Overview
Between constant academic pressures, changing friendships and relationships, altering personalities, extracurricular activities, and uncertainties about the future, it’s no small wonder teenagers sometimes need counseling help – even if they think they have it all figured out.
For today’s teens, multiple stressors affect them as they mature socially, academically, and personally. School counselor’s work with teenagers by examining their problems and conflicts related to academics, family problems, anger management, substance abuse, relationships, and self image.
Why are the teenage years marked by conflict?
As they mature, teenagers grow significantly – physically, mentally, and emotionally. These changes inevitably lead to conflicts between peers, significant others, parents, and educators.
In addition to parental conflicts, sudden and confusing physical changes – such as new body hair and growth spurts – and other hormonal changes cause many teenagers to perseverate about body image.
As teenagers struggle to accept themselves, internal conflicts over their changing bodies possibly leads to the development of unhealthy or dysfunctional behaviors, such as eating disorders.
Additionally, expectations for teens to excel academically cause extreme stress. On the other hand, parental disinterest or apathy in their children’s academic success also places unique and stressful conditions on the student.
WE WORK ON
- Parental Conflicts
- Sudden & confusing physical changes
- Internal conflicts
- Academic Problems
- Depression
- Career Guidance
- Anger Management
- Stage fear
- Lack of self-confidence
- Improper body language
- Leadership
- Internet addiction
- Communication skills
- Stress management
Benefits
BENEFITS OF COUNSELING (in terms of career)
- Identify their interests, abilities and personality style that might help them choose a career.
- Learn about the world of work and what is required to enter a particular career.
- Learn more about the jobs that are trending, salary ranges and what the forecast for each is into the future.
- Learn about what education, training or experience is required for careers they are interested in.
- Learn about a range of decision making styles.
BENEFITS OF COUNSELING (mental & emotional instability)
- Counselors also teach and explain how to cope with breakups, encouraging healthy eating, exercise, staying busy with friends, and expressing emotions in healthy ways, such as art, writing, or focusing attention on new hobbies. Teens that don’t develop healthy coping techniques are at risk for expressing their emotions through risky activities, such as anger or substance abuse.
- But anger results from a variety of reasons besides relationship issues, and when teens bring these problems to school, or suppress their anger, fights and small incidents are often the result. When the case is especially severe, or left to fester without the proper intervention, the teen might act out in violence against other students or parents.
- Students cannot learn without feeling safe, so counselors advise teenagers on anger management, teaching them how to express their feelings in healthy ways. For example, a counselor working with a teenager who recently was in a fight would identify the source of the problem, work with the teen to develop potential nonviolent responses to that problem, consider all consequences of the responses, and work with the teen to choose an appropriate response.
- The goal is to have the teen internalize the anger management process, so that the next time the situation arises, the teen applies what he or she learned during sessions with the counselor.