Grief is a complex emotion that can be challenging for teens to navigate. According to the Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model (CBEM), 1 in 12 children and teens in the U.S. will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18. While grief is usually...
Recent Posts
Residential Treatment Length for Teens: How Long Is It?
If your child is about to begin a stay at a residential treatment center, you’re bound to have a lot of questions. What types of therapy will be involved? Will our family be allowed to visit? And, of course, how long is a teen residential treatment program? A...
Is Residential Treatment Considered Inpatient or Outpatient?
If you’ve never engaged with residential treatment centers before, it’s common to ask: is residential treatment considered inpatient or outpatient? Our residential teen treatment centers are considered inpantient because teens stay at our houses during the course of...
When to Choose Residential Treatment Over Other Treatment Programs
When seeking help for your teen, it’s important to know which mental health conditions can be treated by residential treatment. For teens suffering from mental health disorders, behavioral disorders, psychological disorders, or addiction issues, there are a variety of...
Does Insurance Cover Teen Residential Treatment?
How Much Does Residential Treatment Cost? Cost of Residential Treatment The cost of residential treatment varies between each Residential Treatment Center (RTC). It may range from free (which is very uncommon) to tens of thousands of dollars per month. And if you are...
3% of Teens Identify as Transgender or Gender Nonconforming in America
How Many Transgender Teens Are There? Approximately 150,000 American teens (ages 13 to 17) identify as transgender in the United States today. Of course, there is no general age in which people typically “discover” or “come out” as transgender. Nonetheless, more and...
How To Treat Teen Depression (A Guide for Parents)
It is very common for young people to experience occasional moodiness or periods of sadness. Yet with depression rates on the rise amongst adolescents and teenagers (approximately 12.5% of youth today have experience at least one major depressive episode), it is vital...
Distinguishing Between Signs of Depression or “Moodiness” in Teens
Parents often wonder how to distinguish normal teenage mood swings and rebellions from actual symptoms of depression. Fortunately, there are several ways to tell. As many as 1 in 5 teenagers will experience depression at some point during adolescence. Unfortunately,...
Social Anxiety in Teens: Signs, Symptoms, and How to Help
What is Social Anxiety? Social anxiety disorder (SAD) affects 1 out of 3 adolescents between 13 and 18 years old. Over 19 million people across America suffer from social anxiety disorder (SAD) today. It is the most common anxiety disorder and third most common mental...
Teen Depression Prevention: Parent, Friend, and Support Tips
At any given time, one out of every five teenagers is experiencing major depression. If you are a parent to an adolescent or teenager, you are likely familiar with the moodiness inherent to this age group. Mood swings are common, as teens are experiencing a vast...
How to Talk to Your Teen About Depression
Talking to your teen about depression can be a difficult and intimidating task. The adolescent and teenage years are some of the most difficult, due to the immense amount of changes going on in both the brain and the body. These changes affect how teens think, learn,...
Managing Expectations With Your Adolescent
As a parent of an adolescent, your attitudes, actions, and beliefs can have a tremendous impact on your child’s well-being. Your teen is experiencing the challenging process of transitioning from childhood to adulthood and, as someone who has gone through this journey...
How to Know If Your Child Is Transgender
There is no simple test to tell if a child is transgender. Experts often refer to the idea of insistence, consistency, and persistence in terms of gauging whether a child is just going through a phase or not. This means the more insistent a child is, and the longer...
What is A Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility?
A psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) provides out-of-home psychiatric care to children, adolescents, and young adults in a non-hospital, highly structured setting. PRTF’s serve clients whose mental health needs require more intensive treatment than can...
What Causes Eating Disorders in Teenagers?
Identifying the Risk Factors: Causes, Signs & Symptoms of Teen Eating Disorders Eating disorders are complex and affect all different kinds of people. Although, adolescents and teenagers are more at risk. There is no one identified cause of teen eating disorders....
How to Talk to Your Sibling About Their Sexual Identity
Unfortunately, the topic of sexual identity is still largely taboo in our society. For individuals who are LGBTQ, it can be difficult to confide in the people they normally trust. Having a sibling with an LGBTQ identity can inspire a wide range of emotions. Even if you have the best intentions, you still might not know what to do or to say. When the topic of sexual identity inevitably emerges, here are a few things to keep in mind:
LET THEM COME TO YOU
Coming out is something an individual should have the absolute freedom to do at the time and place that they feel the most comfortable. No matter how “obvious” your sibling’s sexual identity may be (Hint: it probably isn’t as clear as you might think), it isn’t smart to prejudge them or make assumptions.
They are who they are. They will share this very personal component of their lives when they are ready. By confronting them, or forcing them to come out to you, you are violating a very fragile piece of who they are. You are also wrongfully sending the message, “we are going to do this on my own terms.” In this case, being patient is an important and necessary sign of respect.
