Do you sometimes feel like you’re walking on eggshells with your teen? Like certain things you do or say could easily set them off? If your child’s emotions are causing a disconnect and leaving you at a loss for how to respond, don’t worry! Teens are prone to emotional ups and downs; it’s part of growing up. Sometimes intense emotions will quickly pass, while other times, they’ll stick around for a while. How can you navigate your child’s emotional experience without either of you feeling as frustrated, confused, or upset? Emotion regulation skills can help! Ask yourself these questions to make the experience more manageable for you and your teen…

How to Help Your Child After a Relapse

When a child relapses, it can be difficult for both the child and the parent. When we typically think of relapse, we tend to think of drugs and alcohol and the toll it takes on a person and their family. However, relapsing isn’t only limited to substance abuse. People can relapse with any kind of addictive behavior, such as self harm or eating disorder behavior. It is important that we have open communication with our kids about addictive behaviors, how to avoid them, and how to broach the topic of relapse if we know our child is struggling with an addiction of any kind. If your child is struggling with addiction and has relapsed, there are specific ways that you can support them and let them know you are a support they can lean on. Here are some ways to help your child after a relapse…

Your Child Tells You That They Are Transgender… Now What?

You and your child are having a conversation at the dinner table. They seem nervous and are fidgeting more than usual. You ask if there is something specific they want to talk about and in response, they tell you that they think they are transgender. Here are some ways that you can support your child and help them navigate a topic as complex as gender…

Family, Parenting Techniques, TeenagersLauren BroadwellFebruary 2, 2022parenting, transgender, LGBTQ+, helpful tips, teenagers

4 Ways to Help Your Child Cope with Anger

Does your child tend to become frustrated easily? Do they struggle to cope with anger in healthy ways? Anger is a basic emotion that everyone deals with from time to time. We may get angry with situations, with other people, or with ourselves. While it’s natural to feel angry or frustrated, sometimes anger can get overwhelming for kids and teens. It can make them feel like their emotions are out of control. They may not know how to manage such intense feelings. It can cause them to lash out, act up, or respond to anger in other unhealthy ways. Here are some strategies to help you support your child with feelings of anger…

Practicing Conscious Parenting

Parenting has its ups and downs. When your children are getting along and they’re in good moods, it’s wonderful. But when one child is misbehaving, or another child’s behavior is out of control, you may naturally feel frustrated, concerned, and unsure of how to respond. While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to parenting, there are ways to reduce stress and help your children grow. One option is conscious parenting. Conscious parenting is a mindful, parent-focused approach. The central idea is that in order to help your children, you must first help yourself. Let’s learn more about how to be a conscious parent…

How to Respond to Your Child who Self-Harms

It can be scary to learn that your child is self-harming. It may make you feel anxious, concerned, and confused. You may not know how to respond to self-harm behaviors. Fortunately, you are not alone in helping your child who self-harms. Many licensed therapists are specialists in working with teens who self-harm. There is hope! Seek help immediately if you think your child might be engaging in self-injurious behavior. Here are some steps you can take as a parent to support your child during the process…

Is your Teen Actually Depressed?

It’s hard to tell the difference between typical teen mood swings and depression. Your teen will feel sad or want to isolate themselves at times, or their behavior could be a sign of something more serious. Recognizing depression in your teen will allow you to get them much-needed help. It may be hard to distinguish the difference between typical teen behavior and indicators of depression. To provide clarity, ask yourself the following questions about your teen…

How DBT Skills will Help your Teen

How will you know if Dialectical Behavior Therapy is right for your teen? DBT teaches your teen skills that will help with acceptance and change. The main goals of DBT skills therapy are safety, learning useful coping skills, and creating a life worth living. In addition, DBT helps your teen become mindful about their emotions, develop healthy relationships, and find balance in their life. Consider these three reasons why DBT will help your teen…

How to be a Dialectical Parent

Do you have trouble keeping your cool when parenting your teen? It’s not easy dealing with teens emotional up and downs while keeping your own emotions in check. Therefore, taking a dialectical approach might be helpful for you. Being dialectical means finding balance—specifically, balance between opposites. There is an opposite to everything in life, and we tend to be most effective when we balance those opposing ideas. By finding balance between things that seem completely opposite to you, like a draining day and a calm mind, you can manage your teen without the emotional strain. Are you ready to apply dialectics to your parenting approach?

