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NEW WAYS OF PARENTING TEENAGERS
Unlike therapy, parent-teen mediation is a focused problem-solving process.
Mediation can provide immediate relief to parents and teens at odds over important teenage problems. Using mediation to talk to your teenager can help you overcome the tension, arguing, and disrespect that comes along with topics such as:
Sexual Identity
Drugs
Mental Health
Truancy
School problems
Household rules
Dating issues
Curfew
Choice of friends
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PARENT TEEN MEDIATION AND FAMILY THERAPY
Parent-Teen family mediation is very different from therapy. In fact, it is a fantastic complement to individual therapy and strengthens the parent-child relationship.
Adolescents meet with therapists for any number of reasons – to overcome obstacles, explore identity, vent frustrations and develop skills. The family is often simultaneously struggling with conflicts that need to be addressed in the here and now. Parent teen conflict can cause so much tension in the household that it becomes an obstacle for effective communication in the home and for the teenager in therapy.
Mediation is a focused, problem-solving activity. Mediation does not interfere with the essential clinical work being addressed in individual therapy and family counselling services.
What to Expect in Parent-Teen Mediation
During parent-teen mediation the client should expect that I will remain neutral. As a mediator, I facilitate the process and discussion but keep my opinions to myself.
I will NOT identify a Specific Patient/Client. The mediation is not about the "troubled teen" or "bad parent" but rather the parent-child conflict. I am working with a family unit trying to solve some immediate severe conflict.
I will focus on the present and future. As a mediator, I help the family move away from what happened toward a discussion about what will happen.
I will not provide a couch. As a mediator, I offer a conference room and waiting room. The added formality of the mediation process feels safe for many families and sets the stage for a fruitful discussion.
I will help families solve problems: The discussion is geared to concrete problem-solving.
We will meet for a more extended period. Most mediation sessions last about two hours but are flexible to the needs of the family. Two hours typically provides long enough time for everyone to have their voices heard and generate mutually agreeable solutions.
If you are worried about your teenager and would like to learn more about parent-teen mediation, please contact Declan on 087 285 4406