Teen Social and Emotional Issues

When your adolescent child shows up for dinner with a mohawk and nose ring, or suddenly stops seeing his friends, what should you do? ...

How Do I Find the Right Help for My Troubled Daughter? With so many treatment options and professionals today, selecting the right help can be confusing. Here is a handy guide to help clarify credentials and therapies. A clinical social worker i...

What Teens Worry About Everyone has their stress points, and teens are no exception. Here's what they report makes them worry: What people think of them. Teens are very concerned that they “select” the right identity. They don't want to be...

Determining the Best Way to Approach Your Daughter Moms need to be up front and approach their daughters if they are concerned about a new newfound friendship group or boyfriend. The trick is in how you say it. One slip of the tongue and these...

Should I Snoop into My Daughter's Private Affairs? Building Blocks Excessive behavior that is socially destructive and characterized by fighting, stealing, arson, truancy, and leaving home is called a conduct disorder. Building Blocks Anorexia ...

When Your Daughter Hangs Out with the Wrong Crowd Explosives Dr. Johns has a warning: Mothers have to be careful not to overdo their involvement if the situation isn't serious. Smothering a daughter prevents her from finding and feeling capable...

The Pressures on Adolescent Girls Adolescence is marked by an internal struggle between one's true self and a false projection of self, contends Mary Pipher, Ph.D., and author of Reviving Ophelia, Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls (G.P. Put...

The Special Art of Talking to Teenagers The following suggestions are from the book, "I'm not mad, I just hate you!" They were written expressly with teenagers in mind. The authors call upon moms to engage in responsible communication with thei...

What Could My Teen Daughter Possibly Be Thinking? The most sound, convincing, and well-developed answer to this question is given by psychologist Terri Apter. They look grown-up. Sometimes these daughters of ours even act grown-up. But the fact ...

Take this survey to determine if your child could benefit from a good stress challenge. ...

Our expert recommends a professional therapist for an angry five-year-old who is threatening suicide. ...

The Traumatic Teen Years My 13 1/2-year-old daughter does not like school. In fact, in every class where she has a marginal (terrible) grade her teachers have kindly noted that she “does not work to her potential.” It is nice that they have ...

Getting Help for a Troubled Teen If you decide your teen needs more help than you are able to provide, your first call should be to someone you feel comfortable with. Call a trusted school counselor, teacher, or physician and ask for a referral....

Suicide Threats and Teens Info Flash The suicide rate among adolescents has tripled in the last twenty-five years. It has grown so rapidly that suicide now ranks as the third leading cause of death among adolescents. For every completed adolesc...

Prom night can be stressful for parents. These tips will help you ensure a safe, worry-free evening. ...

Beyond the Blues: Teen Depression Depression distinguishes itself from the “blues” because it's longer in duration and more intense in nature. In addition, it's an illness that can lead to some other serious problems (considering suicide, r...

Primal Teen: Tattoos and Body Piercing You may have taken your daughter to get her ears pierced when she was still in elementary school—so now you're shocked that she wants extra holes? Or that your son wants some, too? Go figure. (You ought t...

From Black Leather to Blue Hair: Teens and Their Appearance Teens use their appearance as a way to explore who they are (not define who they are). If you give them a few months, they'll move on to something else. Most forms of experimentation ar...