How to Manage Social Media Anxiety

Are Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter making your teen feel anxious or depressed? Your son or daughter is not alone. Recent studies and surveys reveal that social media is one contributing factor towards rising mental health issues among teens. Teens who use social media for hours each day tend to feel more anxious, more insecure, and more alone. There is not a “one size fits all” approach to parenting a teenager with social media related anxiety. Just like teens use social media in various ways for different purposes, there are numerous ways for parents to support their children. Here are some helpful strategies to consider:

How to Motivate Your Teen to Get Things Done

It’s almost winter break—a time to relax, celebrate with family, and take a break from the busy routine. However, there’s still so much to do before the holidays arrive! It can be difficult to get your teen to be productive when all he or she can do is count down until the week off from school. Arguing or nagging your teen isn’t always effective. Instead, try using these helpful tips to motivate your teen to get things done…

Doing Homework Mindfully

Working on homework can be stressful, overwhelming, or just annoying for both students and their parents. It’s the time of day that everyone wishes they could skip over to avoid the drama. Now, imagine if you could feel calm, confident, and even enjoy doing homework! Well, it is possible. By adding some mindfulness to your homework routine, you and your child may dread homework a little less. We encourage you to share these helpful homework tips with your child or teen. He or she should follow these steps before doing homework, to approach tasks with ease:

Action steps, Helpful tips, TeenagersKendra Anderson, LCSWOctober 21, 2018homework, children, teenagers, mindfulness

Tips for a Successful School Year

Now that school is in full swing, does your teenager find it hard to keep his or her motivation up and stress levels low? It can be difficult when teens are managing tougher homework this year, extracurriculars starting up again, and trying to adjust back to a school time routine. Parents: do you wish you could give your son or daughter that boost that he or she needs to get on the right track? We’ve compiled a list of things for teens to think about when it comes to success in school. Share these tips with your teen to help him or her have a successful school year…

How to Reduce School-Related Stress

Everyone deals with stress. In small amounts, stress is actually beneficial. It motivates us to accomplish tasks and challenge ourselves. For kids, teenagers, and young adults, a main source of stress is school. Homework, tests, and navigating class schedules and friendships can be challenging. However, the pressure should not be overwhelming. If you find that your child is struggling with school-related stress, consider these tips…

Adolescence, Anxiety, Parenting Techniques, TeenagersEmily ZemanSeptember 30, 2018school, stress, teenagers, children, school-related stress

Tips For Talking About Vaping With Your Teen

Although the amount of teenagers smoking cigarettes is at a 40-year low, an increasing amount of teens are picking up a new habit: vaping. Vaping is “using an electronic cigarette to inhale vapor infused with flavor, nicotine, both or neither.” Many teens have gravitated towards this new habit due to the enticing flavors. It may taste good and look cool, but it’s still harmful to a teen’s developing brain. If you find your teen is vaping, here are some tips to start a conversation about it and express your concerns…

Getting Through the College Acceptance Process

Every year around this time, there are high school seniors all over the world anxiously waiting to hear back from colleges. Just like you, they’re all anticipating that email or letter in the mail from their top choice school. Think about it—you are not alone! This process sometimes feels endless, stressful and tiring, but the most difficult parts are already over! As your decisions roll in, whether they are acceptances, referrals, waitlists or rejections, it is important to stay positive! Here are some tips to help you through this crazy time…

How to Know When it’s Time to Worry about your Teen

As a parent of a teenager, it can be extremely difficult to differentiate between typical teen behavior and atypical, problematic behavior. Teenage behavior can be challenging to deal with, but when does it become extreme? You may not know what is just a phase and what you should really be concerned about. Don’t panic—instead, use these simple techniques to figure it out...

3 Tips to Tell the Difference Between Typical and Unhealthy Teen Behavior

It is sometimes difficult to distinguish normal adolescent mood shifts, reactions or rebellion from verifiable symptoms of depression, as they often mimic each other.

Read more for three quick ways to tell the difference...

How to Get Your Teen to Commit to Therapy

Approaching the idea of therapy with your teen can be a difficult. It may bring up the question, "what is wrong with me? or the notion that you are disappointed or that your child isn't measuring up.

Here are four quick tips for getting your child to commit to the process....

How to Communicate Effectively with Your Teen

As a parent, you may have experienced some challenges with communicating with your teen(s). Maybe you argue about social media usage, academic performance in school or the lack of quality time he or she spends with you.

Avoid discord and disconnection with your child by using one or all of these tips....

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