Case Study: The Troubled Teen

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When I asked her why she was coming to counseling, she said her teenage daughter was in rebellion. It was my next question that surprised her. I asked her about the state of her marriage.

After refocusing, she said that they dishonor one another, do not respect each other, and have some anger issues. I inquired about how long this has been happening. She said since the early years of their twenty-two-year marriage. Now they have a rebellious teen.

There is a direct correlation between how parents interact with each other and how a teenager behaves. Too often, the parents of rebellious children do not perceive how their lives create the foundation upon which their children learn how to relate to others.

I’m not saying all teen problems are parents’ fault, but I am saying that parents must be aware of how they can shape their children’s lives. Parents do not live in a vacuum, as though their attitudes and actions don’t matter. Nearly all teen counseling has to involve the parents, and the parents must be open to making changes in how they relate to God and each other.

Case Study Questions

1. What questions would you ask the mom to draw out her and her husband’s role in the child’s rebellion?
2. How would you acknowledge the parent’s culpability to the child but keep her from thinking she’s a victim of her parent’s poor modeling?

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Rick Thomas

Rick launched the Life Over Coffee global training network in 2008 to bring hope and help for you and others by creating resources that spark conversations for transformation. His primary responsibilities are resource creation and leadership development, which he does through speaking, writing, podcasting, and educating.

In 1990 he earned a BA in Theology and, in 1991, a BS in Education. In 1993, he received his ordination into Christian ministry, and in 2000 he graduated with an MA in Counseling from The Master’s University. In 2006 he was recognized as a Fellow of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).