How to Help Our Teen Girls in Real-Life Situations

Teen girls experience a wide variety of challenges including issues with body image, self-esteem problems, and learning to develop relationships with other teens. Development during these years can be confusing, and girls may often face difficult social decisions and personal stress. Adults can offer support and help teen girls build their resilience by creating steady, nurturing relationships that offer open lines of communication. These relationships offer girls a sense of safety and support, so they are more likely to seek help with real life situations that create distress.

Instructions

1. • 1
     Build a positive, trusting rapport. A teen girl is likely to confide in you and ask for help if she feels a sense of trust and rapport. Whether you're a parent or an educator, you can develop this rapport by being available and showing interest in her activities, school work and social life. Asking questions, remaining open-minded, and offering positive feedback are all important ways to show that you care about her feelings and experiences.
   • 2
     Offer positive role modeling of healthy communication. Parents, educator and other adults can role model positive communication skills by talking opening about problems or feelings. Active listening skills show a teen girl how to accept another person's point of view and also assert her own needs and thoughts in a respectful way. If you're working with a girl who has problems feeling confident about expressing herself, you may want to model assertive communication skills, such as "I" statements.
   • 3
     Provide resources for health, wellness and positive relationships. Teen girls face a variety of difficult decisions and experiences regarding their bodies and their health. From body image to puberty, adolescent development can create some confusing and overwhelming feelings. It's important for a teen girl to know that she has resources regarding health questions. If you're a parent this may mean that you offer your daughter books on health or that you help her schedule health appointments. Keeping communication open about wellness and sexuality will ensure that she feels comfortable seeking out resources.
   • 4
     Set firm limits regarding unhealthy or unacceptable behaviors. As an adult you should be supportive and accessible, but you'll also need to assign consequences for any inappropriate or unhealthy behaviors. For example, if a teen girl goes out to a party and drinks, it's important to be supportive and communicate openly, but it is also critical that she has consequences and limits. She needs to know she can trust you for support, but that you will not allow her to engage in destructive or harmful behaviors.