Your teen is doing the best they can, AND they need to do better.

When teens meet with our therapists, skeptical about whether or not we can help, one of the first things we agree on is a no-blame policy.

This is one of the core assumptions we teach here in DBT. 

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a structured, skills-based therapy that teaches your teen to accept themselves as they are, WHILE focusing on how to change their unsafe behavior, or extreme emotional outbursts. 

Teens feel supported alongside their parents’ dreams for them because they are able to find what works to meet the goals of the whole family.

So when teens come to us anxious, wishing they didn’t have to go to school, fearful of messing up on their tests but not studying until the last minute…

…or struggling to see the point of it all, depressed and disinterested in family activities… and engaging in risky behaviors instead…

…or angry, stuck yelling that their parents don’t get it or never listen, but their parents so desperately want to understand…

…they feel understood. They feel validated. And they TAKE ACTION toward their true vision for themselves because they KNOW we’ve got their back as they figure it all out.

Because the #1 problem that keeps your teen stuck is an assumption they make that they’re wrong for making mistakes. 

We know this from the research— the reason your teen isn’t opening up isn’t because they don’t know how, don’t care, or don’t want to. It’s because they judge themselves for needing help in the first place.

When we start there, breaking down that belief with your teen, that they’re okay…

AND can live a different life— that there’s nothing wrong with them… 

…your teen SHIFTs their ability to WANT to try different behaviors. Because the internal defensiveness is gone when discussing making changes. 

So the hope and perception that your teen CAN act and feel differently becomes more than hope for your teen— it becomes their inner truth.

A truth YOU feel so certain in already, and have been struggling to raise your teen to believe for themselves.

Click here to learn more about how these skills are taught to your teen so they can enjoy a life worth living. 

https://thompsonchildtherapy.com/teen-skills-group/