Adolescents.

When dealing with adolescents, similar issues emerge as when dealing with adults. It’s just that many people don’t know how to handle an adolescent, or where to start with them. At New Life Counselling & Training, we have over 11 years of dealing with adolescents and know how to relate to them at their level. We believe that counselling in these crucial years can have significant positive influence in a young persons’ life that will affect them for the rest of their life.

Adolescents, and indeed children, are very perceptive of what is going on around them. If there is conflict in the house, they know about it. If there is tension, fighting, love, nurturing, they know. One thing with children and adolescents alike though is they are excellent recorders of information but generally poor interpreters of this information. This results in many false assumptions and beliefs being formed. These false assumptions and beliefs can drive all sorts of negative thoughts, emotions and behaviours. Any false belief or assumption needs to be located and replaced, in order to allow them to live healthy lives.

Some common issues in adolescents are a sense of identity, belonging and worth, trust, assertiveness, balance of power, effective communication and negotiation skills, adequate and appropriate boundaries, feeling needed, loved, supported and understood, taking correction, realistic expectations and setting achievable goals.