It is truly amazing how many teens are silently begging for their fathers to be part of the therapeutic process. They often see them as on the fringe of involvement and inadvertantly become dismissed as non-essential. But the reality is that dads are so important to the process of change and when they can attend even one therapy session, it often suggests a committment to their teenager that means more than the culmination of all the individual sessions. Boys in particular have mixed feelings on having their fathers in therapy. They are often angry at them but still maintain enough forgiveness to want them to participate. Often this is not necessarily to open up productive dialogue but instead to punish them via silence for not being engaged with them during the past difficult periods of time. If fathers were to make overtures to their kids that they are willing to be part of any process of change it could greatly help the therapy process.
Bryon Remo is a licensed marital and family therapist practicing in the Southbury, Connecticut area. He specializes in working with difficult adolescent issues/
RemoCounseling.com
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