Choosing a Counselor for a Disruptive Teen

Experience and credentials don't necessarily make a good counselor, nor does the lack of them make a bad counselor.   Word of mouth referrals on who's good and who's not may be useful. Members of the clergy can be good if they fit the family definition of a helper. Professional therapists are listed in the phone book yellow pages under

Counselors, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Psychotherapists or Drug Abuse Information. Sometimes the teen will attend counseling sessions alone; there may be times for the entire family to go together; or parents may want to go separately.

Parents and the teen should interview a prospective counselor.

Make certain that personalities are going to work well together, and that you and your teen will feel comfortable talking about intimate matters with the counselor. To find the best type of professional help for your child, consult your school counselor or yellow pages.

Here are what all those initials and descriptions after counselor's names mean:

• MSW - Master of Social Work.
• DSW - Doctorate of Social Work.
• Licensed Clinical Psychologist - a psychologist with a PhD.
• Board Certified Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist - an MD specializing in working with the emotional needs of children and adolescents.
• LPC - Licensed Professional Counselor: a person with an advanced degree in counseling and state certification.
• ACSW - A Certified Social Worker: an advanced degree with national certification.
• LCSW - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: advanced degree with national and state certification.
• LAC – Licensed Addiction Counselor. State certified to assess and treat dependency on drugs (including alcohol). Only an MD or Nurse Practitioner can prescribe drugs, including anti-depressants. This may be a family physician or a psychiatrist.

At some point, you may become involved with Youth Court.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. The Youth Court system tries to give kids an opportunity to straighten out their lives without long-reaching consequences. They try to help young people and their parents survive the teen years by making referrals to various agencies, helping them understand what is happening to them, and helping families and teens succeed.

District Court judges have given Youth Court the authority to handle any youth charges. Most cases are received as a referral from law enforcement as the result of a citation being issued to the child. However, they also accept referrals from schools, parents, and even youth themselves.

Juvenile citations are reviewed by Youth Court and a probation officer is assigned. That officer will handle the current citation, as well as any others that the youth gathers until he/she reaches the age of 18. An intake hearing is held with the probation officer, the youth, and the parent(s). The youth is advised of his/her rights. If he/she admits to the charge, a punishment/discipline plan will be instituted that may include curfew restrictions, restitution, community service, counseling, etc. A period of probation may be established that will require the teen to check in periodically with her probation officer.

No matter how many times a juvenile appears in Youth Court, he/she will not have a permanent criminal record upon turning 18. However, a youth charge will be referred to the county attorney's office for prosecution in District Court if the charge is serious, if the youth already has a lengthy record, or if he/she denies charges. Convictions through District Court do become part of the person's permanent record.

District Court also has the power to send juveniles to a state institution. A youth cited for possession of alcohol/drugs may be referred to Drug Court and sentenced to one of three special programs involving education, counseling and/or treatment. Parental participation in these programs is essential.

—From the Editors of DriverEducation.com