Navigating relationships as a teen can be like a wild rollercoaster ride with many ups and downs and twists and turns. It is filled with new emotions, thoughts, and physical sensations that can be a little overwhelming for some. Fortunately, today, there are plenty of ways of navigating teen relationships so that you will have a network of friends who will support you through good times and bad.
At Imagine Boise, we support teens aged 12-17 struggling to build new relationships with their peers and classmates. Making new friends can be very hard for some teens, especially if they don’t have the confidence or self-esteem to step forward and introduce themselves to others. Building healthy relationship traits early on will help you develop supportive relationships later in life, benefiting your overall mental health.
If you or your teen son or daughter can benefit from teen relationship counseling, call 888.597.2807 today to schedule a tour of our welcoming facility.
Navigating Relationships As a Teen
Navigating relationships as a teen can be as frightening as a Stephen King novel or Yellowjacket episode. Teens can experience changes in their personalities and may struggle with letting go of old relationships and building new ones that better suit their likes and interests. They need to learn that change is not a bad thing, and if they hold onto a relationship that does not create happiness, it can hinder their development.
How do you navigate relationships as a teen? Talking with a teen relationship counselor can be a great help with learning how to navigate through the choppy waters of teen relationships. They will cover a wide range of relationship topics, including:
- Practicing self-awareness and reflecting on personal values, interests, and goals
- Understanding that healthy relationships take time to build
- Setting physical and personal boundaries
- Practice self-respect and respect for others
- Maintaining your independence in all relationships
- Conflict resolution
- Knowing when to walk away
Walking away from old relationships that don’t benefit you is an essential part of growing up. We all change as we get older, and sometimes childhood friends don’t follow the same path, and that is OK.
Imagine Boise is a full-service teen mental health treatment facility that welcomes all teens who need help building healthy relationships. Our relationship counseling program covers beneficial topics, such as how to navigate relationships as a teen, what to do when relationships become emotionally abusive, and other important relationship themes.
Top Relationship Traits for Teens
Teaching your teens about healthy relationship traits early on will better prepare them for dealing with dominant or controlling personalities as they grow up. The sooner they learn how to recognize bad relationship traits, the better their relationships will be today and in the future.
Some traits that will help with navigating teen relationships are:
- Communication – Open and honest communication is the only way to build trusting, healthy relationships. If friends are honest, they will better understand how each other’s actions and words affect the other. Open communication between friends builds empathy, trust, emotional intelligence, and better self-awareness.
- Supportiveness – A clear sign of a robust and healthy relationship is friends who tease and pick on each other in good-natured fun but also support them through difficult times. Being able to open up to a friend about personal issues or confusing thoughts is one of the best ways to better understand yourself and your friend. Deep, personal conversations are essential for relationships to thrive and grow.
- Problem-solving – Teen relationships have lots of good times and some bad times as well. Conflicts can arise in any relationship, and those who work through the problem together will continue to build strong bonds. This means accepting that you are not always right and can teach you that it is OK for your friend to have a different opinion. Differences can help make relationships grow stronger.
- Fun – Many people seem to have forgotten that relationships should be about having fun and creating happiness and joy. Happy teens become happy adults because they have built relationships that continue to make them happy, which will increase their self-esteem and confidence in meeting new people.
Navigating relationships as a teen can sometimes be discomforting, confusing, and frustrating. It can also be exciting, exhilarating, and supportive. Just like a rollercoaster, you should hold on tight because it’s going to be a bumpy yet thrilling ride.
Find Teen Relationship Counseling at Imagine Boise
At Imagine Boise, we understand how difficult it can be to navigate relationships as a teen. That’s why our therapists create a trusting and non-judgmental space for teens to open up about any troubling thoughts, emotions, or feelings. We use a number of beneficial therapies to help teens, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), teen relationship counseling, and family therapy.
To get your teen son or daughter the help they need to build healthy relationships, contact us online or call 888.597.2807 today to speak with our compassionate team.