Adolescents

The Divided Self: Inside the World of 21st Century Teens
by Ron Taffel
July/August 2006

Cyberspaced: Hanging Out with the In-Crowd on MySpace.com
By Mary Sykes Wylie
July/August 2006

Lost in Electronica: Today’s Media Culture Is Leaving Boys at a Loss for Words
By Adam Cox
July/August 2006

Hungry for Connection: The Logic of Self-Injury
By Martha Straus
July/October 2006

Hallway Therapy: Systems Thinking Goes to the Classroom
By David Seaburn
January/February 2007

Mission Possible: the Art of Engaging Tough Teens
By Mathew Selekman
January/February 2008

Content Search Overview: Therapists, social workers, counselors and others found these articles helpful in learning more about working with children and teens in therapy practices. People searching for information on the following terms and concepts found these articles helpful:

Children/Adolescents
Anxiety
Depression
Eating Disorders
Trauma
Parenting
Limit Setting
Boundaries
Time-Out
School Problems
ADHD
OCD
Learning Disorders
Oppositional Behavior
Conduct Disorders
Teenage Suicide
Self Injury
Play Therapy
Cognitive Therapy
Medication
Ritalin
Sensory Integration Disorders
Overscheduling

Sample from: The Divded Self, by Ron Taffel

The crisis passed, thankfully with no health consequences, but the stand-up part of our sessions became a connecting ritual--a means for Adam to start expressing his feelings about his lack of popularity at school and discomfort at home. While discussing serious issues, we continued to make each other laugh, and the pleasure he got from his hysterical impersonations of celebrities and everyone in his life, including me, ultimately led him to seek out roles in his town's theater group--no small step for a coarse, pop-obsessed adolescent. Adam still needed to learn the boundary between humor and empathy, especially with friends and parents, but the jokes that punctuated our sessions helped break through his emotional divide.

The sanctity of session length is another artificial encumbrance that works against kids' ability to hear. Teen consciousness is so fragmented that it's simply grandiose to believe they remember a thing we say even two minutes after our most "important" pronouncements. So, if you're trying to make a point you don't want to get lost, why stick to the sacrosanct 45- to 50-minute session? As long as we fill out insurance and agency forms accurately, charge less, or make up the lost time, there's nothing inviolate about the "treatment hour." Especially with teens, cutting the session short to let a comment sink in or lengthening it to let a situation play out, helps grab their attention.

From Psychotherapy Networker, July/August 2006

Sample from: Mission Possible, by Matthew Selekman

Cecilia, who was 16, had a long history of running away from home, prostitution, incarceration, abusing inhalants, and gang involvement. Former therapists had labeled her a borderline, sociopath, and resistant. Sensing that she had all of the power in the family, I decided to meet alone with her first before seeing the parents separately.

I asked her what her former therapists had tried with her and her family that she didn't like and was "a real drag for her," so that I wouldn't make the same mistakes again. Immediately she responded, "Siding up with my mom against me . . . that makes me mad!" From that point on, I began each family meeting by seeing Cecilia alone first, giving her sufficient time to strengthen our alliance, and regularly soliciting feedback about how our work together was going. She later told me she felt "respected" by me and felt like her "voice was heard for once in counseling."

From Psychotherapy Networker, January/February 2008