The 7 areas of professional help to families with adolescents.

Areas in which it is possible to professionally help adolescents and their families.

It is well known that adolescence tends to be a complex stage of life, for better and for worse.

Although it is not always full of drama and identity crises to the extent of what movies and TV series show, many young people see how their lives become convulsive from the arrival of puberty onwards: physical and Biological changes in their bodies, changes in the expectations they feel they have to fulfill, new priorities, interests and aesthetic codes, etc.

If we add to all this complexity the fact that most of these adolescents live constantly with their families, the result of not knowing how to manage the situation can create persistent problems that appear again and again in everyday life.

That is why there are professionals who are specifically trained to respond to this need for matching between adolescents and their families.. Here we will see what these areas of intervention are.

The areas of professional intervention in families with adolescents

Although there are several ways to favor the good coexistence in the families with adolescents and to create the ideal context so that these last ones develop well and have a good emotional balance.

1. Analyzing attachment style

In this context, attachment is the way in which young people perceive the affective bond that unites them to their parents, and the attitudes they develop about their parents. the attitudes they develop about their situation as children who are still vulnerable and in need of protection.. Attachment style can take different forms, some of which are harmful to the child, so it is important to know how to identify what type of attachment is in place.

2. Exploring forms of personal autonomy for the adolescent

Adolescence is characterized, among other things, by being a transitional stage between a way of life in which one counts on the constant protection of the elders, and another in which personal autonomy and the search for power to decide for oneself prevails. This duality is stressful for many young people, who feel intimidated by this openness to the This duality is stressful for many young people, who feel intimidated by this openness to the world with less protection and, at the same time, feel frustrated by the world of imposed norms. the world of family-imposed rules.

3. Resilience formulas

The transition to a new way of living sometimes involves facing crises and distressing situations in general.The change in the group of friends, the accelerated change of the body, the need to organize oneself, etc. Sometimes, this gives way to painful events, arguments, moments of embarrassment, etc. This is why both adolescents and their families can benefit from the possibility of developing resilience formulas, i.e. ways to face these complicated situations while maintaining a constructive mentality.

5. Understanding the neurological changes of adolescence

The way young people who have recently gone through puberty think and feel is altered by relatively rapid brain changes. that occur relatively quickly. Understanding these changes is very helpful in knowing what adolescents are going through.

6. Understanding their sexuality

Adolescence also goes hand in hand with changes in the area of their sexuality, and has implications both in the way they live it and in the way they perceive it.. Therefore, professionals working to support adolescents and their families have experience in the kind of problems and needs that may arise in this regard: doubts, search for privacy, fear of not being normal, seeking experimentation without the help of others, etc.

7. Improve the dynamics of conflict resolution

Arguing is not the same as confrontation or fighting. For this reason, family coexistence where there are adolescents is greatly benefited when a series of rules and communication and emotion regulation skills are internalized.

Are you interested in training in assisting adolescents and their families?

If you work in the world of education, coaching with families and young people or want to specialize in similar areas of work, you may be interested in a training program developed by Escuela Europea de Coaching (EEC) and specifically oriented to offer support and assistance to adolescents and their families.

The Specialization program in adolescents and families created by EECoffers 30 hours of theoretical and practical learning in which students are trained in all the areas of professional intervention seen in the previous section.

Throughout the program, students work both from an individual (person-centered) and systemic approach (focused on the interaction between family members), and it is based on the active participation of students in order to be able to apply what they have learned to real cases. The Specialization in adolescents and families is coordinated by Rosa Mª Barriuso, psychologist specialized in Psychotherapy for children and adolescents and certified Team Coach at EEC. To see the contact details of Escuela Europea de Coaching and read more information about this course, go to this page.