At Sundance Canyon Academy, we hear from many parents who are at the end of their rope. Their teen’s behavior has gotten out of hand, and they don’t know what else to do. Today, we are writing on the topic of reaching out for help when you can’t keep dealing with your defiant teen anymore. Contact us for more information on how to address your teen’s behavior.
Being a teen today can be tough. Between home life, school life, and social life, they’ve got a lot to balance. Sometimes, they manage to balance all of their roles well and adjust their priorities as needed. Other times, they lose focus on what’s important, and they falter. When this happens, teens can become unruly and lose control of their behavior.
Some teens struggle with anger management and lash out when things don’t go their way. Some turn to drugs or alcohol to numb their negative feelings and try to fit in with their peers. It can be especially difficult for teens with mental health problems to maintain self-control when their life gets out of whack.
Reaching out to your teen
As the parent of an unruly teen, you may need to reach out for help addressing your son’s behavior. Start by reaching out directly to your child, then branch out from there.
Start a conversation with them
Your teen might be used to hearing you fuss at them about their behavior. If their negative behavior extends to school, they’re probably used to hearing it from their teachers as well.
Make time to start an honest conversation with your teen about their behavior. Rather than lecturing them about what they need to do better, talk to them about why their behavior concerns you and look for solutions together.
Listen without judgment
Give your teen space to talk about why they act the way they do. If they think they’re going to get in trouble if they tell you the truth, they probably won’t tell you the truth. Even if you disagree with their reasoning, you need to understand where they’re coming from.
Have them come up with solutions too
In all likelihood, your teen doesn’t like being in trouble all the time. Bring him in on the problem-solving conversations and let him help come up with solutions too. If he feels like you respect his opinion, he’s more likely to open up and try to think of legitimate solutions. He’s also more likely to buy into the solution if he feels like part of the process.
Reaching out to others
Sometimes, defiant or dangerous teen behavior gets completely out of control. If your teen has no respect for your rules or their behavior becomes dangerous, it’s time to reach out for help outside of your family.
Talk to other adults
This could include his guidance counselor at school, a sports coach, a close relative he looks up to, or anyone your teen sees as a role model. Sometimes, teens get tired of hearing from their parents and start to tune them out. Hearing the same message from another concerned adult could get through to him.
Talk to a counselor
Teens who have behavioral problems can benefit from talking to a professional counselor. Whether they struggle with anger management, substance abuse, or defiance, something else is usually at the root of the issue.
A professional counselor could help your son discover the root cause of his behavior and address it appropriately.
Consider a therapeutic boarding school
Teens with extreme behavioral problems often benefit from attending a therapeutic boarding school. While attending the school, he would receive individualized counseling along with life skills training.
Since it is a school, he would also attend high school classes and receive credits for his work. While he is away at school, the family also gets a break from his behavior and can return to normalcy at home.
Call us at 866-224-2733 for more information.