Supporting the Mental Health of Teenage Boys
When supporting the mental health of teenage boy’s it is important to ensure that your actions reflect your intentions. Support must be practical and be on their level, which may mean thinking outside the box to facilitate engagement. Often, young boys may not respond to traditional approaches to mental health because the help offered may not feel safe, relatable to them or accessible. Support begins with understanding how teenage boys experience the world and meeting them there, at their level.
Creating Safe Spaces for Emotional Expression
One of the most important ways you can show support is by creating environments where teenage boys feel safe expressing their emotions without fear of judgment. This starts with the adults and significant role models in their lives. By parents, teachers and mentors actively demonstrating emotional openness, boys see adults that they trust taking accountability for their mental health. They see safety and benefit in naming feelings like frustrations or sadness, and it challenges the idea that emotions are something to hide.
Support doesn’t need to be formal. These can be informal chats. Some of the best times for conversation with teenage boys is when you are calmly engaged in side-by-side activities such as driving in the car, walking, or when engaged in some other activity together. This takes away the pressures of a formal conversation by not giving it a label can make emotional expression feel more natural. It’s important to remain consistent, like doing regular check ins, listening without interrupting and resisting the urge to try to fix things.
Teaching Emotional and Coping Skills Early
Many boys struggle because they lack the language and skills to understand their emotions. Emotional literacy, such as learning to identify the emotions, name them and manage the associated intense feelings, doesn’t always come naturally and is often a skill that has to be taught, like riding a bike.
Teaching coping strategies like breathing techniques, using mindfulness or demonstrating the use of creative outlets like sports to manage emotions, can help boys manage their own stressors and challenges in healthy ways. These skills can also be framed as tools of strength and self-control, normalising coping, rather than them being seen as a sign of weakness. By making coping skills a normal part of life, boys are more likely to use them to address their mental health when it is needed most.
Redefining Strength and Masculinity
Support also means challenging outdated ideas about masculinity. Many teens may feel trapped between who they are and who they believe they should be. Increasing our definitions on strength to include words like empathy, self-awareness and asking for help, can challenge social norms and alleviate pressures. This challenges societal expectations and helps redefine strength and masculinity in a health way.
Male role models who can demonstrate these behaviours for the teenage boys in their life are essential. When boys see men who are emotionally aware and open about their struggles, who aren’t afraid to ask for help, it reinforces this behaviour. This not only normalises the accessing of support for mental health challenges, but encourages it.
Meeting Boys with Patience and Compassion
Most importantly, support requires patience. This may be uncomfortable, but it is essential. Teennage boys have to be ready to open up on their own terms. Creating a safe and supportive space and responding with curiosity, gives them the floor to be completely open and the belief they will be heard.
If you currently have a teenager in your life who you feel is struggling, or may require additional support, we are here to help. Our friendly reception team can be contacted on 0477 798 932 and would be happy to book you an appointment.
James Grgetic is a Psychologist at Progressive Psychology.