How a counsellor can help troubled teens

The role of the volunteer counsellor or mentor in the case of teen substance abuse is different from that of a therapist or a certified and licensed substance abuse counsellor. It is not your job to provide the treatment a teen needs for their drug problem.

Instead, your role is to be there when teens need someone to talk to, to figure out whether they need help from a professional, and to make it as easy as possible for them to get that help. Let’s discuss these steps in more detail.

Convince them they need treatment

Therapists and rehabilitation centres only help if the person in need shows up. Fortunately, if a teen is under 18 years of age, they cannot refuse treatment if their parent or guardian decides they need it.

If they are over 18, it might require a push from a school administrator, employer, or the legal system.

As a counsellor, you cannot compel a teen to receive treatment.

If you determine that treatment is necessary and the teen refuses, you should immediately inform their parents or guardians so they can take the next step. That being said, it is better to convince the teen they need treatment if at all possible.

It will make the transition process smoother and more likely to be effective if everyone involved agrees.

It can be difficult to get any teenager to do something they don’t want to do, and the problem is much worse with addicts.

However, there are strategies you can use that have proven effective.

Get the teen to talk about the problems drugs or alcohol have caused in their lives. Even if they claim they are fully functional and have no interest in getting clean, if you probe deeply enough you will often find they are fully aware of negative effects of their drug use.

They just try not to think about it. Ask them to describe an event in which their drug use made a situation worse or hurt them or someone else. Ask them about what they have lost or given up for drugs.

Even if they claim they don’t care about any of this, telling someone else about these issues will bring them to the forefront of their mind and perhaps help them see the situation differently.

Try to find the root of the problem

Research shows that as many as 75 percent of teens who use drugs suffer from mental health issues such as anxiety or depression. The drugs seem like an easy cure. Help them to see that there are other, better ways to deal with their problems, and they may be more amenable to the idea of getting sober.

Help them see the potential consequences of their substance abuse. Ask them about their life goals and what they want to do in the future. Talk about the way that drugs and alcohol can interrupt these goals.

Let them do as much of the talking as possible. If a counsellor or parent lectures a troubled teen, they are likely to shut down or dismiss what they hear. If they come to the conclusions themselves, they will be more convincing and powerful.

Suggest easing them into treatment

Teens might be more open to the idea of speaking to a therapist or certified substance abuse counsellor than to going straight into a rehabilitation centre.

These professionals are trained to help teens overcome reluctance and denial and to determine and work on the underlying causes that lead to the substance abuse.