Help for Parents of Struggling Teens

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Copper Canyon AcademyCOPPER CANYON ACADMEY is an all girls school in Rimrock, Arizona. COPPER CANYON ACADEMY offers an extremely comprehensive therapeutic program for girls and their families through individual, group, and animal therapy. There are also parent seminars and family workshops. All of the therapists who work with the teenage girls and their families at COPPER CANYON ACADEMY are licensed by the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Services.

Parents Should Help Teens Through Emotional Break-ups

A new study from the Menninger Clinic suggests that adults can help teens recover after emotional break-ups.

"Some relationships may seem so intense and so necessary that teenagers harm themselves when the relationship ends," said Dr. Norma Clarke, a child psychiatrist who led the study.

The most vulnerable teens are the ones that spend all their waking hours with their boyfriends or girlfriends, who sleep if that person is not around, and who stop seeing other friends.

"If your teen falls off the deep end and you have a sense that you are losing control of him or her, you need to intervene," Dr. Clarke said.

She said parents should talk over the situation with their child. She believes it is okay to monitor Internet usage and to "stay abreast of changes made to your child's MySpace or Facebook pages. Trust your instincts if the messages or content seems out of character and discuss this with your child."

Dr. Clarke also advised, "Be alert to cutting or other self-harm behavior, such as your teen no longer wearing short-sleeved clothing. Keeping an open line of communication ... is more welcomed by your child than may be apparent. I don't think parents realize the impact they have on their teenager's behavior."

Get more advice and tips for parenting teens at ByParents-ForParents.com.

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