Counseling for Troubled Teens and Their Parents: Advice Moving Forward

Do you find yourself unsure what to say to your teen about going back to in-person school? Is your child anxious about returning to school and you want to be there for them but don’t know what to say or do? First, this is completely and utterly understandable. After all, just about none of us have lived through anything remotely like this pandemic before. As the world “opens up” a bit, and returns a bit more to something that could almost be considered “normal,” your teen (and your family) could face new challenges. Below are some things to keep in mind. As ever, our counseling for troubled teens will always be here. 

Counseling for Troubled Teens

One lesson we can all take from the pandemic: there’s but so much each of us has control over. To that end, as your teen returns to school, it can be a great benefit to everyone to get on a healthy schedule. For example, keeping a calendar for everyone can be greatly beneficial. As time felt like it moved differently in the pandemic/lockdown, having a visible, accessible calendar can be a great boon. By that same token, you may not want to rush your teen right back into their school year schedule routines. They’ve possibly been through many significant life changes in a brief period of time, so giving them some extra space to adjust can be beneficial for all involved. 

Some Things You Can Talk to Your Teen About 

Speaking of control, work with your kids about what they can control, giving them a sense of agency. Feeling powerless during the worst of the pandemic was natural, but you want kids to know that there are some things they can control. You’ve been stressed, you’ve been through it – let them know that. It may not be easy or comfortable to talk about how you’ve suffered, but talking to your kids about it can help. In fact, it can help both of you. 

It’s Not All (or Always) Dark

On that same topic, it’s natural and normal to talk about, in a time such as this, tragedy, what we’ve all had to go through. That said, at one point or another, you and your teen most likely showed real resilience, a real adaptability to quasi-unimaginable circumstances. Don’t let that get lost. That’s important to highlight and keep in mind, as that can help kids to recover and move on with their lives, too. 

Counseling at Insight and More 

Throughout the entire pandemic, the doors at Insight Treatment always open. Of course, to make that work, we had to follow any and all CDC-recommended COVID-19 procedures (and then some). But, we did that, because we know how important it was to the kids as well as the staff. We’re always glad to serve as a resource, to provide an environment for teens that’s safe in many ways. For more, call (888) 295-9995.