Mediation – Parent & Teen Disputes

PARENT & TEEN MEDIATION

Parents and Teens often find themselves in conflict with one another. There is nothing abnormal about that.  But when conflict goes on and on and begins to tear the family apart. Parent-Teen Mediation may be the answer.  “Parent-Teen Mediation” is an alternative to the endless shouting matches that often erupt between teenagers and their parents.  Parent-Teen Mediation promotes healthy communication between Parents and Teens.  Parent-Teen Mediation offers a family-based system (rather than a legal based system) to address conflict with an opportunity to promote understanding and resolution of ongoing family disputes.

All too often, families faced with Parent-Teen Conflict face high-risk behaviors from the teenager living in their household. High-risk behaviors may include running away, breaching house rules and the breakdown in relationships with stepparents and siblings. Unfortunately, there are often assumptions made that suggest that the family has a ‘troubled teen.’  But let’s face it; all teens are troubled to some extent.  It depends on how we, the adults, address those troubles that determine if the teen’s troubles get out of control.

Mediation offers a safe environment for communication with a structured process to promote a behavioral change from within the family and an opportunity to ‘think outside of the box’ in terms of looking at creative problem solving and resolutions.

At Leibeguth Law we practice Parent-Teen Mediation and see it as an opportunity to promote a change in how the family as a unit communicates.  Often explanations from parents as to the “why’s” or “fairness” of their rules fall on deaf teen ears.  Often a parent who has dug a deep power struggle hole for themselves with a teen needs assistance finding a way to move forward while maintaining authority within the family unit. Parent-Teen Mediation can help!

The Parent-Teen Mediation process will support the family members as individuals and as a greater family unit by facilitating a safe environment to promote understanding as to why the conflict is taking place based upon open and thoughtful communication.

Mediation is a very effective tool for Parent-Teen communication. As your Parent-Teen mediator, we will act as a neutral third party, trained in communication and problem-solving skills and we will encourage your family to work out mutually agreeable solutions to their issues. Our goal in Parent-Teen Mediation is to minimize blaming and to balance power in communications so that both parent and teen have the opportunity to be heard and to work together to resolve problems.