7 Best Ways To Communicate With Teens

Introduction

Let us explore the 7 best ways to communicate with teens, I am Dr. Pavana S, Psychiatrist at Akshaya Medical Centre, Vidyaranyapura, and also specialize in Child and Adolescent Therapist – NHCA and Sexologist from Budapest(ESSM). In my clinical practice often I have seen parents coming with distress and clueless about the behavior of their teens and find it very difficult to manage certain situations.

Real Life Story

Let me share with you the story of one such parent let’s call them Mr & Mrs. Rao and their world turned upside down, coming from a middle-class family, conservatives started noticing a few changes in their son Avir who is 16 years, the youngest among the two siblings, increasing withdrawn behavior where in spent most time watching mobile, mostly indoor in his room, his academic performance has dipped, interacts very less with parents refuses to attend any family gatherings, snaps at them at few instances, doesn’t responds well.

Mr & Mrs. Rao worried about their son’s behavior and well-being, mounting frustration in the parents, In this instance you can relate to your life/around your loved ones. This is where our story begins.

Mr Rao Scheduled an appointment at our Akshaya Medical Centre, seeking professional help, as we are experts in Child and adolescent therapy sat them down to unravel the issues and concerns. I acknowledged their reason for distress and often parents face these issues. Also, Avir was assured of confidentiality about our open conversation creating an atmosphere of trust.

Conclusion

We explored that there were some problems with communication between the parents and teen but there was no psychological disorder involved and after this developed a strategy

For active communication that aligns with Avir’s interests, involving spending quality family time, considering his love for art and music, and parents improving interpersonal issues.

You can check out our YouTube video on 7 Best ways to communicate with teens –@mindzone15

Now let us dive into understanding in 7 Best ways to Communicate with Teens

Active listening: with teens, this involves giving them full attention, showing empathy and not being judgemental. We must always understand their perspective and validate emotions, not reacting but responding. By following the right communications they feel heard and respected, which creates the foundation for trust and also builds up positive relationships which helps them to take up challenges and dysregulate their emotions.
Empathy & Validation: Teens often feel they are heard and supported if there is someone who can validate their emotions this again builds up trust giving way to better encourage for positive decision making.
Establishing boundaries: This means acknowledging their expectations along with respecting their autonomy. This will create a balance between mutual respect and understanding with parents and teens. Setting up boundaries will help them to navigate challenges, and for effective communication positive and supportive environment is a must.
Use nonverbal cues: Use good body language like maintaining eye contact, and facial expressions which convey understanding and empathy, these nonverbal cues will enhance connections, making to express themselves more comfortably.
Finding common grounds: identifying shared interests, and hobbies will build rapport and decrease generation gaps. Creating connection and understanding relationships which will help in effective and enjoyable communication
Encourage openness: By creating a nonjudgmental space teens will feel safe in expressing their emotions and thoughts. By creating such an environment teens can actually share and engage in meaningful conversations about their interests and lives.
Timing and patience: have lots of patience while dealing with teens giving them space also communication becomes more constructive in understanding teens’ thoughts and feelings.