When parents divorce, their teen children can react in various ways. Unfortunately, some of these reactions can increase your child’s exposure to harmful situations. For example, research shows that teens with divorcing parents have increased odds of using drugs and alcohol. In turn, this risky behavior increases the odds that your teen will need substance abuse treatment. Fortunately, while in treatment, you and your child can take part in a family therapy program. This kind of program can help reduce the negative impact of divorce on teen substance abuse. Contact Imagine Fort Collins online or call 888.291.2309 today to learn more about helping teens cope with the effects of divorce through enrollment in our programs and services in Colorado.
Why Is Helping Adolescents with the Effects of Divorce Essential?
There is no such thing as a universal teen reaction to parental divorce. However, many teenagers react in ways that can destabilize their well-being.
Effects of Divorce on Teens
Common examples of these reactions include:
- Feelings of helplessness
- A down or depressed mood
- Self-blame for parents’ relationship problems
- A sense of growing up too fast
These responses can produce further negative consequences for your child when they take effect. One such consequence is an attempt to compensate for their distress with drugs or alcohol.
Compared to teens with non-divorced parents, teens with divorced parents have higher risks for several forms of substance use. That includes higher chances of using marijuana or alcohol in any amount. It also includes increased cases of binge drinking.
The older your child gets, the more likely they will react to your divorce in these ways. Girls with divorced parents binge drink more often than boys. However, divorce doesn’t appear to increase girls’ or boys’ chances of using hard drugs.
Family Therapy Can Help Teens Cope with Their Parents’ Divorces
Your child may be unaware of parental divorce’s influence on their substance use. If they are aware of it, they may not talk about it. In rehab, such unexpressed emotions can make it harder to recover. That’s true because they help sustain a mental outlook that favors drinking or drug use.
Helping adolescents with the effects of divorce is one of the common goals of family therapy. This therapy gets its name because it focuses on resolving family-related issues that impede your child’s recovery.
How Does Family Therapy Help Teens?
How does family therapy work when helping teens cope with the effects of divorce? The specific goals of this form of treatment include:
- Making it easier for your child to talk honestly and openly with you
- Helping you better understand your teen and vice versa
- Addressing any particular communication issues within the family
- Resolving underlying problems that come up during therapy
- Teaching you how to provide more effective support for your child’s recovery
Achieving these objectives not only helps teens cope with their parents’ divorces. It also helps them cope with any other family issues that might negatively impact their substance recovery. This fact partially explains why so many teenagers benefit from family therapy. The same holds for the parents who go through treatment alongside their children.
Help Your Teen Cope with the Effects of Divorce Today at Imagine Fort Collins
Parental divorce is often a destabilizing influence on teenagers. If you think your divorce is negatively impacting your teen during rehab, family therapy can help. This form of treatment provides benefits that can make it easier for you and your child to cope.
Helping adolescents with the effects of divorce is a frequent goal of family therapy at Imagine Fort Collins. You and your teen can start resolving important divorce-related issues with our support. To learn more about the benefits of Imagine’s family therapy program, call us today at 888.291.2309 or complete our online form.