Wouldn’t it be great if there was a handbook for raising a teen girl? Unfortunately, no such handbook exists.
BUT if you want to develop a healthy and working relationship with your female identifying teen, read on.
After working with many teens and families as a Registered Social Worker, I have developed a list of 10 things to avoid doing.
Photo from Canva Pro
>>> FREE DOWNLOAD: Depression & Anxiety Toolkit for Parents Raising Teen Girls <<<
10 tools you can immediately use to improve your female identifying teens’ mental health & build resistance against depression & anxiety:
Anxiety & Depression Toolkit for Parents Raising Teen Girls
Here are 10 things you want to avoid while raising a teen girl:
- Don’t snoop (i.e going through your teen’s phone). That’s boundary trespassing. (You can still set internet rules, though. Read our blog to learn how: ‘4 Tips To Setting Internet Rules for Teens‘).
- Not giving your teens the privacy they need when out with friends.
- Not hearing and listening to your teen when they try to talk to you.
- Not compromising and negotiating and having rigid boundaries.
- Coming from a ‘your way or the highway’ style of parenting.
- Don’t be fast to talk when you need to listen to understand (e.g interrupting and trying to multitask when they are trying to engage with you).
- Don’t take anything teens do personally, I mean they are trying to find themselves and are in transitioning stages… Come on, what was your behaviour like as a teen?
Photo from Canva Pro
- Teens don’t want to be talked to as little kids, allow them some independence and ability to make informed decisions.
- Don’t force them to engage in things or activities you prefer as a parent or leave up to your dreams and aspirations, this might result in pressure and inability to cope and can often lead to mental health challenges.
- Don’t compare your teen to other teens, especially their peers.
>>> FREE DOWNLOAD: Depression & Anxiety Toolkit for Parents Raising Teen Girls <<<
10 tools you can immediately use to improve your female identifying teens’ mental health & build resistance against depression & anxiety:
Anxiety & Depression Toolkit for Parents Raising Teen Girls
One thing you WANT to do, is ensure you and your daughter have a lot of support during this time.
It takes a community to raise a child 🧡
Through Pyramid Psychology (soon to be known as ‘Unbreakable Teen Me’), I offer private therapy sessions for female identifying teens, which include support for YOU in-between sessions.
I support adolescents in Alberta ranging from 11 to 21 years old. You can book a free consultation with me here:
I Want Support for My Daughter Now
Love,
Chipo
Register Social Worker offering counseling for female identifying teens (11-21 years old)
I am a registered social worker with a Bachelor of Social Work with a major in psychology from the university of the Western Cape, and a Master’s in Clinical Social Work specialization with individuals, families, and groups from the University of Calgary.
In my practice, I note the different intersectionalites that come into play, and I have adapted myself to understanding the effects thereof. I pride myself in working from a holistic and integrative approach using trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and intersectional lenses in rendering services.
I am grounded by embracing my full humanness-being imperfectly perfect. My faith, family and friendships carry me through life and its happenings. I find being in nature very healing and so is savouring moments. When not working, I love to engage in some fitness, going on walks, journaling, catching up on Korean series, city adventures and reading for pleasure. I also believe in allowing my inner child come out sometimes through art, dancing, building sand castles you name it.
What I would tell my younger self (younger sibling). When I ask this question 9 times out of 10, teens tell me their advice for their younger person would be to wait as long as they can before they start using social media, to avoid platforms that constantly show them videos and pictures they compare themselves to, and to enjoy things outside of screen time.
Hello, my name is Tara, and I am a graduate student in counselling, I will be doing my practicum at Pyramid Psychology and I am very excited to practice all the skills I have learned as well as develop new relationships.
