How Your Teen Needs More Than a Talk

Do you feel like talking to your teen about their bad behavior is falling on deaf ears? Communicating with a troubled teen or a child with a mental health issue is not easy, especially if you don't have the right tools and skills for the task. If your teen takes part in risky behavior even after you've tried to talk to them, or your conversations lead to arguments, it may be time to seek a mental health professional to assist you. In this post, we've provided valuable information on signs your teen needs more than a talk and tips to help you.

Your Teenager Doesn't Listen To Reason

Your teenager may often not want to listen to reason because they have heightened emotions or underdeveloped coping skills. Additionally, it can be difficult to get a teen to understand you if they have mental illnesses like borderline personality disorder or bipolar. Your teenager may also feel like you're judging them, making them defensive during conversations.

Your Conversations Turn into Arguments

One major sign that your teen needs more than a pep talk from you is when all your conversations lead to arguments. A teenager who has a personality disorder or a mental illness will have heightened sensitivity, so it will be difficult for you to keep the conversation calm. At times, your teen will cross the lines of communication and may cross the lines of anger and frustration because they feel you're not listening to them. 

Your Teenager is Engaging in Risky Behavior

A teenager may engage in risky behavior like meeting strangers, unprotected sexual activity, or taking drugs when they're going through a tough time. Often, this is a cry for help; they need someone with active listening skills to help them through their situation. Adolescents who have mental health struggles may not care what effect their behavior will have on their lives and the people around them. This is when you need to take serious action and consider therapy for teens.

What Can Affect Communication With Your Teen?

You may not realize it but certain communication styles will have a negative effect on your teen. If you want to build a healthy relationship with your child, consider the following information when talking to them about their behavior.

Negative Talk

Negative talk is when you criticize, blame, and use dismissive language that focuses on your child's faults instead of solutions to help them. When you use this type of language with your teenager it can trigger resentment and withdrawal.

You Ask Too Many Questions

It's natural to want to know more about what's going on with your teen, so you'll ask them many questions when reprimanding them. Unfortunately, this can have a negative effect on the conversation because they'll feel like you're interrogating them which can be overwhelming.

Lack of Trust

In many situations, teenagers don't feel like they can trust their parents so they don't open up to them about their problems. Similarly, parents won't trust their children because of the behaviors they've shown. A lack of trust between both parties will cause a rift, and communication will be difficult.

Final Thoughts

If you're struggling to get through to your troubled teen even when calmly talking to them, you may need a mental health professional to step in. There are residential treatment centers such as Liahona that have specific programs to help troubled teens manage their emotions and build better communication skills. With the right treatment and guidance from our professionals, we'll help your teen work through their struggles in a healthy and controlled environment. Visit our website today to see what we can offer your teen so they can start making the right decisions for their lives.