Support for parents with teens | City Centre Counselling
Parenting Support
Medicine Hat + online parenting support from anywhere in Alberta
Helping parents help their teen navigate adolescence together
Parenting can be fulfilling and fun, but it can also be hard. Whether you're a first-time parent navigating the ups and downs of adolescence or you're familiar in this role, parenting a teen comes with anticipated changes and challenges.
As they assert independence teens may push boundaries and react strongly when limits are enforced. Relationships with peers, romantic interests, and extracurriculars take centre stage which may leave parents struggling with their own feelings of loss and change.
At a time when young people have difficulty regulating their emotions yet strive for independence and less parental control, it makes sense that conflict and feeling less connected are common responses for both parent and teen.
Although it's helpful to know that your teen’s emotion-driven behaviour is "normal," having the tools to help them cope with those emotions is even better.
Learning to self-regulate is an essential life skill that contributes to your teen's overall well-being, success, and can help strengthen the parent-teen relationship.
HOW I CAN HELP
At City Centre Counselling, I provide a welcoming and supportive space for parents to share their concerns around parenthood. Through conversation, psychoeducation, and self-reflective activities parents have an opportunity to gain insight and to develop skills that will help them stay connected to their teen during these challenging years.
Parenting Support Topics May Include:
- Myths and facts around adolescent mental health
- Stages of adolescent development and what to expect
- Attachment and its importance
- Emotion coaching - learn to adapt communication and parenting styles utilizing the concepts of emotion coaching based on the research of Dr. John Gottman. Emotion coaching uses empathy and understanding while solving problems.
Understanding what's happening in your teen's life and in your relationship with them can help you better support your teen— and yourself— as they transition into young adulthood.
Whether young people show it or not they need their parents to show up, I encourage you to reach out!
