Regain Control of Your Defiant Teenager
Counseling for Teens White Bear Lake, MN / Counseling for Teens Duluth, MN
Online Counseling for Teens for all Minnesota
Raising teens can be challenging, to say the least. So often, teenagers want the freedom of adulthood without the responsibility. Developmentally, even the most caring of teens can think they “know it all.” It’s no wonder that power struggles and conflicts arise, sometimes leading to intense arguing and emotional outbursts. If you’re experiencing some of this at home, know that you’re not alone, and that there is hope!
With master’s level training in Marriage and Family Therapy, our therapists specialize in relationship issues. We can help you identify the family patterns, complex emotions, and relationship issues that lead to conflict, and give you practical tools to get things back on track. So often, family members who deeply love each other aren’t able to experience this love because of how they communicate. Common breakdowns in communication leave people feeling misunderstood, unimportant, frustrated, and alone. Thankfully, through a combination of individual therapy, parent coaching, and family therapy sessions, your therapist will teach you the skills you need to move forward.
When families are able to start recognizing common thinking errors and hold to the rules of health communication, the outcomes are wonderful to see! Now, teens and their parents feel understood, valued, and connected. Simple changes can make a huge difference. Sometimes it just takes a fresh set of eyes and a little extra support. If you feel that your teen, or even your whole family could improve communication or conflict resolution, we’re here to help!
Whenever possible, we work closely with parents as part of the therapy process. However, there are also times when a teen simply needs a confidential space to work through their issues. In such cases “reporting” back to the parents breaks trust with the therapist and undermines the process. In situations like this we remind parents that while technically they have a legal right to their child’s records, breaking their child’s confidentiality is not productive for therapy. So, with the exception of emergency situations, we ask parents to respect their teen’s privacy. Of course, your teen’s health and wellbeing are our number one priority.
