If your teenager is struggling in their relationships, teen family therapy is one way to help. Through this therapy, they can develop more productive communication skills and foster healthier relationships with friends and family. Through family therapy for teens, young people are encouraged to address past trauma, learn skills necessary to set boundaries, and improve their most important relationships. Contact us online or call 888.291.2309 today to learn about the many benefits of family therapy for teens.
What Is Family Therapy for Teens?
A psychologist, clinical social worker, or licensed therapist will help your teen improve the lines of communication that have become frayed. This can help teens build stronger and more meaningful relationships. To improve these relationships, teen family therapy sessions will be customized to address the specific issues your teen is facing, including any mental health disorders and behavioral health concerns.
What to Expect During Teen Family Therapy
The first thing to know is that during teen family therapy, family members will be brought together in the same room. While this could cause friction early on, the act of coming together is a critical step in improving relationships and learning how to get along with others. Family therapy teen sessions can be in addition to seeing a trained family therapist on a one-on-one basis.
Family therapy sessions typically last one hour. The exact number of appointments needed to accomplish the goal of improving relationships will vary based on their therapist’s recommendation.
During a family therapy session, adolescents will be asked to:
- Ponder and have conversations about healthier ways in which they can better express their emotions, ideas, and thoughts.
- Analyze their behaviors to identify any issues that might be contributing to the struggles in their relationships.
- Identify their strengths, then find a way to utilize those strengths to improve their relationships.
- Develop empathy, understanding, and acceptance of each other’s struggles and mental health challenges.
- Learn to listen and find common ground.
- Set goals and work to achieve them.
How Family Therapy Can Improve Relationships
Family therapy for teens has the potential to teach essential life skills to help improve a variety of issues commonly impacting relationships between teens and their parents, siblings, friends, and others, including:
Accountability
You are likely eager for your teenagers to take more responsibility at home, school, work, in their friendships, and in planning for their future. During family therapy, you and your teenager will learn the roles accountability and responsibility take in improving relationships.
Reduce Complaining
Teenagers often complain about their life. They may think that life is unfair or meaningless and be miserable in the process. This kind of existential crisis is typical during the teen years, but the toll it can take on relationships can be severe. With a teen family therapy program, young people will learn how they can take charge of their attitude and how that can better their relationship with any number of family, friends, and coworkers. The first step in improving their relationships is to accept their role in each interaction, learn communication skills, and begin to utilize the lessons learned in family therapy for teens in their real-life relationships.
Listen More
Your role as a parent has changed. You can longer swoop in to fix everything wrong in their life because life has gotten more complicated and there are aspects of their relationships with others that you will not fully understand. Family therapy for teens will focus on listening instead of telling. This may seem a simple shift but it’s one that may plague your teen’s relationships. When they learn to listen better and more, your teen will find it easier to have stronger and closer relationships with their parents, siblings, friends, and more.
Togetherness
As kids grow up and take on more friendships, romantic relationships, part-time work, and extracurricular activities, you and they both may feel as though the special bond you once shared is less meaningful. Just as in a healthy marriage, having strong, healthy relationships requires diligence, effort, and hard work. The methods and techniques learned in family therapy will help you and your teen come together, see and respect each other and your individual struggles, and begin to do things together again.
Learn More from Imagine Fort Collins
Teens need help navigating their relationships safely, today and as they become full-fledged adults. Find out how family therapy for teens can help you and your teenager find common ground and improve your relationship by calling us at 888.291.2309 or by reaching out to us online today.