How can Parents help an Anxious Teenager?



When working with Adolescents who are experiencing Anxiety, parents always ask how they can best  help their teenager, I offer the following ideas and like referencing, Dan Siegel's work on how the Adolescent brain works, it's fascinating. 
  • Modelling our own emotional  regulation can really help adolescents.
  • Keep body language open and clear, and state what you’re feeling. Facial expression and body language can be misinterpreted by adolescents and can lead to heightened emotions like anxiety.
  • Listening without jumping in to fix, is a great way to enable your teenager to be able to think independently. 
  • When they are sharing something difficult with you, it’s great to ask,” How can I help?  Do you want advice, or me  to listen,” this is a great way to validate and promote emotional regulation and problem solving. 
  • It helps to say, “So what you’re saying is------,” adolescents need to feel heard.
  • Acknowledge what your adolescent feels- say, “So you’re feeling-----”, this validates feelings and emotions. 
  • Support and acknowledge independent  problem solving
  • Walking and talking or talking during an activity is a great way to check in with your teenager.
  • Offer recognition, when an adolescent has found a way to regulate their anxiety, they can be wonderfully creative.
  • It’s normal to have some anxiety.
  • Improving our knowledge of the changes in the adolescent brain, and sharing this, can be affirming, teenagers need to know that many other teenagers feel the same thing and they are not alone.
  • If you’re concerned about your teenager, seek professional help.
  • This is a developmental phase, even though it may be difficult at times, it is an exciting time of learning and possibility.
The good news is that there is much we can offer in the way of support to enable our adolescents to learn to regulate they’re anxiety. One of my wonderful adolescent clients very wisely said “When I have less anxiety and worry, there’s more room for me to think clearly and focus on better things.”

If you or your adolescent are suffering from anxiety and think you may benefit from some Counselling, Psychotherapy, or Coaching, please get in touch at www.impactnorthwest.co.uk


Emma Appleby is the Clinical Director of Impact North West, providing:- Counselling, Psychotherapy and Coaching to Adults and Adolescents.








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