Many kids and parents look forward to the slower pace and decreased stress that the summer break brings…and this is the perfect reason why focusing on changing a behavior or emotional issue with your adolescent or teenager make sense!

Less stress in the summer means that your child or teen is really able to focus on changing troublesome behaviors or tackling their intense emotions once and for all. It makes sense that when kids are using all of their strength during the school year to manage important tasks like homework, extra curricular activities, social interactions, and family expectations, they just don’t have very much energy left over to also work on changing behaviors such as attention/concentration problems, trouble obeying authority figures, isolating themselves from friends and family, or using coping skills to manage their intense emotions.

Kids usually have much more energy in the summer to spend on learning the strategies and skills necessary to act more appropriately and/or to feel better.

Therapy during the summer also makes scheduling therapy appointments easier. When kids are in school all day and then participating in extracurricular activities in the afternoons and evenings, it makes scheduling therapy tricky. During the summer, families often have more flexibility to schedule a weekly therapy session. Take advantage of this flexibility while you have the chance!

Therapy can be short-term, which means that your child or teen can start the next school year in the Fall with new coping skills, behavior strategies, or behavior plans that set them up for success. Most of the time, kids and teens struggle with school because they’ve learned bad habits or just didn’t have the skills necessary to allow them to be successful in the academic environment. By spending 8-10 weeks in therapy during the summer, your child or teen might be able to:

• Become more confident about completing academic tasks,
• Feel happier about themselves and experience an increase in self-esteem,
• Manage their intense emotions and adhere to family rules, which makes the home a happier and calmer environment, and
• Envision a future for themselves where they are successful in pursuing their strengths and passions.

Make this summer matter for your child by spending one hour per week in therapy – it might put your child or teen on the path they need to he happy and successful.

Modern Parenting Solutions offers several options for kids and teens between the ages of 9-23 that include individual therapy, family therapy, and parent coaching. If you have IEHP, MHN, or Kaiser insurance, it is the perfect opportunity to use it to book your first appointment.