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Narrative Therapy

By Test User / December 18, 2024

Mindfulness-Based Interventions

It’s 6:03pm. You were about to pay for takeaway.

It’s 6:03pm.

You were about to pay for takeaway. You knew there was $60 in there this morning. There’s $20 now

You didn’t spend the rest

Your stomach drops. You know who took it

Please don’t lead with ‘you’re a thief’

Teen stealing from parents can mean a lot of things

Sometimes it’s exactly what it looks like. They wanted something and took it. Impulsive teen brain, not deep pathology

Sometimes it’s more. Vapes or drugs they can’t ask for. Something at school they’re too embarrassed to mention. Hoarding cash to quiet their anxiety. Buying their way into a friend group or a partner’s attention

The conversation is how you find out which

Tonight don’t lead with the thief conversation. It’s the one that shuts them down. When it’s quiet, sit down with them. Say…..

$40 was missing from my wallet today. I’m not going to make this about who did it. I want to know what was going on for you that meant taking it felt like the answer. We can talk about consequences after.’

Then wait. Whatever they say don’t rush. Your job is to find out what the money was for

If they can’t explain why, it might just be impulsive teen brain. Accountability + honesty conversation

If it was a social pressure or shame thing, you’ve discovered a piece of their world. Accountability matters. So does the fix

If it was alcohol or weed for one social thing, that’s experimentation, not crisis. Accountability + a talk about what safe means

If it’s a pattern. Or harder drugs. Or you can see they’re using it to escape something. That’s when you book a GP

Your job is to find out what happened. Not decide who they are

- Send to a parent who just found money missing

- Save for the moment you notice
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#parentingteens #raisingteens #teenmentalhealth #parenting

For the parent whose son has lost a mate who’s sti

For the parent whose son has lost a mate who’s still alive.

There’s a name for it. It’s called THE GHOST MATE. Real grief with no framework.

Research (Niobe Way, Harvard) shows boys had way more emotional intimacy in these friendships than culture admits. When it fades, they grieve. But nobody’s given them permission or language

🫶🏽
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#teenboys #boymum #boydad #teenageson #parentingteens

It’s 11:22pm You were putting laundry away. There

It’s 11:22pm

You were putting laundry away. There was a smell. You lifted the mattress

Empty bottles. Not one. Several

You’re standing there wondering when this started

Here’s what nobody tells parents

Teens drinking at parties is one thing. Teens drinking alone in their room is completely different territory

Solitary drinking at 15, 16, 17 is a self-medication signal. They’re using alcohol to manage something. Anxiety. Sleep. Something that hurts to sit with.

This is bigger than partying. This is your kid using alcohol to survive their own head

Tonight don’t confiscate. Don’t yell. Don’t tell them they’re an alcoholic. You’ll get defensive shutdown and lose access to what’s actually happening

Instead try.. Sit at the end of their bed. Hold the bottle if you need to. Say

‘I found these under your mattress. I’m not angry. I’m not going to lecture you. I’m worried. Drinking on your own is different from drinking with friends. What’s it doing for you?’

Then wait

That last question is the whole thing. ‘What’s it doing for you’ invites them to name the feeling they’re escaping. Because a teen drinking alone in their room is almost always escaping a feeling. Anxiety. Sadness. Emptiness. Being alone with their own head

Whatever they say don’t fix it in that conversation. Just listen. Then thank them for telling you

Tomorrow..Book a GP. Not to punish. Because solitary drinking in a teenager is a mental health signal. They need support that isn’t alcohol

If they’re drinking daily. If they’re drinking to blackout alone. If they’re drinking to make something specific stop. Don’t wait... Get professional support this week.

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 can help you figure out next steps
Outside Australia… findahelpline.com

- Send to a parent who’s found something hidden in their teen’s room.

- Save for the night the smell doesn’t add up
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#parentingteens #raisingteens #teenmentalhealth #teendrinking #teenaddiction

For the parent whose teen is secretly holding a fr

For the parent whose teen is secretly holding a friend’s mental health crisis.

- Save for the week your kid seems too quiet.

- Send to a mum whose kid is the ‘safe one’ for everyone else

💛 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (5-25). Outside Australia: findahelpline.com
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#teenmentalhealth #parentingteens #teenfriendships #teenagegirls #teenwellbeing

For the dad whose son just realised he’s the stron

For the dad whose son just realised he’s the stronger one in the house.

- Save this for the fight that felt different.

- Send to a dad who’s never been told this happens
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#teenboys #boymum #boydad #teenageson #raisingteenagers

It’s 6:47pm. You’re all at the dinner table. They

It’s 6:47pm.

You’re all at the dinner table. They said something. Casually. About another kid at school. Or a group of people. Something that made your fork stop halfway to your mouth

Your first instinct is to erupt. To ask ‘where did you learn to talk like that?’ To make an example

Please don’t…Not yet

Here’s what nobody tells parents

When your teen says something racist, homophobic, cruel the first response you give teaches them WHAT to do with the belief, not whether to hold it

If you erupt they learn to hide it from you. It doesn’t go away. It goes underground and they say it to their mates instead

If you correct calmly they might argue, but you’ve kept the door open for the next conversation

Tonight when the moment happens

Take a breath…..Don’t perform for the rest of the family. Say this

‘Wait. Say that again.’

Make them repeat it out loud. Slowly. In their own voice. That itself often does the work…..they hear themselves

Then say

‘That’s not what we say at this table. And I want to understand where you got it.’

Then listen

They might blame a mate. They might say ‘it’s a joke.’ They might argue you’re being too sensitive. Don’t take the bait

Your job in this moment is TWO things…draw the line about what’s said at your table, AND find out where they got it. Both matter

Tomorrow keep the conversation open. Don’t beat it to death. Don’t quiz them daily. Just pay attention

Signs it’s a one-off…they cringe about it later. They stop saying similar things. Their friend group isn’t full of that talk

Signs it’s more… they escalate when challenged. Their new mates use similar language. They’re spending more time online in specific corners. It’s turning up in other conversations

If it’s the second list that’s not a phase. That’s the beginning of something forming. Pay attention to where they're spending their online time. The algorithm feeds on beliefs like this. Consider a counsellor who works with teens on identity and belonging if you can see it’s ongoing

- Send to a parent still holding what their kid said at dinner last week

- Save for the moment it happens next
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#parentingteens #raisingteens #teenagegirls #teenageson #teenbehavior

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