No teen deserves to feel alone.
We connect every teenager with trusted adults and resources because no teen deserves to feel alone.
What makes a caring adult a trusted resource? When you complete our easy, online certification, you will leave with the skills and knowledge to connect with teens and help them walk through life’s challenges. You will be fully equipped to lead a Support Group!
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Students helped since 2008
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“One thing I learned from this group is that I always have someone to talk to.”
– Teen Life support group student
I can’t say enough about the benefit with partnering with Teen Life.
The past eight years, I have led or co-led at least one group every year, sometimes two. The curriculum is pertinent and helpful to get kids to talk and engage. Kids need a safe place to be encouraged and to gain skills in coping with school pressures and life stresses.
Heritage MS Counselor
Grapevine/Colleyville ISD
It has been a great blessing to walk beside these kids on their turf.
Equipping them with some tools to help break the generational cycles of self-esteem, relationship, and spiritual poverty, and to assist them in casting a vision on where they want to be and how they might get there.
Jacob
Decatur ISD, Support Groups Facilitator
You’ve got to check this out!
Pay Attention: You are Being Watched!
It’s kind of creepy to think about, but you are being watched. And while many are in denial about this fact, it is true and we need to find a way to believe it, accept it, and act accordingly.Its this really simple idea that so many adults need to understand. Our kids watch us, no matter the age. I still watch my parents and follow their lead as a 37-year-old. And if you have a teenager in your life, I assure you they are watching you and acting accordingly.
The old line “do as I say, not as I do” is a load of garbage – and we know it. Those of us who work with teenagers or children need to understand our crucial role in leading and caring for the younger generation.
Don’t Panic about Talking to Your Teen
Holding conversations with teenagers where they actually open up and share about their personal life can be difficult. In this episode, Chris and Karlie share some practical advice for talking to teenagers (and getting them to talk back). Instead of panicking about what they aren’t telling you, learn to start asking better questions!
Don’t Panic About Self-Harm with Shannon Herman
In this episode, we talk to Shannon Herman, a Licensed Professional Counselor, about self-harm, how to recognize the signs and how to respond to a teen who self-injures. While this can be a heavy and sometimes upsetting topic, we need to be able to have conversations about self-harm to better equip teenagers with different coping skills. Take a deep breath and don’t panic about self-harm…you’ve got this!
Don’t Panic about Social Media with Sarah Brooks
Do your social media conversations only lead to fights? Sarah Brooks joins us to talk all things Social Media. There is no need to panic about social media…you’ve got this!
Motivation Monday: Tough Love Brings Change
One of our weekly groups is a year-round group at a local adolescent drug rehab. We have been working at this facility for over four years now, and I can honestly say it can be the most rewarding or frustrating experience of my week. These are young men who are battling addictions at a very young age and are (primarily) court ordered to go through 45-60 days of rehabilitation.
There are 16 boys on the unit at all times, so you can imagine how up and down these boys can get. A few weeks back, I had to completely shut down the group because the boys were not only being disrespectful of me, but also of each other. Nothing was getting done, and it seemed like they had all decided to quit on the group before we ever got started.
Motivation Monday: The Whole Person
In our Teen Lifeline Support Groups, we believe that in order for a student to excel in school, at home and at life in general, we must take care of the whole person. We must nurture their emotional health, discuss their physical health and even offer an opportunity to discuss their spiritual well-being. Even in the public school system, everyone we work with agrees that having a place for spiritual discussions is necessary – it is too important to ignore!
When we have these conversations, we center it around the relationships in their lives, including a relationship with God or a higher power. The great thing is, teenagers feel that they can be honest without receiving judgement from the facilitator or the rest of the group! In some of my high school groups, I have had teenagers share that their “higher power” is music, or love, or Jesus, or Buddha. Not everyone in the group has to be on the same page or at the same stage spiritually, but as you will see from Jason Brown’s story, these discussions open a door for healing and hope.