How we support parents of teens, TWEENS and young adults

Support for families usually starts with a quick phone conversation to see if I could be a fit for you and your family.  This is followed by a one hour session with parent(s) so that I can fully understand the situation.  From there we determine the best plan of action.  That may include one-one coaching sessions with either or both parents, going through the Parenting the Extreme Teen Workshop Series, couples therapy, meeting with the youth one-on-one, family therapy, or supporting siblings of the youth.  The plan is adjusted as we go to meet the needs of the situation and there is continuous checking in with parents along the way to ensure that everyone's needs are being met.  The following descriptions highlight some of components of the approach.

Parenting is difficult at the best of time.  When things start to go off the rails, it can become almost impossible.  Families can get to a place where they feel no longer able to effectively parent their own child.  The usual signs that a teen or tween is struggling include school refusal, substance use, lying, stealing, changing friend groups, disordered eating or body image issues, excessive screen time, "addiction" to their cell phone, and more.  For older youth it may include inability to launch from home, severe anxiety in the face of life demands, and so on.  Parent Consultation at Creekside Therapy addresses all of these issues from a Maturity Model perspective.  To find out more about this approach go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4PQ8cJWM5M

If you think that this fits the description of what is going on for you and your youth we can definitely help!

Building on the Maturity Model concept this is a series of three one hour workshops to help parents re-frame their understanding of their youth's difficulties in a way that makes it possible for the parent to feel they are able to do something effective with their youth.  This approach can address both common anxieties, and more extreme issues such as substance use, self harm, truancy, and mental health issues, and failure to launch. Delivered one - one or in a group setting, Liz van Ryn will  help you respond rather than react to your youth, and to find a way to respond effectively even when they are holding you hostage with their emotions.. We will help you figure out how to influence rather than to control, improve your relationship with your youth, and increase the respect that they have for you.  This series can be done in person or virtually.

The action plan that we decide on may include meeting with your youth one-one.  This may just be a one-off session so that I can learn a little more about them, and consequently can support the parent better, or it may be ongoing if the youth is open to it.  Teens, tweens, and young adults are quite accepting and welcoming of the approach because they know I am going to help their parent understand and support them differently.  I maintain confidentiality of the content of the sessions when meeting with different family members in different configurations.  With this flexibility it is also possible to support siblings of the troubled youth, and to do family sessions with any combination of family members depending on what seems to be most effective.  The overall goal is always to have a healthy happy family that can optimally support all of its members.  The problems rarely exist in just one family member and it takes some systemic change to help everything shift.