Troubled Teens Resources

Teen boarding schools seem an unlikely refuge, but that is how Adam felt about his school. It was a refuge from the bitter, drawn out divorce between his parents. It was a place where he wouldn’t have to see his younger sister’s sadness and tears.

Fortunately for Adam and his parents, it was a school staffed by professionals and mental health experts who knew how to recognize and deal with teen depression. Not exactly a troubled teen boarding school, it seemed to have a high percentage of students who had little or no family life.

Though perhaps “privileged”, these teens had no contact with jet hopping parents and divorce was a commonality that they all seemed to share along with the depression and emotional upheaval that troubled teenagers in the midst of a divorce have to master.

Adam pushed through the depression for the sake of his sister. He wanted to be the one “sane person” she could talk to. He went so far as to confront his parents about how their screaming matches and hostility was hurting everyone. With support from his school and a few referrals, all of the family ended up receiving counseling to help them through the trauma.

MyWellnessDiary.com offers some good articles on depression and divorce. A few are excerpted below.

“Here are some steps to decrease the chance of your divorce and child depression

1. Honesty is the best policy: Be honest with yourself about the potential for emotional trauma in your individual children.

2. Communication: Allow your children to communicate openly with each parent.

3. Choices: By offering your children choices, whenever possible, will increase their sense of control over their lives.

4. Support: Get the proper support for yourself and your children, It may differ for each individual.

5. Normal Activities: By keeping life as normal as you can with the same routine, same activities.”

(Source)