Does your child need teen relationship counseling? Some may think of this term as a synonym for couples counseling for teens, but while that can provide your teen some benefits, it’s not the actual definition of this therapeutic form of care.
Being a parent or a caregiver of a teenager can be both rewarding and challenging. During the teen years, each day can be a rollercoaster of emotions as your child attempts to navigate the intense physical changes, emotions, and stressors that come with growing up. Effective communication between your teen and those close to them, such as yourself and other family members, is the key to supporting them to get them through rough times. However, if your teen finds it difficult to connect with their built-in support network, their family, and close friends, maybe teen relationship counseling should be a consideration.
Searching for teen relationship counseling services near Denver, CO? Reach out to Imagine Fort Collins today by calling 888.291.2309 or contacting our team online.
What Is Teen Relationship Counseling?
Counseling isn’t always an easy process, though it is helpful. Just as life with a teenager can be full of ups and downs, so too can be to undergo counseling with them. You can expect any of the following when your teen gets admitted into a teen relationship counseling program:
- A long “getting to know each other” period as your teen, along with possibly yourself and other family members, builds trust with the therapist
- An in-depth evaluation of your teen’s mental health
- Family education
- Feelings of uncertainty and being nervous
- Honesty – Your teen may say things you don’t want to hear and vice versa
- New skills for improving communication
- New skills for resolving conflict
- Planning – The therapist’s goal is to help your teen and the rest of the family plan out new approaches to old problems
- Resistance
Teen relationship counseling involves family support and participation. Prepare to attend multiple counseling sessions and be given homework. The therapist may assign tasks that provide family members the opportunity to practice the new skills they are learning outside of the counseling office.
Practicing communication skills may seem unnatural or uncomfortable at first, but it helps everyone fully integrate the new strategies they learn. And when conflict does arise, family members will be better prepared to handle problems effectively and healthily.
How Does Relationship Counseling Help Teens?
Put simply, this type of counseling helps teens with relationship problems they’ve had with family members. It particularly helps teens who are struggling with behavioral or mental health disorders. In fact, their comprehensive treatment programs for those disorders may include relationship counseling as one of their components. This is because teens struggling with mental health disorders need functional relationships with their parents or caregivers. Most disorders like this require a strong support network for patients to continue to heal outside a treatment facility.
In a teen relationship counseling program, the emphasis is on improving the family system. This typically involves instruction in effective communication and discipline. The goal of programs like this is not actually to change the teen’s behavior but to strengthen family relationships.
Teenagers often act out of frustration. Having strong communication skills will improve their self-confidence and help them advocate effectively with teachers and other authority figures. In this way, what they learn during a teen relationship counseling program will be useful even when they’re not at home and speaking to family members.
Where Can a Struggling Teen Find Relationship Counseling Services?
If you think your teen and the rest of your family would benefit from teen relationship counseling, ask a nearby health center if they offer counseling services. In many cases, a health center will have the services available or can refer you to another facility that offers them.
Parents and caregivers may also ask their teen’s primary physician, school clinic, or even their community center for leads to relationship counseling services.
Ready To Learn More About Imagine Fort Collins’s Teen Relationship Counseling Services?
If you’re looking for teen relationship counseling services near Denver, CO, contact Imagine Fort Collins today. Reach out to our team online or call 888.291.2309.