Adolescence is a pivotal and intense period for teens and families. As teens grow up, they undergo significant physical, psychological, and emotional changes that can impact their mental health in profound ways. Mental health problems like anxiety, depression, and behavior issues often emerge during adolescence, particularly if teens don’t develop the resources and resilience they need.
A wide range of factors influences teen mental health, including genetics, environment, relationships, learned coping skills, and, notably, family dynamics. Positive family relationships are one of the best ways to foster resilience, self-esteem, and emotional regulation skills in teens. However, for many families, building these healthy relationships is easier said than done. When things feel “off” within a family, it’s tough to know what to do about it.
At Liz Morrison Therapy, we know how challenging it can be to improve family dynamics that feel confusing or unhealthy. We specialize in therapy for teens and family therapy to support families in cultivating safe, nurturing, and loving relationships for long-term healing. Here, we’ll talk about family dynamics and how family therapy can help when you and your teen are struggling.
Understanding Family Dynamics
Family dynamics is a broad term that refers to how a family interacts, communicates, and behaves with one another. It includes levels of:
Involvement
Conflict
Parenting style
Emotional distance
Support and nurturance
Unpredictability and inconsistency
Unity
Think of the ways everyone in your family talks to and responds to one another on a daily basis. Do people tend to yell? Huff around in silence? Become visibly frustrated? Treat each other with respect? Treat each other with contempt?
When family dynamics are tense or strained on an ongoing basis, problems can arise, particularly within parent-teen relationships. As it turns out, the way a family operates is one of the strongest predictors of teen mental health outcomes. Positive family dynamics – things like active listening, warmth, respect, high levels of cohesion, and healthy communication – are vastly associated with lower risk for depression, anxiety, substance abuse, behavioral issues, and other mental health problems.
On the other hand, factors within a household like regular conflict, controlling behaviors, and emotional distance can increase a teen’s risk of mental health problems for years to come.
How Family-Focused Therapy and Therapy for Teens Can Help Teen Mental Health
Family dynamics are only one influence among many when it comes to teen mental health. However, if your family is experiencing challenges when it comes to communication, harmonious functioning, or operating respectfully and supportively, family therapy can be a really useful and restorative tool.
Here are 10 problems a trained family therapist can help with:
1. Communication Breakdowns
Negative communication patterns: When family members struggle to communicate openly or effectively, it can lead to misunderstandings, resentment, or emotional distance.
Frequent arguments: Persistent conflicts or arguments between parents and teens that escalate without resolution.
2. Behavioral Issues
Rebellious or defiant behavior: When a teen is being rebellious, acting out, or engaging in risky behaviors, parents often feel unable to manage the situation.
Academic struggles: Issues related to school performance, truancy, bullying, or lack of motivation.
3. Mental Health Concerns
Self-esteem
Eating disorders
4. Life Transitions
Divorce or separation: Helping families navigate the changes and emotional turmoil that come with parental separation or divorce.
Blended families: Navigating issues that arise in blended families, such as conflicts between step-siblings or difficulties in adjusting to new family roles.
5. Substance Abuse
Teen substance use: Teen drug or alcohol use can cause tension, mistrust, and concern within the family.
Parental substance issues: Addressing the impact of a parent's substance use on the teen and overall family dynamic.
6. Grief and Loss
Death of a loved one: Supporting the family in coping with the loss of a loved one and helping them process their grief together.
Other losses: Helping teens work through other significant losses, like moving to a new place, losing a friendship, or changes in household financial stability.
7. Trauma and Abuse
Past or ongoing trauma: Helping families work through the effects of trauma, whether it’s related to past abuse, a serious accident, major illness, or other traumatic events.
Addressing abuse: When there are concerns about emotional, physical, or sexual abuse within the family, it's necessary to address these issues in a safe, therapeutic environment.
8. Parental Challenges
Parenting disagreements: Parents sometimes disagree on how to raise their teen, leading to inconsistent rules, discipline, or expectations.
Stress and burnout: Parental stress, work pressures, or burnout can affect the family environment and the teen’s well-being.
9. Relationship Strain
Estrangement: Emotional distance or estrangement between parents and their teens can require help to reconnect and rebuild trust.
Sibling rivalry: Conflicts between siblings create tension and impact mental health.
10. Preparing for Major Changes
Transition to adulthood: Supporting teens and parents as they navigate the challenges and emotions related to transitioning to adulthood, such as preparing for college or moving out.
Improve Your Family Relationships With Therapy for Teens and Family Therapy
At Liz Morrison Therapy, all our therapists are trained in teen and family therapy. We help you and your teen by:
Safely and gently working through difficult family dynamics to build more authentic, caring relationships
Guiding everyone toward healthier communication styles
Sharing useful tools, skills, and strategies that you and your child can use for difficult or tense situations
Helping repair any disconnect or hurt
Resolving differences in parenting styles so you and your spouse or co-parent are on the same page
Getting to the heart of behavioral problems
If you’re looking for support for your teen and family, contact us at Liz Morrison Therapy to learn more about how you can get started. Let's work together to empower your entire family to create stronger, healthier relationships.
Find Support Resolving Family Problems With Family Therapy and Therapy for Teens in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New York City, NY
Are you struggling to find peace at home and longing for stronger connections with your loved ones? Our specialized family therapy and therapy for teens services are here to help you navigate conflict and build healthier, more supportive relationships. Take the first step towards healing your family and begin your journey to a more harmonious home by following these three simple steps:
1. Contact us to schedule an appointment for Therapy for Teens or Family Therapy
2. Begin meeting with a skilled teen therapist
3. Navigate conflict and heal your family relationships.
Other Services Offered at Liz Morrison Therapy
Liz Morrison Therapy offers services for the whole family. In addition to supporting your family conflict and creating healthier relationships in therapy for teens, our services also include Parenting Support for those looking to create healthy relationships with their children to help them live their best lives, Young Adult Therapy for individuals looking for support, guidance, and real-world strategies to help them deal with their struggles, and Anxiety Therapy for those wanting to cope with their anxiety in healthy ways. For more about us check out our Blogs and FAQs.