If your teenager is starting to act out and make bad decisions, you may want to do all you can to put a stop to the problem before it gets worse. One option you could consider is taking your child to a counselor. A teen counselor might be able to help your child get back on the right track. Here are three principles your child might learn through counseling.
How to earn back trust
Counselors are great at helping teens learn how trust works with parents. If your teen made a few really bad decisions and landed him or herself in some trouble, it will take you time to trust the teen again. A counselor can help your teen understand how this works and how to rebuild trust.
The basic principle with this is understanding that each good decision rebuilds trust little by little and each bad decision destroys large amounts of trust. Your teen may soon understand how to rebuild trust with you, and this may encourage the child to start making better choices.
How to focus on things they can control
Teen counselors also often help teens learn that there are two different types of things they can focus on. The first is things they cannot control, such as the rules of their parents. The second thing is things they can control, such as breaking these rules. The counselor may have your teen make a list that includes both of these things.
Once the list is made, the teen can spend his or her time focusing on what can be controlled instead of what cannot be. This often helps a teen make better decisions, simply because teens like the idea of having control. When they focus on what they can control, they may start putting their focus on better things.
That all decisions have consequences
A third principle your teen might benefit from learning is that all decisions have consequences. The consequences of good decisions are good and beneficial, while the consequences of bad decisions are not good at all. When teens start fully understanding how this works, it might be easier for them to start making better choices. They may want to start avoiding punishments and getting more freedom and perks instead. When they learn that they can control this, it is often encouragement for them to do better.
If you would like to find a counselor for your teen child, contact a counseling center today to schedule an appointment.
