The adolescent years can be a vulnerable time for young adults, as they begin to bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood. Adolescents impacted by behavioral health issues think, feel, and act in ways that are confusing to both them and family members. Families may experience breakdowns in communication and functioning, leading both parents and teens to feel hopeless and lost. This is all natural.

Teen Behaviors

It is not unusual to go through family communication breakdowns during the adolescent years. Often, behaviors may seem unpredictable, unsolicited, out-of-sorts, and even disturbing. The teen years can be a time of disruption and extremes. One of the ways we humans establish our sense of identity during the teen years   is to try on different attitudes, ideas, and modes of behavior. This can lead to feelings of distance, dissonance, or confusion. Remember to be patient with this time and do your utmost to forgo judgement. When we let go of judgment and remain open, we give adolescents the space to be who they are.

“As young people move from early to late adolescence and their brains continue to develop, their identity is also likely to change. They will shift from not giving much thought to it to actively engaging in the process of exploring identity options. As they work to create a meaningful sense of self, they may also be trying to understand themselves in relation to different aspects of identity — gender, religion, race, sexuality, and others.”— Susan Ferren, LMFT, Clinical Director on the SoCal Adolescent Wellness teen treatment team. 

At SoCal Adolescent Wellness, we help clients connect symptoms and experiences a teen is having with recognized diagnostic criteria and evidenced-based therapeutic interventions to develop a unique treatment approach for the teen and family. We apply evidence-based treatments to help teens, and their families, get well again.

We provide professional expertise and education to support and teach families the skills of emotional awareness, self-regulation, behavioral modification practices, and fundamental mental health tools. We connect the symptoms and experiences with evidenced-based therapeutic interventions as we develop unique treatment plans for teens and families. We guide clients to help them adjust and adapt to anything that life brings. We are here to help.