Teen behavioural treatment is often offered professionally in countries like the U.S. and Canada. But professional help is mainly thought of as needed only when mental health conditions are involved.
What happens when parents or guardians observe inappropriate behaviours in their teens? After all, parenting involves allowing children to have more freedoms and responsibilities as they grow older. Generally speaking, the goal is to let go—and letting go requires trust. But what’s the next step if parents or guardians are already thinking: “Should I trust my teen?” This thought could come unbidden, but it could also be influenced by negative teen behaviours parents or guardians pick up on.
In cases like this, professional help in the form of assessment and diagnosis can help, followed by treatment. Are you searching for teen behavioural treatment in Canada? Reach out to Venture Academy today by calling 866.762.2211 or contacting our team online.
What Are the Benefits of Parents Trusting Teens?
By building a teen’s trust, as well as maintaining the expectation that your teen also builds trust in you, you’re likely to observe many benefits, including the following:
- Your teen feels more open and more comfortable talking to you about difficult things
- Your teen demonstrates positive, trustworthy behaviours in other aspects of their life, setting them up for positive relationships into adulthood
Building a trusting relationship with your teenager goes beyond a disciplinary approach. Not only can trust strengthen your parent-child bond for years to come, but it can also teach them how to approach building trust with other important people in their life.
What Are the Disadvantages of Trusting Your Teen?
But you continue to wonder: “Should I trust my teen?” Even after learning the benefits of trusting your teen, asking this is not unusual. After all, anyone who’s been a parent or guardian knows that breaches of trust are to be expected in children of all ages, especially when they start to push boundaries to test their independence.
Yes, breaches of trust will happen, and they may be hard to deal with or even forgive. However, these breaches are certainly better than the alternative of not building a close relationship with your teen. Along with the occasional lie or dishonest omission comes the likelihood that your teen will approach you when they want to talk about important or potentially life-changing issues.
Depending on the impact of their actions and lies, you should work with your teen to decide on appropriate consequences, which could range from a simple chat about your expectations, losing privileges until they show that they can rebuild trust, or undergoing teen behavioural treatment.
How Can Teen Trust Be Properly Managed?
A guardian or parent trusting their teen will not always be rewarded with complete honesty, but trusting your teen is overall more beneficial to them and your relationship with them than otherwise.
However, suppose your teen frequently breaks your trust without showing any remorse. This could indicate other underlying issues and could be a sign that you need to seek help from a mental health professional. While you are in the process of setting up appointments for your teen’s behavioural health assessment and possible diagnosis, you may also consider connecting with other parents in your community to stay informed about your teen’s activities and friends reliably.
A teen’s trust in you may falter because they don’t want you to discover more serious negative behaviours, such as promiscuous sexual activity or illegal activities like stealing. If you find out anyway, don’t try to handle it on your own. In cases like these, the breaking of parent-teen trust is only part of the problem, and professional help is definitely needed.
Ready To Learn More About Venture Academy’s Options for Teen Behavioural Treatment?
Needing help does not make you a bad parent; seeking help when required makes you a great parent. If you’re looking in Canada for teen behavioural treatment options, contact Venture Academy today. Reach out to our team online or call 866.762.2211.