Do you have memories of a cute, loving, and respectful child and now the person living in your home seems very unfamiliar, almost like an alien? You often feel like you’re talking, yelling, or arguing with the wall. All you want is a happy, healthy, safe, social, and successful child, yet there is an endless list of influences impacting your teen’s ability to stay on the right track. Parenting is a tough job, but it can become even more difficult and overwhelming when your child becomes a teenager with so many other factors that can affect their overall well-being not to mention mood swings and the lack of communication about troublesome topics.
What would it be like if you could have a conversation with your teen where each of you could express your thoughts and feelings in a calm interaction? An interaction where both of you feel heard and understood. You might be thinking that sounds impossible, but think about how awesome it would be to actually be part of your teen’s world in a way that connects you to his or her friendships, interests, and academics. Now, imagine that your teen can step over into your world, some how making sense of your perspective, concerns, and worries transforming “lecturing” into understanding. What would it feel like as a parent for your teen to really hear you?
“The family aspect of counseling helped us gain better communication with our daughter.”
~ Mother of 15 year old teen
We were all teens at one point or another. I remember being a teen and feeling so disconnected from my parents. They didn’t understand me, and I sure didn’t understand them. I wish when I was younger that there was someone who could have helped my parents and me through the rough teens years as communication and understanding were sure lacking. One of the things that drove me to be a therapist was for children to have a voice in their families and that families worked.
When working with teens and their families, bridging the communication between the two is essential. I teach parents and teens communications skills, guiding and coaching them through those murky waters. I do a mixture of individual and family work connecting both worlds, which creates compromise, allowing new solutions to arise that weren’t’ accessible before. I help teens and parents by:
“Katie helped us learn that our daughter’s needs have changed in regards to communication. ”
~ Mother of 12 year old, Brilliant and Bright RC
- Building rapport and gaining trust of both teen and parent
- Interrupting the lectures, nagging, arguing, ignoring and avoiding
- Teaching parents and teens communications skills that enhance listening, understanding, and deepens connection
- Helping them identify new and untapped solutions to their current problems that often naturally arise from a deeper understanding and connection
“Our experience was great! You are easy to talk to and made my son comfortable right away. I never thought he was going to open up and he did! The communication technique was a useful tool for our family.”
— Mom of an Amazing Almost Teen
We look forward to helping you and your family. Contact us through our website or directly at (954) 401-9011 to schedule your first appointment.
Blogs:
* 25 Ways to Get a Teen Talking
* Mom’s Letter to Son – Cell Phone Contract
Books:
* Motivating Your Intelligent But Unmotivated Teenager – Dennis Bumgarner, ACSW, LCSW
* The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children – Ross Greene PhD
* Brainstorm: The Power and the Purpose of the Teenage Brain – Dr. Daniel Siegel, MD