Four Ways You Can Support Your Teens Mental Health
Are you concerned about the mental health of your teenager? Is your teen going through tough times that they struggle to communicate? As a parent, you want the best for your child, but you may not know exactly how to solve their problems. Working in counseling in Winter Garden can provide you and your teen with the solutions, support, and guidance to overcome mental health struggles. Teenagers battle issues like depression, bullying, emotional abuse, trauma, and other issues that can pose threats to their mental health. These are a few ways that parents can support their teenagers with mental health struggles.
Encourage Them to Share Their Feelings
As a parent, you want to do everything you can to encourage your teen to communicate with you. Make sure that they are comfortable and safe enough to share their emotions.
There are a few ways that you can naturally encourage your teen to talk with you, including:
- Invite them to do things with you
- Make time for them
- Talk about your own feelings first
- Set aside time for daily habits together, i.e. preparing dinner together
Show Your Support
When your teen opens up to you, you need to show encouragement and support. Respond to their concerns and statements with genuine care and compassion to show them that you value their perspective and are wholly here for their needs. Work together to find solutions to the issues they are facing, like changing up the daily routine or giving them space to learn from their mistakes.
Respect Their Perspective
Teens will often shut down when they feel misunderstood. Parents and teens often struggle to find common ground, and this can cause conflict or withdrawn behavior from teenagers. However, when you show that you respect their perspective on certain issues, they will be more receptive to your advice and guidance. Find common ground with your teen by truly listening to them and responding with genuine care.
Model Healthy Behavior
By showing that you can take care of yourself, you model positive behavior for your teen to follow. As your teen learns and grows, they will be able to see the behaviors that you are modeling for them, and they too can adopt these practices. Show them positive coping strategies, like exercising to destress, making to-do lists to stay organized, and finding hobbies to have joy in your life.
These are a few ways that you can support your teen’s mental health, especially when they are going through tough times. Being a teenager is difficult, and it can cause conflicts and rifts between them and parents. However, when you work in counseling in Winter Garden, your teen can get the support and guidance they need to work through their mental health struggles. Contact Orlando Thrive Therapy to hear how we can help you and your teen today.
