What are the problems with troubled teens?

In my years of teenage counseling, I have heard a lot of parents wonder whether they could have stopped their children from getting in to a downward spiral or not? Why that their love and care has only caused trouble for the child instead of making him feel responsible towards his actions?

The most important thing to understand here is that a teenager is not a grown up. He or she has not gone through complete mental and emotional growth. This immature state of mind is susceptible to external influence, cannot differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate needs and wants everything. The troubles with teenage minds do not confine themselves to just disobedience, if unattended your troubled teen may end up becoming a drug addict, alcoholic and a felon.

So what are the problems with a troubled teenager? A lot of studies and research has been done on this field and a lot are still going on. But broadly speaking a troubled teen may have any or all of the following issues and troubles to deal with:

Power Struggle: Who has the power? Am I not old enough to take my decisions? Why do I have to listen to my parents all the time? What do they know of me? My parents do not understand me, why should I listen to them? Tightening the control over the troubled teenager and trying to show him who is the boss often has detrimental results and leads to even more friction.

Too much liberty: Teenagers with too much liberty and freedom to exploit often end up misusing the power given to them. They often read it as disregard or disinterest from the parents towards the welfare of their children. They complain that they are not given enough attention.

Peer Pressure: We all know how bad peer pressure could be? If the pressure restricts itself to one odd piercing or a smoke at a party, then you should be thankful. But generally peer pressure is all pervading and takes the troubled teen to a downward spiral, misguiding him or her in to choosing wrong priorities and taking bad decisions.

Understanding the teenage mind: Teenagers are not mature. You cannot and should not expect adult behavior from them. At the same time they are not incapable of doing good deeds. Know that your child is capable of doing great things. It is just that he is not ready as yet. A well-planned program and effectively designed behavioral reconstruction will help your child attain great things in life. Help him realize his potential by giving him proper guidance.

There are several incidents where rebellious troubled kids have ended up doing great things in life. They are in fact not weak but rather strong. They need to identify their strength and channel it in the right direction. Experienced guidance and professional assistance can help them attain that easily. Only a deep and thorough understanding of their history of trouble and problems can help them tread on the right path.