Case study 4: Adolescent

‘I hate my family, college, … everything’   

Context

In a UK metro location, a teenager boy was referred for consultation regarding multiple psychological disturbances. He gradually had developed an aversion for college and now refused to attend college at all.  

The parents and relations also complained of multiple episodes of unprovoked aggressive behaviour from the boy.

In the normal flow of things, medical investigations and procedures were conducted. All the tests were normal. The boy was not suffering from any physical diseases.  

Engagement Process

When the teenager boy was brought for psychological consultation, the primary engagement process chosen was a ‘customized Family Therapy plan’.

It was identified that the boy was facing some deeper psychological and emotional blocks about attending college. These same emotional blocks were the underlying cause for the aggressive episodes.  

It was important to empathize with and address all the factors that were contributing as stressors to the situation. It was critical to deal with them in an atmosphere where the boy feels supported and understood about his core problem.

A ‘customized Family Therapy plan’ was developed through the collaboration of the boy and his parents.

This form of family therapy is called – ‘Brief Solution Focused Family Therapy’.

This typically consists of 4-5 sessions, with each session lasting around 45 minutes.

Depending on the severity of the problem, these can be customized in number and duration.

Outcome

It was revealed through the ‘specially designed Family Therapy’ that the boy was facing some deep-seated psychological and emotional stressors.

These were the underlying cause of his various problems.

Some of the identified stressors were:

  • Excessive controlling behaviour of parents
  • Lack of understanding of the needs of boy as an adolescent
  • Inherent marital issues between the parents
  • Personality issues of the mother and father

These were addressed effectively through the collaboration of the boy and his parents – through the ‘Brief Solution Focused Family Therapy’.

Take-away

Being an adolescent can be a challenging situation for most kids. They find themselves in the transition period, on their journey into an adult world.

If the adolescent finds himself or herself incapable of dealing with the responsibility of growing-up, this can compound the effect of some stressful psychological situations.

This can often result in aggressive and rebellious tendencies.

It is important to seek adequate professional help to understand the underlying psychological stressors for adolescents.

A mental health team is trained to create the necessary and safe atmosphere where the adolescent can feel comfortable to share his or her psychological or emotional stressors.

‘Solution focused Family Therapy’ – can be an effective tool in multiple situations with a family component.

This can lead to executing the most optimal solutions for dealing with the specific problem or mental block.

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