As a parent, navigating adolescence with your child is one thing, but when your child becomes a young adult, things can get very tricky. When you try to stride the fine line between promoting their independence, yet stepping in when you feel like there are underlying issues cropping up, it can be a very difficult challenge.
When you feel like you are out of your league, please know you are not alone. Speaking with one of our compassionate and qualified professionals is the first step in taking control of the situation and getting a gut check on what your next steps should be. Mental health counseling used to be a subject that was rarely discussed, but fortunately this type of conversation is now openly addressed by the media. At Suffolk Counseling Services, we can certainly help with a wide variety of issues affecting young adults of all age groups and genders.
Below are some of the issues that may be affecting a family member. One of the biggest barriers we will help you work through is that actively seeking help for your adult child is nothing to be ashamed of.
Depression
The symptoms of depression are often difficult for parents to clearly identify. Sometimes a young adult may appear down and out or moody, which is often normal behavior for this age group. Other times it can be a clear signal that professional help is definitely warranted. What’s important to keep in mind about depression is that unless it is addressed, it can lead to extremely serious consequences in the future.
The good news is that depression is treatable!
Anxiety
Anxiety is one of the hardest things to describe to other people who have not experienced it beyond the normal worry that comes with being in certain stressful situations. In contrast, anxiety can also include a wide range of emotions that can lead to acute panic disorders. If you see your young adult exhibit excessive worry, irritability and unchecked feelings of anger, they may benefit from being counseled by our compassionate team of professionals. At Suffolk Counseling Services we have helped many young adults to develop strategies that can help to keep their anxiety under control.
Trauma
We have all lived through traumatic events in our lives, some bigger than others. But what happens when we don’t have the skills to process those emotions properly? For young adults, conflicting emotions may play a role in how they react and some may just try to bury them. Sometimes a traumatic childhood experience can trigger negative thoughts and feelings decades after it occurred. For this reason, it’s a good idea to have your young adult work with one of our caring mental health experts who can teach healthy ways to move on and ultimately gather the emotional strength to not carry this burden in such a heavy way moving forward.
ADHD/Learning Differences
It’s difficult enough for a young adult to go out on their own, but if they have been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder it can make things much more difficult. While they may be exceeding at a high level at work, they may still be struggling with paying their car insurance on time or having difficulty completing tasks and exhibit a high level of general disorganization. Fortunately much more is now known about this and other learning differences. Our therapists take a personalized approach and first build a sense of trust. From there they use physiological and cognitive behavioral strategies to help work through what can often be frustrating issues, especially for a parent who also may benefit from guidance around this sensitive subject.
Sexuality Struggles
In or around the teenage years, many adolescents will question their sexual orientation in some way. This topic is one that parents are often uncomfortable with and find it hard to enter into a meaningful conversation with their young adult. At Suffolk Counseling Services our licensed therapists can help provide both parents and their child with a means of expressing themselves honestly without fear of judgement or scrutiny.
Effects of Social Media
The long term effects of social media on all of us are just starting to be understood. The low esteem it continually fosters can have lasting impacts – depression, anxiety, fear of pursuing opportunities in adulthood, and relationship problems, just to name a few. A recent article by ABC News offers some great advice on how to spot when your young adult seems to be suffering from mental health issues, all of which our counselors can advise on in much greater detail.
It’s so important to remember that your young adult is living in a time where they are facing challenges that we as parents may never have experienced. It can often be overwhelming for even the most well adjusted young adult, many of whom may seem fine and accomplished on the outside, but may be secretly struggling inside and not know how to ask for help.
Contact us today for a consultation and one of our talented and highly skilled mental health providers will be glad to set up an appointment to meet with you.
