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The teenage years are difficult and challenging for both teens and parents. A teenager is not an adult but also is not a child. Teens cannot be treated as children (they will resist and not listen) but cannot be trusted to make correct or wise decisions on their own. Teens need to test the limits of themselves, their parents, and society. They will make mistakes. They may have to learn “the hard way.” As parents we try to protect our teens from making serious mistakes, ones they will regret, and want them to learn from mistakes we made and lessons we’ve already learned. That it is not always possible is a hard lesson for parents to learn. And teens need to learn to face the consequences of their actions and choices. It is very difficult to negotiate all of the intricacies on the road from childhood to maturity.

The struggles between parents and their teenagers as well as the challenges of being a teen can often be looked at in a more detached, dispassionate way by a skilled therapist. When battles ensue between a teen and his or her parents, a therapist can help mediate, see the validity of or at least the motivation behind each party’s position, and help everyone understand and empathize with the other as well as with themselves.

Therapy begins with parents and teens together in the room with the therapist to get a general sense of the nature of the problem(s). Individual sessions with the teen and parents separately are important to explore more deeply some of the underlying roots of the situation. With everyone’s input, a treatment plan will be formulated to outline goals, methods, and ways to evaluate progress.

People often use substances as a way to cope with problems they have in life. While substance use can help us forget about our problems for a while, it does not solve them and often creates more problems. Therapy is helpful in working through life problems, but it is a difficult, often painful, sometimes long process that does not work if a person is using substances as a means to avoid and overcome the pain in one’s life.

Stopping the use of substances is a difficult process that most people are unable to do on their own. People with serious drug and alcohol problems require support and help from others. As a therapist in recovery I have a great deal of personal and professional experience to help you get the help you need. Understanding that substances are negatively impacting your life and then reaching out for help are the first and most difficult steps on the road to recovery. Substance users who do not take these steps often die, either sooner or later, before reaching the fulfillment, happiness, peace, and satisfaction they have been seeking through the use of substances.

If you want help, I will explain what options are available to you. If you are unsure, we will explore both sides of your ambivalence. If you want recovery and a full life, it is here waiting for you to embrace it.