REMEMBER THAT THEY ARE TRUSTING YOU
If your sibling does decide to come out to you—especially if you are the first one they have told—then they are entrusting you with an important element of themselves. It is not your job to tell your other siblings, parents, cousins, or anybody else without their permission. Even if their sexual identity is something they are completely comfortable with, it is still up to them when, and if, they want to tell anybody.
By maintaining your sibling’s very valuable sense of trust, you are beginning to build the foundation of support they need. If you treat their livelihood as if it were just a piece of hot gossip, then you are sending the message that you do not really care. You are also not the support system they are counting on. If they can trust you now, at the beginning, then they will know they can trust you in the future with whatever other troubles or confusions emerge.
LISTEN WITHOUT JUDGEMENT
If your sibling decides to come out to you, it is very important that you do not judge. If your first reaction is, “I would have never guessed you were gay,” you could be damaging an already fragile situation. You are imposing your own definition of “what” a gay individual looks, acts, and feels like. If you react by saying, “I always knew you were gay,” once again, your sending the message that this is something you prejudged in the past.
When your sibling comes out to you, it is about THEM. Do not make it about yourself by weighing in your own prejudgments, attitudes, or opinions. Even if you are very supportive of LGBTQ rights, don’t try to console them by saying how “cool” it is to have a gay sibling. Simply say—without judgment—that you love them, you care for them, and you can be a trusted resource of support.
LOVE THEM UNCONDITIONALLY
Your family may be tolerant of all kinds of people. But, unfortunately, we still live in a world where non-heterosexual identities are burdened by the fact they will inevitably be treated differently. A perfect example of this is the fact that LGBTQ people are even expected to “come out.” Instead of existing as they are, a human being, and having to constantly explain themselves through the adoption of role-producing labels.
Though being LGBTQ can be a beautiful and wonderful thing, it is not always easy. Your sibling will need your love and support along the way. Love is the most powerful and unconditional resource you can give to someone who needs it. As a member of their family, they are counting on you.
Naturally, you play a very important role in each of your family member’s lives. By being patient, trustworthy, open, and loving, you can help your sibling love themselves for who they are. They will be able to pursue the life that they want.
Polaris Teen Center is a residential treatment facility for teens and adolescents suffering from severe mental health disorders. Our highly accredited facility is fully licensed and certified in Trauma Informed Care and is a part of the Behavioral Health Association of Providers (formerly AATA).
Previous Post
Next Post
Related Posts
A Parent’s Guide To Navigating Grief In Teenagers
Grief is a complex emotion that can be challenging for teens to navigate. According to the Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model (CBEM), 1 in 12 children and teens in the U.S. will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18. While grief is usually...
When to Choose Residential Treatment Over Other Treatment Programs
When seeking help for your teen, it’s important to know which mental health conditions can be treated by residential treatment. For teens suffering from mental health disorders, behavioral disorders, psychological disorders, or addiction issues, there are a variety of...
Does Insurance Cover Teen Residential Treatment?
How Much Does Residential Treatment Cost? Cost of Residential Treatment The cost of residential treatment varies between each Residential Treatment Center (RTC). It may range from free (which is very uncommon) to tens of thousands of dollars per month. And if you are...
3% of Teens Identify as Transgender or Gender Nonconforming in America
How Many Transgender Teens Are There? Approximately 150,000 American teens (ages 13 to 17) identify as transgender in the United States today. Of course, there is no general age in which people typically “discover” or “come out” as transgender. Nonetheless, more and...
How To Treat Teen Depression (A Guide for Parents)
It is very common for young people to experience occasional moodiness or periods of sadness. Yet with depression rates on the rise amongst adolescents and teenagers (approximately 12.5% of youth today have experience at least one major depressive episode), it is vital...
Distinguishing Between Signs of Depression or “Moodiness” in Teens
Parents often wonder how to distinguish normal teenage mood swings and rebellions from actual symptoms of depression. Fortunately, there are several ways to tell. As many as 1 in 5 teenagers will experience depression at some point during adolescence. Unfortunately,...
Social Anxiety in Teens: Signs, Symptoms, and How to Help
What is Social Anxiety? Social anxiety disorder (SAD) affects 1 out of 3 adolescents between 13 and 18 years old. Over 19 million people across America suffer from social anxiety disorder (SAD) today. It is the most common anxiety disorder and third most common mental...
Teen Depression Prevention: Parent, Friend, and Support Tips
At any given time, one out of every five teenagers is experiencing major depression. If you are a parent to an adolescent or teenager, you are likely familiar with the moodiness inherent to this age group. Mood swings are common, as teens are experiencing a vast...
How to Talk to Your Teen About Depression
Talking to your teen about depression can be a difficult and intimidating task. The adolescent and teenage years are some of the most difficult, due to the immense amount of changes going on in both the brain and the body. These changes affect how teens think, learn,...