Guidance and Counseling for Teens
Road Trip! Just for Teens
It's easy to believe you are the only teenager who has ever experienced a particular problem or had overwhelmingly difficult emotions to overcome. That's not true. You are not alone. Are you ready to make some changes?
SOME PROBLEMS TEENS EXPERIENCE EVERYDAY:
1) My parents are driving me crazy! Why won't they just listen to me?
2) It gets to be too much! I'm always stressed or worried that I won't be "cool" enough. I just want to be like everybody else!
3) My parents decided to divorce. I wonder if they'll divorce me, too? I believe no one notices me or my hurt.
4) Someone I loved has died. Everyone around here thinks I'm "over it." I'm grieving, too, but no one cares.
5) Things and people make me so mad! Watch out! I'm about to erupt!
6) Too many movies and magazines tell me how I should look. I want to be happy and just love the skin I'm in!
7) My friends are getting into drugs (or drinking, smoking, porn, or sex). They're putting a lot of pressure on me to join them. I don't want to lose my friends.
NEVER GIVE UP!
"...let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. Let us look only to JESUS, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect..." Hebrews 12:1-2
How Parents Know if Their Teen Needs Professional Help
As parents, we would like to think we can help our teens with whatever problems come their way. After all, up to this time, we’ve been able to be the ones our kids have sought whenever they had a problem. But as they grow, sometimes we aren’t able to meet all their needs. Sometimes their worlds come crashing in, situations change, and our teens need a kind of help we can’t offer. It is at those times, the wise parent will recognize that their teens need professional help.
There are warning signs that a troubled teen needs help immediately. The parent does not have to consider whether this is a normal phase or if the teen needs just a bit more of responsibility or discipline. These signs are different. They are more like big, red flags. This is when the parent should get involved and seek outside help. If your teen is exhibiting these signs, seek professional help right away:
*signs of depression
*running away
*participating in illegal activities
*drug use
*failing school
*sexual acting out
*self-harm/cutting
*changes in friends or activities
*eating problems
*inappropriate anger
*increasing defiance
*significant changes in mood or behavior
These warning signs do not mean a parent has not done a “good job” as a parent. It simply means the teen is experiencing a problem which is overwhelming and inhibiting his ability to function in his daily life. Contacting a professional to help your teen is often the wisest and most caring action a parent can do.
SOME PROBLEMS TEENS EXPERIENCE EVERYDAY:
1) My parents are driving me crazy! Why won't they just listen to me?
2) It gets to be too much! I'm always stressed or worried that I won't be "cool" enough. I just want to be like everybody else!
3) My parents decided to divorce. I wonder if they'll divorce me, too? I believe no one notices me or my hurt.
4) Someone I loved has died. Everyone around here thinks I'm "over it." I'm grieving, too, but no one cares.
5) Things and people make me so mad! Watch out! I'm about to erupt!
6) Too many movies and magazines tell me how I should look. I want to be happy and just love the skin I'm in!
7) My friends are getting into drugs (or drinking, smoking, porn, or sex). They're putting a lot of pressure on me to join them. I don't want to lose my friends.
NEVER GIVE UP!
"...let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. Let us look only to JESUS, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect..." Hebrews 12:1-2
How Parents Know if Their Teen Needs Professional Help
As parents, we would like to think we can help our teens with whatever problems come their way. After all, up to this time, we’ve been able to be the ones our kids have sought whenever they had a problem. But as they grow, sometimes we aren’t able to meet all their needs. Sometimes their worlds come crashing in, situations change, and our teens need a kind of help we can’t offer. It is at those times, the wise parent will recognize that their teens need professional help.
There are warning signs that a troubled teen needs help immediately. The parent does not have to consider whether this is a normal phase or if the teen needs just a bit more of responsibility or discipline. These signs are different. They are more like big, red flags. This is when the parent should get involved and seek outside help. If your teen is exhibiting these signs, seek professional help right away:
*signs of depression
*running away
*participating in illegal activities
*drug use
*failing school
*sexual acting out
*self-harm/cutting
*changes in friends or activities
*eating problems
*inappropriate anger
*increasing defiance
*significant changes in mood or behavior
These warning signs do not mean a parent has not done a “good job” as a parent. It simply means the teen is experiencing a problem which is overwhelming and inhibiting his ability to function in his daily life. Contacting a professional to help your teen is often the wisest and most caring action a parent can do.
