Fishbowl

In my dealings with troubled teens over the last few years I have noticed one common factor: inability to communicate emotions.  Revealed over numerous months in daily counseling groups I have come to see the underlying causes of the out of control tempers or the lack of emotions displayed.  Many of these youth discuss the relationship with their parents and the environment that they grew up in.  Were both mother and father around during their youth?  Were they embraced?  Was their love, attention, trust, or abandon?  They truly are a product of their environments.

One of the many ideas we have tried to introduce to these teens is empathy and how it relates to their social abilities. The Roots of Sociability connection truly applies with these teens as they are encouraged to form new bonds with peers (fellow offenders) and

Counselors as they work on trust issues. Additionally, gender roles are examined and redefined as we work on how these boys and girls were taught to act growing up.

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