Teens and Technology: Misuse? Overuse?

  • Many parents wonder and fear that their teens spend too much time on the internet and cell phone.
  • Parents complain that their adolescent's time interacting with the family is decreasing, or not sufficient.
  • Often, parents state that their children's academic performance is decreased due to their technological involvement.
  • Some parents fear that their teens may be involved with inappropriate material on the internet.
  • Almost all parents feel their teen is more technologically skilled than they are.

Dr. Atchison expects the teen and the parents to determine if their teen's technology is problematic. The parents are usually interview initially, then the teen is seen for a separate assessment.

The information is then shared with all parties present, and a treatment plan is written to carefully list treatment goals, and to enlist better involvement from the teen.

This treatment requires active participation from the parents. If there is problematic technology use, it will not be solved with individual therapy with the teen.

Parents will be assisted, and expected, to (greatly) increase their knowledge of both the technologies and the content available from these technologies—as well as how to monitor the content of their teens' tech usage—and how they can use the technology to monitor the teen.

Family Treatment

Family Treatment is used selectively when the clinical issues of the primary client have significant impact upon or can be better resolved by working with other select family members.

An educationally oriented treatment of spouse or partner is often necessary when dealing with mood disorders, substance abuse, or crisis which affect multiple members. Education increases the client's control of their therapy, as well as their lives.

Almost all adolescents are treated with both individual and family treatment, and this often involves a negotiated behavioral contract with the adolescent and the parents. Communication skills, (listening, really) are taught as a contract is developed.

Parents are challenged and expected to develop and maintain leadership in their family units - with brief intervention from the therapist's tool kit.