BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

Q:My son recently began a romantic relationship with one of his classmates. I wondering if this was a good idea or not, as he appears to be a lot more moody and has been isolating himself a lot lately. I often hear him on the phone with this person arguing. He says everything is fine, but I’m starting to get concerned that this relationship is not the healthiest.

A:

For many adolescents, navigating relationships can be hard. In particularly, romantic relationships, can present with difficulties that adolescents may not be equipped to handle. Because relationships are important to adolescent development and identity formation, it is critical to educate adolescents on healthy vs. unhealthy relationships. Counseling can provide a safe place for your adolescent to effectively talk about his or her relationship concerns, as well as an environment to learn strategies (such as setting and maintaining boundaries) to more effectively manage his or her relationships.

If an adolescent is involved in an unhealthy relationship, it may contribute to his or her experiencing emotion dysregulation. Unhealthy relationships may also contribute to negative selfperceptions, feelings of worry, stress, sadness, and/or anger, difficulties academically in school, isolation, sleep disturbances, etc.… Adolescents who have difficulties setting boundaries in relationships may additionally struggle with more intense issues, such as sexual boundary violations, substance use, self-harm thoughts/action, or suicidal thoughts/actions. It is important to take adolescent relationship difficulties seriously.

If you believe your adolescent is having difficulties with his or her relationship, please call us to schedule an assessment. I work with a skilled team at PBHS to offer a variety of treatment methods to best suit your unique needs. Using evidence-based techniques, we can navigate through these difficult times by developing an individualized treatment plan. Staci Tessmer, M.A.,

LPCC-S, NCC Premier Behavioral

Health Service 8701 Mentor Avenue Mentor 44060

440-266-0770