Like many other parents, a notable amount of my time is spent concerning myself with whether or not I’m doing all I can to try to make sure that my child has the best chance of being healthy, happy, and fulfilled in their life; am I spending enough time with them, am I giving them enough space, am I letting them watch too much TV, how do I get them to eat more protein and less sugar, should I volunteer to be their basketball coach, will I ever sleep soundly again?  All good and important questions, ones that in asking ourselves can hopefully serve to occasionally remind us that caring about the wellbeing of our children is unquestionably the most important mission a person can undertake once they become a parent, something I wholeheartedly believe we should take solace and pride in, even if sometimes it feels like an endeavor that is equally maddening, saddening, and scary as it is joyful and rewarding. 

As adolescents begin their search for autonomy and continue to try to develop a greater sense of their identity during this time, adolescents can view loving parents as authority figures whom they want to individuate from.  This can make it very difficult for parents to broach difficult subject matters like substance use, let alone have ongoing conversations with them over the course of many years, as is often necessary to try to ensure their wellbeing when they are facing something that could adversely affect them without the regular intervention of healthy inquiry and dialogue.

An Outside Party: Meetings between Counselor and Adolescents

The teacher, coach, tutor, academic counselor, therapist, and substance use counselor are all examples of outside parties who, along with a youth’s parent (s), can play a role in an adolescent’s life to augment their happiness, success, and maturation. However, it is only the last two of the examples above (therapist and substance use counselor) who are bound both ethically and legally, with a few extreme exceptions, to maintain the confidentiality of what a youth shares with them. 

This means that during the Zoom meetings I will be facilitating, an adolescent can speak openly about their curiosity of using a particular substance, their actual use of a particular substance, and, most importantly their thoughts and feelings about this curiosity and/or use without worrying if this will evoke a negative response from their parent(s).  All this is to say, that while it may be a hard pill to swallow, sometimes the best decision a parent can make is to turn the reigns over to a third party when it comes to the tutelage of their children in certain areas.

Support and Education for You: Meetings for Parents

As all the information above indicates, knowing how best to help your child in anything, especially something as complex as substance use, can be very overwhelming.  This is why I will be providing meetings for parents once a week so we can cover a variety of topics related to parenting and substance use, such as: considering what you are modeling for your child with your own substance use or lack thereof, understanding the current cultures around substance use for adolescents, and how best to begin and get the most out of your discussions around substance use with your child.

Lastly, and most importantly, I want to reiterate that my goal for providing this service to you and your children is to prevent the abuse of substances.  I hope to help you and your child gain a better understanding of substances, what informs our decisions around our use of them, and what are the healthiest choices for you and your child in this realm.