Adolescence is a distinct time of life with enormous changes in hormones, intellectual abilities, emotional development, social competence, sexual awareness, and moral understanding. Broadly speaking, the ages of adolescence are said to range from the age of 13 thru 24. Adolescence now spans the traditional teenage years and includes the young adult years. Societal changes including the need for post-graduate training has resulted in may children remaining under their family’s care well-beyond what has traditionally been expected.

Family’s have always recognize the positive aspects of adolescents and tried to focus on their child’s unique abilities, strengths, interest, and potential in the future. Some families create goals that encourage their adolescents to reach the heights of human perfection worthy of Garrison Keillers families of Lake Wobegone. It is not that encouraging kids to strive for excellence that is misdirected it is the attainment of perfection that is harmful to both adolescents and families. Adolescents, no less, than adults, have some who are above average, many more average, and some below average. Very few are truly gifted and talented and, fortunately, very few are significantly troubled or impaired.

As pressures from families, schools, social life, and the limits of their personal resourcefulness accumulates, adolescents may develop .academic and social difficulties, emotional symptoms, protest against the growing demands of life, and run to the second family of friends and pop culture as a refuge. Labeling adolescents as learning disabled, ADD, at risk, drug user, underachiever, and depressed does little to promote what is unique in that child. Labeling by adults focuses on a small truth while minimizing the larger truth of each adolescent’s potential to contribute to the world.

For many years, parents, teachers, and mental health professionals have adopted a problem-centered view of adolescence. This view has been helping in assisting kids and their families overcome social adversities and developmental challenges. What it has not done is guide parents in promoting what is best their adolescent.

We now understand that it is the family that is best positioned to promote emotional belonging, foster resilience, promote competence, encourage self-direction, develop courage, encourage an optimistic view of life, and cultivate an interest in contributing to the well-being of other people.

As adolescents make their journey through their high school and college years, Family Counseling can help parents sustain their efforts to reduce social adversities and developmental challenges that they will encounter. Family Counseling can also promote the positive development of adolescents and youth. In fact, families that promote the positive development of their adolescent are more likely to struggle with less social adversities and developmental challenges.

For more information or to make an appointment please use our contact form or call 516.256.1740.