selecting a residential program can be daunting, exciting, scary, nerve-wracking, upsetting, freeing, the list goes on. How do you know if a residential program could be right for you and your teen? What is a Residential Program? Residential programs are live-in facilities that a teen stays at for a specific period of time. The amount of time a teen needs may be decided based on a school year, the summer season, on the teen’s experience themselves, the structure of the...
Those feelings of close, true, trusting relationships between parent and daughter can be rare when you are both working on resolving challenging behaviors. You see the pictures online, the posts about mothers and daughter, of fathers and daughters, sharing something sweet, gentle, encouraging. But your experience isn’t quite like those of the other mothers and fathers online. Your relationship is more strained. It feels conditional on your daughter’s mood that moment. It can quickly turn from happy to scary. We...
Interacting with a troubled teen can increase our heart rate, blood pressure and make our breathing rather shallow. This is the way your body reacts to stressful situations. This is called the Fight or Flight response. Your body works to get you ready to react in a stressful or survival situation. Not every conversation will spark this response. Some will turn it on immediately. Sometimes just the thoughts in your mind can bring on this response. When we feel in...
With the summer fast approaching, do you have a plan for your teen? Some teens stay home all summer, some get jobs and others look for a variety of programs. With many options available for teens over the summer, consider what your teen is excelling in and what they could use some help with. What Type of Program? What kind of program are you looking for? There are programs with very flexible scheduling and others that are more regimented. Each...
