
Parenting Is Hard
You’ve heard it said and you’ve probably said it yourself as a parent. So many situations with our kids can lead us to this place where we may feel out of our wheelhouse. One of those situations for me was when my youngest was having trouble with his friendships. He came home one day and simply said “Everyone hates me.” Most would empathize with me feeling very sorry for my son and wanting him to just find one good friend.
Tried Everything
What worked against my son was his relentless curiosity and lack of impulse control. Many times blurting things out of his mouth would lead to hurt feelings and painful interactions with other peers. We tried all the ideas you can come up with to help him make and keep friends including play dates, practicing playing games together, “watching” him play with other kids to see where he was going wrong, and so much more.
Need For A Safe Environment
Reality was that it was only his initiated problem 50% of the time. The balance was the other child’s inability to display age-appropriate behaviors similar to what my son exhibited. I wished at the time there was a safe place for my son to be with his age and have coaching to be a good friend including feedback when impulsive things were said.
Adolescent Coping Skills DBT Group
Adolescent Coping skills group was born out of this need. Dialectical Behavior Therapy allowed students to be “themselves” and get good feedback on behaviors and statements that may otherwise alienate them from their peers. Good facilitators are a must, which we have secured at New Heights Counseling. Parents willing to invest in their student’s mental health was a must. And, most of all willing students were a requirement.
Invitation
You are invited to explore what this group could do for your student aged 13-17. 100% of our first group of students wanted to continue group past the original 7 weeks of services. 75% of them re-registered for another group to continue building skills and making friends with their peers. Your student is welcome to join us. Please read more and register at Adolescent DBT Skills Group Registration.
Resources
Would you like to speak to someone in person, call (850) 757-1552. Our team of professional therapists are dedicated to their clients’ care and services Fort Walton, Niceville, and surrounding communities.