Your teenager does not speak to you. You often wonder if she’s okay. He wants to help her, but is not sure what to do. It turns out that raising a teenager is much more difficult than she imagined.

Does it sound familiar to you? If so, I want to share with you 3 reasons why individual counselling for your teen might be the right option.

1. Your teen can receive private mentoring and counselling.

It’s no secret that most teens don’t like to ask for help and are generally in no rush to sign up for counselling. However, when a teenager really understands how counselling works, it can be much more interesting.

Teens often don’t want to share their problems with their parents, whether they are worried about lectures, punishments, or just being misunderstood. Many times they are also not comfortable really opening up to their friends.

The truth is that most teens really benefit from being able to resolve their struggles and concerns by talking to someone they can trust.

That is where a good counselor can be a blessing. A counselor is not an authority figure who is demanding, aggressive, or critical. He is not a parent who finds it difficult to remain neutral and calm in the face of disturbing stories.

And a counselor is not a friend who can be insensitive or joke at the wrong time.

They are more like a trusted confidant or a coach who really cares. Counselling is a safe place to share your experiences and be generally accepted, while being encouraged to explore new ways of thinking and acting.

This is quite a unique opportunity. With the right match between a teenager and a counselor, it can be life changing.

2. You can find out if your teen is “normal” or if she should be more concerned.

All parents have concerns about their children and this only skyrockets during adolescence.

I don’t even have space in this post to list all the things that can scare modern parents. Everything from drugs to violent video games and pretty much everything on the Internet.

Oh!

Combine these concerns with the normal experience of teens withdrawing from their parents, prioritizing time with their friends, and wanting more privacy.

You need some way to find out if your teen is just dealing with habitual teenage distress or if you should be more concerned about his mental health or emotional well-being.

I always tell parents that the main thing to focus on is having a close and trusting relationship with their teen (as much as possible). It is much, much more difficult being a parent without this asset.

However, if that doesn’t happen, a good counselor can help. After developing a strong relationship with your teen, the counselor can provide a solid assessment and some critical feedback.

They can tell you if your son or daughter is managing more serious anxiety or depression. They can tell you if family relationships are the main source of your teen’s problems. They can tell you if your teen just needs some support with his self-esteem or her social skills.

This is vital information which will guide your decision-making process and provides you some ideas on how you’ll be able to help.

Of course, I even have to remind you about the privacy and confidentiality that i discussed earlier. Counselors generally only need to tell you about major safety issues, such as suicide or child abuse.

It is important that you respect your adolescent’s privacy and understand that the counselor will probably not tell you many details about the sessions.

However, a good collaborative adolescent counselor will be willing to reach out to you and give you background information on the important topics, as well as their recommendations.

3. A counselor can be a resource for your family during adolescence.

If you can connect your teen with a counselor that you like and trust, this could be a great benefit to your family during these challenging years. It may be helpful to revisit counselling at different times during middle or high school.

It makes it so much easier when you already have someone on your team who really knows your teenager and your family.

If you think about it, we all spend a lot of time and energy looking for a family dentist, a good primary care physician, and even a mechanic you can trust. When that relationship is established, most people stay with that person for a long time. This can also be true with a family counselor.

A trained and experienced teen counselor is a well of valuable information and wisdom.

They can often provide a variety of professional services, including individual counselling for teens, family counselling, parenting counselling, and possibly even group counselling.

Whether you are having a difficult time with your teen right now or anticipating stormy seas ahead, I truly believe that individual counselling can be transformative for your teen and your entire family.

Are you ready to take the next step?

Contact us today and find out how counselling can help your teen and family.

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