FOR INDIVIDUALS
Supporting Parents of Teenagers
Understanding your teenager and finding a way forward
If you're parenting a teenager, you'll know that these years can bring moments that are funny, inspiring and rewarding — but also bewildering, frustrating and sometimes very stressful for the whole family.
I spent 36 years teaching in UK schools, including nearly 20 years with responsibility for pastoral care involving close to 1,000 young people.
During that time, I saw how easily parents could feel worried, confused or even frightened when a child they knew and loved began behaving in ways they struggled to understand.
Understanding What's Happening
Adolescence brings significant changes, not least in the developing brain.
In our conversations, I can help you make sense of some of these changes and explore how they may influence your teenager's thoughts, words and behaviour.
Understanding a little more about what's happening can sometimes help us respond differently.
Looking Beyond the Behaviour
Young people don't always find it easy to explain what they're feeling or why they're behaving in a particular way.
Sometimes their behaviour communicates something they're struggling to put into words.
Together, we can explore what may lie behind difficult situations, how communication might be improved and how to keep a longer-term perspective when everyday life feels challenging.
At times, this also means looking at the wider family dynamic — not to find fault, but to understand how everyone may be influencing one another.
Finding Your Way Through
The pre-teen and teenage years can be wonderfully rewarding, but they can also feel like a difficult tunnel for parents and children alike.
When you're in the middle of it, it isn't always easy to see where that tunnel might lead.
I offer a listening ear, reassurance where appropriate and practical suggestions drawn from many years of working with teenagers and their families.
You don't have to have all the answers. Sometimes it helps simply to talk things through with someone who understands the territory.
Let's Have a Conversation
If you'd like to discuss a concern about your teenager, or simply understand them a little better, I offer an initial confidential conversation at no charge and with no obligation.
Get in touch: nigel.lowson@gmail.com