We received an email recently from a desperate mother who wrote: “My son has been deeply depressed and is refusing to go to counseling. The school suspended him because the counselor there deemed him to be suicidal. He’s very precious to me, but I’m at a loss what to do.” This is a classic case where intervention is needed—when if something isn’t done quickly, the child may not be around long.
It’s important to understand up front what intervention is…and what it is not. Intervention is not about getting justice for your teen’s misbehavior (for terrorizing the whole family); intervention is about saving them from themselves. It gives kids an opportunity to step back from the brink and begin dealing with the underlying issues that are causing the symptoms that have brought things to a crisis point. Continue reading “Teen Intervention and Recovery”
If you’ve seen an unexplainable or drastic change in your teenager’s honesty, grades, behavior, attentiveness, or friends, it may not be hormones. It could be that they are experimenting with intoxicating substances that are as close as your kitchen drawer, medicine cabinet or garage.
Parents of teenagers can grow anxious about the path their teen is choosing in life. They might worry about their teen’s future, or even fret over whether or not they’ll have a good relationship with their teen after they leave home.