Teen Health
Free Crisis Counseling For Troubled Teens And Parents
By
Apr 5, 2008 - 10:57:49 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com)-An organization hotline that helps over 50,000 troubled teens in crisis every year wants to extend free counseling to help teens and their parents.

For 20 years, Covenant House's Nineline has helped people who have nowhere else to turn. Teens from across the U.S., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam call (800) 999-9999 seeking help with problems including abuse, suicide, drugs and alcohol, running away, family issues, basic needs and relationships. Over 50,000 have been crisis calls.

It's the largest privately funded agency in the Americas providing services to homeless kids. (www.covenanthouse.org).

"We are often their only lifeline, their last chance for help," said Covenant House International President Sister Tricia Cruise, S.C. "In the past 20 years, we helped 1,575,522 callers, providing crisis intervention, counseling support, information or referring them to shelters and local agencies."

The hotline provides callers with immediate care, help and support by highly trained counselors. It also has a database of over 30,000 local service agencies that provide immediate assistance in callers' hometowns.

Although young people primarily use the service, adult family members and caregivers also call to learn ways to help their troubled children.

The service has expanded by helping children, teens, parents and caregivers via www.nineline.org.

The Web site enables anyone needing help to e-mail questions to crisis counselors, post questions via the Nineline forum, search a database of 30,000 local service agencies, and download information on topics critical to today's youth, including:

What are the warning signs of a family in trouble?

This questionnaire is meant to open a dialogue among parents, children and other concerned adults close to the family. If the answer is "yes" to two or more of the questions below, it might be beneficial to seek family counseling. If a child or adult feels uncomfortable discussing a possible problem with family members, he or she can call Nineline for assistance. (Note: This quiz is not meant to replace a clinical diagnosis by a licensed therapist. It is only meant to give an indication of a possible problem.)

• Are parents/caregivers too demanding?

• Does your child get on your nerves or irritate you? Does your parent/caregiver get on your nerves?

• Do you feel your parent/caregiver doesn't understand you?

• Does your parent/caregiver embarrass you?

• Do you lack trust in your child? Do you trust your parent/caregiver?

• Do you argue regularly with your spouse in front of your child?

• Can you depend on your parent/caregiver for your emotional and physical needs?

• Do you use alcohol or drugs to excess? Do you use in front of your child?

• Are you a victim of verbal or physical abuse? Is your child?

• Do you verbally or physically abuse your child?

• Are you constantly angry toward your child? Does the child feel anger toward the parent/caregiver?

• Do you feel violent toward your child? Does the child feel violent toward the parent/caregiver?

Nineline is multilingual with counselors responding in English and Spanish. For callers speaking Chinese, Russian, Polish and all other languages, Nineline uses a translation service. For the hearing impaired, Nineline has a TTY line (900-999-9915). There are approximately 36 staff members who work in shifts 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They also answer calls for Life Line, a suicide hotline, as well as hotlines for gang violence, domestic violence and victims of human trafficking. All calls are confidential.

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