As parents, we understand that the journey from childhood to adolescence seems fleeting—the days are long, yet the years are short. It feels like one moment we are watching our children take their first steps and then we are quickly learning to handle mood swings, friendships, and academic pressure. During their junior and senior years, navigating this transition well means balancing our desire to protect them with their need for increased independence which may mean they fail and then learn.

As our children grow and become teenagers, it can be difficult for parents to accept the changes, especially during the holiday season. We hold on to the traditions we had through their early years and can find it challenging to figure out how to move forward and share similar experiences with our teens. While some of those traditions do not translate into “fun” for teenagers there are plenty of traditions that do! We want to help you engage your teenagers in holiday traditions that can be fun and make for some quality family time.

The holiday season can be such a magical time of year in Birmingham, Alabama. There are trips to the Birmingham Zoo to see the Christmas lights or going to the Alabama Theatre to watch the Nutcracker Ballet. There are plenty of opportunities to see Santa Claus, look at neighborhood Christmas lights, or visit a parade in the areas of Homewood, Vestavia Hills, and Mountain Brook. There are also the traditions at home of putting up the tree and decorations, making gingerbread houses, baking cookies, watching movies, and drinking hot chocolate.

As a parent, you want to do all that you can for your teen, but lately, you have been struggling to provide the help they need. You’re thinking:

When did everything get so complicated? I used to know all the right things to do and say to help (well maybe not all the right things… but my track record was a lot better then than it is now!) Anything I try only seems to make things worse. I just want to help but I don’t know how…

Maybe you’ve heard about teen counseling and have considered it but are still skeptical. If so, that’s okay. In this blog, I am going to walk you through common myths about teen counseling and hopefully provide helpful insight for you as you continue to consider the next best step for your teen, yourself, and your family as a whole.

Deciding if therapy is the best path for your teenager can be difficult. Once the decision is made it can be even more difficult to find a teen therapist in Birmingham, Alabama. After searching the internet, asking friends and family for recommendations, or getting referrals from your own therapist, you have finally found someone you think your teen may feel comfortable with. Now you are left with a lot of questions, one of which might be, what are the “right” questions to ask? Here are some common questions our teen therapists often get asked.

Being welcomed, heard, and valued are just some of the many things you and your teen can expect when working with our clinicians at Sparrow Counseling, but this is where we start. So, are you ready to start? Teen, are you tired of feeling stuck? Are you ready to start pursuing the change that you have been longing for but not yet attained? Are you willing to invest in yourself through this journey? Parents, are you willing to invest in this journey with your teen? Investing your time, energy, resources, and support to their health and attainment of their goals?

If you feel like your teen is showing signs of distress, depression, anxiety, or even difficulty adjusting to all the changes that occur with hormones, high school, friend groups, etc., it might be time to reach out to a teen therapist in Birmingham, Alabama.