Sometimes your teen and/or
family may need to seek the advice of a mental health professional.
It is hard to know when one is needed and when not with teen-agers
because most adolescents display a broad range of symptoms that
could indicate a need for professional help but often
don't.
What do I mean? Well, it is
normal for teens to experiment with alcohol and drugs on at least
a few occasions.
Another example . . . many
teens decline in academics around junior high and the first year
of high school. It is quite common for A and B students to start
bringing home Cs and quite common for C students to come home
with Ds and an occasional F.
In addition most teens generally
test limits and break rules, especially yours. Teens also withdraw
from parents, become sullen, arrogant, verbally abusive at times,
and just all around difficult to live with.
Count yourself lucky if your
teen doesn't exhibit any of these symptoms, but on the other
hand if your teen does, it does not necessarily mean s/he needs
professional help.
You can see why it is hard
to know when to seek professional help when behaviors at any
other time in life would be cause for alarm but during this period
are relatively normal and expectable.
With all of the above qualifiers
in mind I suggest the following guidelines. Any disturbing behavior,
such as alcohol and drug abuse, chronic and unremitting
decline in academics, frequent truancy repeated (over a long
period of time), total isolation from peers(over a long period
of time), very bad self-esteem(over a long period of time), repeated
outright defiance of rules and limits that you set, and any other
disturbing behavior that persists over a long period
of time . . .may be cause for alarm.
If any of the above seems to
characterize your adolescent, it might not hurt to consult a
mental health professional. I would go to see the professional
first at least one time to seek advice before perhaps unnecessarily
involving your teen. In other words the professional may be able
to reassure you that things sound okay.
You can get help from social
workers, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychoanalysts.
Fees from $75 to $150 per hour session are all within normal
range (even higher fees may be within normal range, depending
on the professional's discipline and years of training; psychiatrists
often charge fees of $200/hour or more).
This site offers a Directory
of mental health professionals qualified to treat adolescents
and families, organized by location.
Good not-for-profit family
service agencies and mental health agencies like the one
I formerly directed generally operate on an adjustable fee scale
so that your fee will be assessed according to your income and
other pertinent facts of your life situation.
Parenting Adolescents'