Tweens & Adolescence Work
aged from 10 - 19+
The onset of puberty through to young adulthood is a time of rapid change across many areas of life.
Physically, hormones are raging. At school, our children move from primary school to the larger more complex environment of secondary schools, which may feel less personable with a change of both rooms and teacher for each class.
It is a time when our children start to question parental values, push boundaries and turn towards their peers for acceptance. Moreover, because the teenage brain is undergoing changes too, they tend to be emotional, reactive, and risk-taking.
Parents can struggle to adapt to this rapid and massive amount of change. It is little wonder that both parents and young people can feel overwhelmed by a feeling of turmoil.
When I work with families of adolescents, where possible I like the first meeting to be with parents and the young person. Together we can then try to name some feelings and identify some themes from what has been shared. If you decide to we may then decide for me to meet with the young person alone on two or three more occasions to see if this is a way of working that you want to continue with.
These are some of the common presenting issues I work with:
Poor self esteem
Anxiety and panic attacks
Depression
Difficulties maintaining friendships
Physical symptoms such as fatigue chronic stomach and headaches with no underlying medical causes.
Defiance, masking a fear of failure and despair.
Alcohol and drug misuse
Self-harming, as unconscious attempts to release emotional suffering through physical pain
Difficulty adjusting to life events such as: illness, parents divorcing, death
Attachment difficulties
Developmental trauma