This video segment is from Restoring Hope, a TV series hosted on WHMB40 and serving the Indianapolis area. Crosswinds Counseling offers counseling services throughout Indiana.
Crosswinds Counseling | Teen Counseling With Tim Lagro, MA, LMHC, LPC, LPCC
Hi, my name is Tim Lagro. I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. I’ve been with Crosswinds for almost 6 years. I’ve been a therapist for about 10. One of my several passions is working with teenagers transitioning into adulthood. That comes out of I was the oldest of 5 children and was very oppositional, and so I think even though I’m in my 60s I have a good understanding of that stage of life.
What I see a lot that I like to help the teenagers and their families if possible, is that kids today look to their peers for help in solving their social problems, their mental health problems. And if you think about that, looking to people who are the same age is kind of a recipe for disaster. I’m really passionate these days about helping kids build relationship with their parents, or teachers, or other mentors in this really tough part of life. Some of the things I see that these kids need, that they’re not getting in today’s society, are good structure and good nurture.
So what do those two words mean? Structure means they need a framework or rules for how life goes for them daily within the setting that they’re living in. A lot of times the parents are either too strict or too lenient on those things. So trying to help the kids and the parents find the balance of what’s going to work best for the teenager.
And then nurture. You would think, ‘Well of course I love my kids,’ but a lot of times, adults in our busy society don’t really take the time to show kids love. The biggest thing I hear from teenagers is that they just want quality time with their parents. I will see people in a restaurant where you have kids and the family sitting there eating, but everyone’s on their phone. So that’s not quality time. Kids really want time to do things with their parents. They want to be able to share activities. They want their parents to listen to them and not to judge them about what issues they’re having and then help [them learn] how to regulate their emotions. Help them think more appropriately.