One of the biggest issues parents and carers can find, is that their teenager isn’t interested in counselling and doesn’t want to come. It can feel very overwhelming and embarrassing for a teenager or young adult to speak to a complete stranger about problems their having.
As their parent it’s important to acknowledge their worries and explain to them that whilst it might feel strange at first, it will not feel like that after the first session and that it’s important to get support when things are hard.
We always encourage parents and carers to book an initial session where we will discuss directly with your teen or young adult their apprehension and work through those issues with them, answering any questions they may have about the therapy process.
If your teen is completely unwilling to attend and there is no swaying their decision, we suggest for parents to come without their teens. Sessions can be a very helpful place where we can work together and provide you with assistance in parenting your teen, so you are better able to support them during the difficult time they are experiencing.