lethargic teen in bed staying home from school
worrying teen afraid when mother leaves
crying teen begging mother not to leave for work

Overcome by Trauma

teenage girl in despair about dropped notebook "overcome by trauma.'

Jennifer

Jennifer’s my sister. We were super close, but then I went away to college last year. It turns out that Jennifer has been bullied relentlessly this semester. I thought it was weird that she stopped talking to me about her school stuff. She used to be really into her friends, her art club, always goofy and having fun. She used to have a pretty good grip of who she was and now she’s like a bowl of Jell-O. Kinda anxious when we talk, wavers on everything, like a real push-over. I felt sick to my stomach when I learned what she’s been going through. How did she get targeted like that? She’s so likeable! It’s not just one person either. It’s like the whole school is ganging up on her. I don’t know how she’s been hiding it from Mom and Dad. She was like a train wreck when I spoke to her last week, I should have known something was wrong. Why would she think she’d be safe at a party? Such a bad move!!! She drank and took some pills, overdosed, and some pig took advantage of her. Now I’m sitting here in the hospital waiting for her to wake up.

We at Teen Therapy Center can help teens who have suffered severe traumas like Jennifer to find ways to better understand and express the painful feelings they have, relieving the internal pressure and blame. With help, Jennifer will recognize her own ability to empower herself and to accept what she cannot control without using destructive coping strategies. Her ability to forgive and move forward while still honoring her feelings will free her to truly embrace herself as she is and strengthen her self worth. She will develop a sense of self that is not oppressed by uncontrollable life events and find healthy empowerment and peace with who she is.

Serious traumatic events come in many forms. They can often devastate both the teenager and the family in countless ways. If your family is trying to recover from trauma, Teen Therapy Center would like to help.