The Parent's Guide to Helping Teenagers in Crisis

Description

You’ve seen it on the news too many times to count. School shootings, adolescent addictions, bullying, eating disorders, depression and suicide, cutting, pregnancy. There is no lack of bad news to be told about teenagers today. Maybe you believe that will never happen to “my child.” And maybe it won’t. But crises aren’t always the stories that make the evening news. The spectrum of crises an adolescent may face can range from something as (seemingly harmless) as getting caught cheating on a test to dealing with the breakdown of the family, to acting out and getting in trouble with the law. And the reality is that someone they know will likely experience some kind of crisis—and that can affect your teen significantly. Either way, when a crisis affects your teen, wouldn’t you want to be prepared?

Rich Van Pelt and Jim Hancock, both of whom have raised teenagers into adulthood and have spent decades in youth ministry and crisis management, bring together their expertise and insight to help you identify and understand what a crisis is and how you can help your teen live and grow through it. Inside, you’ll find practical responses for issues like:

• Suicidal thoughts or behavior
• Accidents
• Cheating
• Death (of a friend or loved one)
• Divorce
• Eating disorders
• Hazing
• Pregnancy
• Sexual abuse
• Sexual identity confusion
• Substance abuse or addiction
• And more…

In addition to learning appropriate responses to crises, you’ll learn how to prevent some of these issues, and how to get professionals involved when necessary. Whatever it is your teen is dealing with, your influence in their life is still the most important one. So be prepared to walk them through their crisis with wisdom, compassion, and the tools to help them heal.

About the Authors

Rich Van Pelt trains thousands of educators, counselors and youth workers each year in adolescent crisis intervention and teen suicide prevention and response. His expertise springs from more than three decades of youth and family work, including ten years with incarcerated youth in the Colorado Department of Corrections. He is president of Alongside Consulting, a Denver-based leadership development organization, and is national director of ministry relationships for Compassion International. Often called on to offer counsel and direction after major teen incidents, like the Columbine shootings, Rich is also the author of Intensive Care: Helping Teenagers In Crisis and co-author of The Youth Worker's Guide to Helping Teenagers In Crisis.

Jim Hancock invested two decades as a church-based youth worker. Now he spends his days writing and creating digital movies and learning designs for youth workers, parents, and adolescents. He's the author of many youth ministry resources including How to Volunteer Like a Pro and The Justice Mission, and co-author of Good Sex 2.0 and The Youth Worker's Guide to Helping Teenagers in Crisis.