High School Transition Tips – Hold On Parents | Teen Counselor Therapist

By Published On: July 16th, 20182 min read

“You don’t understand!” “You don’t have a clue what I am going through!”  “You don’t know what your talking about!”  If you have not heard these statements from you teenager get ready because it’s coming! However, during these transitional years, parent involvement becomes a crucial aspect of their successful high school career.

Student Fears – Greater rate of Disappointments: What if I do not make the team or cheerleading squad or band?

  • More Competitive
    • Classes
    • School work
    • Sports – More likely to not make the team
    • Extra Curricular
  • Friendships Change
  • Will I be a Late Bloomer
  • Body Image
  • Showers and Changing in the Locker Room
  • Being Bullied in School or Cyberbullying
  • Parent Pressure – Grades Count
  • Peer Pressure: Drugs, Alcohol & Sex
  • Parent’s Getting in the Way

Fox 35, Heidi Hatch, Interviews Author, Communicator, and Teen Expert Jim West


Parents Fears – Drinking and Driving, Pregnancy, Academics

  • They may not get into a good college if they don’t keep up their grades
  • Partying and will they get in a car with a drunk teenager
  • Will guys get her drunk and take advantage of their daughter
  • Their teens will not want to be around them
  • The Hooking Up Culture and STDs

How Can You Help?

  • Attend Parent – Teacher Conferences
  • Help Teenager Set up Homework Time
  • Create Reasonable Restrictions
  • Enforce Timelines and Curfews
  • Stay Involved with their Friends – Offer your Home as the Cool Hang out
  • Maintain Family Traditions and Rituals – Non-Negotiable Family Night, & Family Dinners

How can parents promote successful years in High School? Drop Out Rate is Highest for 9th Graders

  1. Pay Attention to Report Cards and get Tutoring for Student
  2. Help student plan for the future:
  • Start a Resume Now
  • Save all Announcements and Awards in a file
  • Promote Volunteer Work – Increases Social Awareness & Looks Good on Resume
  1. Have School Call your Cell when Teenager is Absent -Never Have Home Phone as the Contact – They will just Erase the Message
  2. Be Watchful for Anxiety and Depression
  3. Require Passwords for All Electronics

A parent’s role in the transition:

  1. Help them Manage their Stress
  2. Remain Approachable
  3. Bolster Social Skills
  4. Do Not Overreact
  5. Stay Involved in School

Watch Below For More Parenting Tips for Oppositional Defiant Angry Teens

NOTE: You can freely redistribute this resource, electronically or in print, provided you leave the authors contact information intact.

Orlando Teen Counselor Jim West, MA, LMHC, NCC

author avatar
Jim West
Adolescent Expert, Jim West offers expert advice to Local and National TV News & Schools Internationally and provides phone or face-to-face counseling in the Orlando area. Jim is an Author, Communicator, School Consultant, Nationally Certified and State Licensed Counselor and specializes in counseling for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). Jim has been interviewed for multiple TV, Radio, magazine and newspaper articles. He is president of Total Life Counseling Center and his Total Life approach accelerates the therapeutic & healing process by relating to children, adolescents and adults and incorporating wellness. Jim’s clients travel from all over Florida, England, Georgia, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas as he has been able to treat clients with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, Depression and more with FDA approved supplements and Dietary Modifications. 85% of his clients have not needed medication or used less medication than when they first came to Total Life Counseling Center.

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Total Life Counseling Center consists of Licensed Counselors, masters level therapists, Español counselors, Licensed Mental Health Counselors, business coaches, and image enhancement coaches who provide counseling for emotional, mental, physical and spiritual care including marriage, individual, family, substance abuse and more. TLC’s family, trauma and marriage experts have been interviewed on National and Local TV/Radio over 200 times for their expert advice on Fox News, OWN, WETV, ABC’s Medical Minute and more. Our skilled counselors are relational, approachable and specialists providing therapy services in the Central Florida area including: OrlandoWinter ParkMetroWest, Windermere, Dr. Phillips, East OrlandoLake Mary, and Clermont, Boca Raton Florida, and Dallas, TX.

About the Author: Jim West

Adolescent Expert, Jim West offers expert advice to Local and National TV News & Schools Internationally and provides phone or face-to-face counseling in the Orlando area. Jim is an Author, Communicator, School Consultant, Nationally Certified and State Licensed Counselor and specializes in counseling for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). Jim has been interviewed for multiple TV, Radio, magazine and newspaper articles. He is president of Total Life Counseling Center and his Total Life approach accelerates the therapeutic & healing process by relating to children, adolescents and adults and incorporating wellness. Jim’s clients travel from all over Florida, England, Georgia, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas as he has been able to treat clients with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, Depression and more with FDA approved supplements and Dietary Modifications. 85% of his clients have not needed medication or used less medication than when they first came to Total Life Counseling Center.

One Comment

  1. Jack Relf August 28, 2010 at 5:13 pm

    Hi, thank you for the post. You’ve helped me a lot.

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author avatar
Jim West
Adolescent Expert, Jim West offers expert advice to Local and National TV News & Schools Internationally and provides phone or face-to-face counseling in the Orlando area. Jim is an Author, Communicator, School Consultant, Nationally Certified and State Licensed Counselor and specializes in counseling for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). Jim has been interviewed for multiple TV, Radio, magazine and newspaper articles. He is president of Total Life Counseling Center and his Total Life approach accelerates the therapeutic & healing process by relating to children, adolescents and adults and incorporating wellness. Jim’s clients travel from all over Florida, England, Georgia, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas as he has been able to treat clients with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, Depression and more with FDA approved supplements and Dietary Modifications. 85% of his clients have not needed medication or used less medication than when they first came to Total Life Counseling Center.