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Sacramento, CA 95818
US
916-287-3430
ivy@thrivetherapyandcounseling.com
Thrive Therapy & Counseling provides high quality therapy to Highly Sensitive People and to kids, teens or adults struggling with anxiety, depression or self-esteem.
This blog is written by a therapist in midtown Sacramento and focuses on the concerns and struggles of highly sensitive people (HSPs) and of kids, teens and adults struggling with depression, anxiety or just trying to figure out what they want for themselves. There's help and hope through counseling and therapy!
Filtering by Category: parenting teens
The holidays can be hard in an average year, and of course, this year has been anything but average. You and your family might be looking at a very different scenario this year, in terms of travel and spending time with family. As the days get shorter and colder, you and your kids might be spending more time inside, and after months and months of being in close quarters, this can be stressful for everyone.
Read MoreI don’t have to tell any of us what a difficult year this has been. Many people are struggling in one way or another, and teens are certainly included. Like all of us, their lives have been turned upside down since March.
Read MoreThe teenage years can be a volatile time for both parents and their children. The transition from elementary to middle school and then to high school brings excitement but also uncertainty as teens begin to focus more on the development of their social relationships and their individuality. Feelings of insecurity, emotional ups and downs, and bewilderment at how to navigate this time of change are all normal. Since parents can experience all of these feelings too, communication with your teen can become strained and contentious at times.
Read MoreDo you see your teen lounging around--eyes glued to their phone constantly--and worry about what kind of adult they’re going to become? Does this seem even worse with the pandemic and all the things they can’t do?? You might be frustrated with your kid’s low energy . . . with their ability to sleep 17 hours a day or with how you have to tell them 8 times to unload the dishwasher, and you wonder when they’ll finally get it together.
Read MoreDisclaimer: None of us would have imagined that the world as we knew it would come to a screeching halt because of a pandemic. Now, the horrific scenes of racism, the protests, and the unrest across the country are really concerning, upsetting, and overwhelming. It’s a lot. It’s a lot to take in, a lot to explore our own and our family members’ thoughts and feelings about, a lot to figure out how to respond to, a lot to cope with.
Read MoreWe’re living in such uncertain times. Different information keeps coming out about how
COVID-19 works, and there’s still much about the virus that we don’t understand. We’re not
quite sure when schools will resume or when people will go back to their offices. It’s hard to plan
for the future. Will there be more stay-at-home orders? Can we plan a vacation? Will the virus
worsen when the weather cools off? Will colleges and universities be all online in the fall? And,
if so, does your teen want to begin their college career this way?
Parenting is already such a challenge, let alone parenting a teenager when you’re all stuck at home. Both parents and teens may feel overwhelmed by the amount of time together without the typical outlets of work or school with friends and colleagues. On top of that, we may be dealing with boredom, fear, and grief as we navigate complex losses resulting from the pandemic. Regardless of our individual situations, we all need support in navigating these unprecedented circumstances.
Read MoreA question I hear a lot from parents in the therapy room is, “Where do I draw the line?” Some things may be clear, but there’s a lot of nuance. Do I limit their screen time, and if so, how without starting WWIII? Do I monitor their social media? How much should I watch over their grades and hound them about homework, or do I let them face the consequences for themselves? What’s acceptable for them to wear, and should I dictate clothing choices? Is any alcohol or drug use okay? What about sex?
Read MoreTeens have a lot of pressure on them these days. They’re a generation that’s more “on” and connected than ever before. They can feel pressure from friends and peers to constantly be available online and responding to messages (or risk missing out on important social happenings), they may feel the stress of navigating AP classes or taking college classes in conjunction with their regular high school coursework, and many teens can fixate on worrying about their SAT/ACT scores, GPAs, extra-curriculars, athletics, and what all of those mean for what colleges they will get into. Many teens believe that making the “right” decisions around college will dictate the course of their entire lives, their income, and their future happiness.
Read MoreYes, it’s true--adolescence can be a time of self-centeredness. Developmentally, teens are wired to pull away from their families and gravitate toward their friends and peers, as they prepare to launch out into the world on their own. Biologically, this also makes sense because as human beings, we are social creatures and need other people to survive. So, if the family is no longer the primary source of support, friends and peers become exceedingly important, which then makes teens very self-conscious and focused on themselves to accomplish this significant developmental task.
Read More“Please put your phone down, and look at me!” “You’re gonna walk into something if you keep staring at your phone like that!” “Believe me, you are not going to die if you don’t have wifi all weekend.”
Any of these sound familiar? Have you found yourself saying similar things to your own teen? It’s such a common challenge. How do we help our kids appreciate technology without becoming all consumed by it?
This is for the parents who are struggling with their teens’ developing and changing identities and for those who really just want their teens to bypass adolescence entirely and move straight into adulthood.
We hear you! Adolescence is a TOUGH time.
This new school year can be especially nerve-wracking for anyone who’s starting anew--especially if your kid is beginning high school, adjusting to a new school, or starting their first semester of college. For most people, new experiences bring a combination of excitement, anxiety, and overwhelm. This can certainly be true for teens, and all that intensity can leave your kid with a buzzy, hard-to-settle presence.
Read MoreHave you noticed that your teen is struggling in their relationships? Have you observed them trying to be someone they’re not in order to fit in? Have you seen your teen going out of their way to please their friends, just to be liked . . . only to be taken advantage of and manipulated?
Read MoreSometimes it can seem like teens completely tune out (or want nothing to do with) adults, especially authority figures, even more so--their parents. This can leave parents feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. “He’s not getting his homework done, but how am I supposed to get him on the right track when he won’t listen to me?!” “She seems irritable and agitated a lot these days, but when I ask what’s wrong, she rolls her eyes or grumbles, ‘nothing.’ How do I get through to her?”
Read More