teen overreacting to parent innocent question
teen slamming her bedroom door while dad is confused and worried
dad concerned about teen who says she wishes she was never born

Sad & Overwhelmed

teenage girl hunches over and cries with the title "sad and overwhelmed"

Caitlyn

I’m her dad and I used to be able to make her fall over laughing with even the worst of jokes. Lately, I just don’t get her. She’s always so mopey. Even when something really fun is planned, she barely has enough energy to enjoy it. The wind can blow slightly in the wrong direction, and she’s all tears. Reaching out to her makes everything worse; but if I leave her alone, I’m accused of not caring. I feel horrible that I can’t help her and sometimes I get angry with her because she’s so confusing. She mostly just broods in her room, shutting everybody out. I try to give her everything she needs, anticipating what she might want, but it’s never good enough. She has these major breakdowns about how I don’t really know her and how it’s no use talking to me. I can’t read her mind. The sad part is that I don’t even think she knows what’s going on in her mind. Now, Caitlyn has started hanging out with the biggest losers you could imagine. She’s so desperate to belong somewhere, I worry that she’s going to get sucked into their loser ways and get addicted or pregnant and drop out of school.

Teen Therapy Center provides Caitlyn and kids like her a safe place to creatively identify, explore and express their sadness and grief. Learning to understand these overwhelming feelings opens the door for Caitlyn to start practicing healthy coping skills. As her self-esteem matures, Caitlyn will develop a greater vision and perspective of her life. Challenges and obstacles become more manageable, making room for happiness. With a growing self-esteem, she will be more comfortable recognizing her own emotional needs and find her voice to express those needs. This will lead to stronger, respectful and more fulfilling relationships – with others but also with herself.

The above story is representative of many teens who struggle with big feelings that they don’t know how to handle. If your child resembles Caitlyn in any way, Teen Therapy Center would like to help.