Parent and Child Psychological Services of Sarasota
  • Home
  • About Our Team
  • General Therapy Info
  • Anxiety
  • Behavior Problems/PCIT
  • OCD, PANS/PANDAS & BFRBs
  • Selective Mutism
  • Trauma
  • Testing
  • Resources & Events
  • FAQs
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Notice of Privacy Practices
  • No Surprise Act
  • Employment/Training Opportunities
Parent and Child Psychological Services PLLC 
941.357.4090 (Office)/ 941.877.6683 (SMS Text)/ 727.304.3619 (Fax)
​Instagram: @childtherapysrq

Teen Dating Violence By Kate Gibson, PsyD, ABPP

2/7/2021

2 Comments

 
Picture
Violence within intimate relationships is an uncomfortable topic for many people. Even more so is the idea that violence can occur within teen relationships. But it can and it does. Here are some statistics from the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teendatingviolence/fastfact.html)
  • Nearly 1 in 11 female and approximately 1 in 15 male high school students report having experienced physical dating violence in the last year.
  • About 1 in 9 female and 1 in 36 male high school students report having experienced sexual dating violence in the last year.
  • 26% of women and 15% of men who were victims of contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime first experienced these or other forms of violence by that partner before age 18

Teens are striving for independence at this phase of life, so seeking help from adults can be particularly difficult during this developmental stage. With the topic of teen dating violence itself being taboo and the challenges teens face in reaching out for help it is important for the adults in their lives to be aware of the warning signs. In order to help our teens enter into safe and healthy relationships we need to teach them about healthy relationships, understand what can go wrong in those relationships, create open lines of communication with our teens, model healthy relationships, and have resources available for teens who find themselves in difficult relationships.

Healthy relationships involve respect, honesty, open communication, compromise, boundaries and consent. Healthy relationships are not problem free, but the respect and trust the two people have allows them to resolve disagreements in safe and productive ways. In healthy relationships each person can have their own interests and other important relationships outside of the dating relationship. Each person is able to make their own choices, and though they might take their partner’s thoughts and feelings into account, there is not undue pressure to put their partner’s preferences above their own.
Relationships can become unhealthy without being violent or abusive. If you know a teen who is in a relationship that seems to have some unhealthy dynamics do not wait to see what happens. Teens are just learning about relationships. The sooner we can give them guidance about what is healthy and how to work toward making a relationship healthier the better. Unhealthy teen relationship dynamics tend to worsen rather than improve over time without outside support.

​Abusive relationships involve the use of power, coercion and/or violence (see the Teen Dating Power and Control Wheel). 

Picture
In a healthy relationship a person will take accountability for doing or saying something unkind or overreacting. In an abusive relationship the person will deny they did anything wrong or blame the other person. Abusive relationships involve threats and intimidation. Abusive teens may try to use social status, peer pressure or popularity to manipulate their partner. They may control access to social events and friends. Threats may involve how they will portray the person or things they will share on social media. Social media can be used to monitor the person’s whereabouts or actions. It is common to try to isolate the partner from friends and family. Emotional abuse often occurs and can take many forms. Jealousy and anger are red flags to watch out for as well. There can be sexual coercion, sexual assault, or physical violence. All of these dynamics are designed to keep the abusive partner in control and the other partner dependent on their partner and the relationship. If a teen has begun to behave abusively that person would benefit from therapy or some kind of professional intervention to learn to change their behavior. Teen dating violence can lead to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and trauma. A teen who has endured abuse in a dating relationship may need or benefit from supportive or trauma-focused therapy as well.

Parents can start conversations early about healthy relationships. Look for opportunities to model healthy conflict resolution as well as proactive thoughtfulness and respect with your own partner. If your teens just don’t want to talk to you consider suggesting or connecting them to another trusted adult family member or family friend. Another option is to get fact sheets from the websites listed in the references here to provide to your teen. If your teen likes video games there have been recent efforts to create video games to promote healthy relationship dynamics. Check out https://jagga.me/ for a bunch of games about healthy relationships and teen dating violence.
​
If you see warning signs take them seriously and get your teen some support!  
 
References and Resources:
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teendatingviolence/fastfact.html
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/ipv/TDV-factsheet_2020.pdf
Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Duluth, Minnesota
Jag Games: https://jagga.me/
Love is Respect: https://www.loveisrespect.org/
National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence- Teen Power and Control Wheel
Teen Dating Violence Month Webpage: https://www.teendvmonth.org/
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) certified therapists for survivors of teen dating violence: https://tfcbt.org/members/
2 Comments
teen treatment center link
4/8/2025 11:33:34 pm

A teen treatment center is a specialized facility designed to address the unique emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs of adolescents. These centers provide a structured, therapeutic environment where teens can work through issues such as depression, anxiety, trauma, substance use, or behavioral problems. Programs often combine individual and group therapy, academic support, and family involvement to help teens heal and grow.

Reply
gigolo job in mumbai link
5/10/2025 04:27:41 am

I’ve worked as a gigolo in Mumbai for over a year. It’s important to stay healthy, respectful, and professional. Building trust with clients goes a long way.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Parent and Child Psychological Services is a private practice serving children and families in the Sarasota, Florida area. The practice is owned and operated by Dr. Gibson, a Licensed Psychologist who is Board Certified in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. ​

    Archives

    October 2024
    August 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Parent and Child Psychological Services PLLC                                                                                                 Administrative Hours
[email protected]                                                                                                              Monday- Thursday 10 AM - 3 PM
941.357.4090 (Office)                                                                                                                                           Friday 9 AM - 3 PM
941.877.6683 (SMS Text)
727.304.3619 (Fax)                                                                                                                                                               
5250 17th Street, Suite 204                                                                                                              
Sarasota, FL 34235                                                                                                                                   
Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos from Marco Verch (CC BY 2.0), verchmarco, wriggly_toes, verchmarco