Expectations loom large for adolescents. The academic, social and family pressures are everywhere with adulthood around the bend. No wonder this can be such a tumultuous time! When you add surging hormones, dating and driving, it can be an emotional roller coaster for the whole family. Parents are in the challenging position of being the authority figure for a teen that believes that he or she is better off without parents, which can make for some volatile power and control stand-offs.

It can be complicated for adolescents to talk with family and friends about their struggles. When I work with adolescents I try to be empathic and non-judgmental, but it’s equally important for me to hold a mirror up to their behavior and their attitude when needed. It is common for adolescents to downplay the potential risks of the behaviors they’re engaging in and part of my work is trying to inch them closer to being able to acknowledge the implications of their decisions.