Updated on October 1, 2020
Supporting Your Troubled Teen
For a teen who is struggling with a major issue, it is vital as parents to get your child the treatment they need as soon as possible.
Being a parent is a tough task and set the tone at home for a healthy environment is important. With the right parenting skills, your children will grow up to be healthy, productive members of society.
The four main parenting arch-types are Authoritarian (house with clear-cut rules & expectations, no excuses), Permissive (unwilling to discipline children, giving in to their demands), Authoritative (like Authoritarian, but more democratic so the children learn the reasoning behind the rules) and Uninvolved (emotionally disconnected from the child, meeting the child’s basic needs but nothing further). According to studies, the Authoritative parenting style creates the most well-adjusted children.
To be a good parent, clear and concise ground rules must be laid out and discussed with your children. Non-negotiable rules that come with consequences and punishment should be addressed in an agreeable manner. Parents need to set rules for many things including video games and lying, to make sure that their children grow up healthy.
Parents Having to Make Tough Decisions
Sometimes sending your child to a residential treatment program or therapeutic boarding school is a tough but necessary move. When teens are struggling in school, refuse to go, have a learning disability or are in another tough circumstance, an alternative high school is ideal. Various forms of alternative schools include homeschooling, schools for the gifted, therapeutic schools, gender-differentiated schools, and unschooling.
When going through tough times, teens are able to turn to a variety of counseling solutions for help. If your teen is experiencing unexplained sadness and frustration, being bullied, drastic sleeping changes or disengaging from once enjoyable activities, it would be a good idea to look into the idea of having a professional counselor work with your child.
Teens that need help can benefit from various forms of therapy. Outpatient treatment plans allow teens to receive therapy while living at home. Outpatient therapy allows teens who have minor issues work on them in a variety of ways, including individual therapy and art therapy.
At times, mitigating factors suggest that a residential treatment plan is better than an outpatient treatment plan, for sake of getting your teen away from a hurtful environment.
While in residential treatment, teens are removed from all negative triggers, while being able to completely focus on their own development. Teens with more serious issues may be brought to therapeutic boarding schools, residential youth treatment centers or psychiatric hospitals in order to receive this specialized treatment.
