This percentage increase might represent something negative in that our young people are struggling to cope with the stress and pressures of 21st-century life. But it might also represent their willingness to ask for help. What I found over the years is that it is vital when working with the teenager to work with the family at the same time so that the teenager is not reinforced as ‘the problem’ but simply a manifestation of a bigger problem in the family dynamic. Of course any self-destructive behaviours need to stop and hostile communication needs to change but what works best is when the family is open to exploring the question they always ask: ‘how did we get here?’

At Charter we can provide support for each member of the family, whether that be in one-to-one or in group, for children, teenagers and adults. Sometimes it can take time for the teenager to believe the family aren’t just playing lip service to this approach, but instead are genuinely curious in unravelling an unhealthy family dynamic – so everyone plays a part – so that they can rebuild it with love, kindness and in good humour

Usually teenagers come into therapy because they have asked for it or because the parents strong-arm them into it. Either way we can work with you and with whomever wants to access the support and information, so that you can start to contribute to the solution. It starts with an assessment where we like to meet the teenager and the parents, together and separately, so that we can design a care plan that genuinely works for you.