However, families with adopted children face distinct challenges that increase exponentially as they become adolescents. Most parents agree on the fact that the teen years are the most challenging time period of a child’s life, but this is especially true for adopted teens. These struggling teens strive to find out who they are, and what they want to become– which is what most teens search for, but for those who have been adopted, their identity search becomes a unique situation.
If you are wondering, “How can I help my adopted child?” turn to programs that work on creating bonds and a comfortable environment, such as those involving animals and pets. Animal therapy has been proven to be beneficial in numerous ways to struggling adopted adolescents.
Studies have shown that adopted teens are significantly more likely than non-adopted teens to struggle with mental disorders and behavioral disorders, such a ADHD and Conduct Disorder. Some adopted teens lash out at those around them as a way of attempting to harness their emotions and deal with the loss of their birth parents. Others, being the teens they are, feel the need to test the limits with their adoptive parents, or even to self-identify as being completely separate from the family unit.
Adopted adolescents can become struggling teens, as they have more and more questions about their origin. Friends who are not adopted won’t understand the need for understanding about their origin, nor will most school counselors or faculty members. Teens may not be open to help from their parents, either. The best resource, then, is a therapist trained in adoption issues.
Animal-assisted therapies, such as equine therapy and canine therapy, can help understand and work through their feelings of loss. They also help struggling teens to build healthy attachments. Three Points Center is one such professional center that brings animal therapy into part of their program. They custom-design a treatment plan for your teen, combining clinical psychology with the nurturing/balancing therapy of animal care and equine therapy.
Furthermore, family involvement is highly encouraged, so the entire family can grow and heal together. If you are looking to help your struggling adoptive teen, Three Points Center is the best option available. Everything they do – from activities at Three Points Ranch, to assisting with birth-family reunions, to animal therapy – is geared towards the healing and growth of the adoptive family.