Tips From A Teen Counselor in Scotch Plains, NJ
As we are quickly approaching the new year, a new competition dance season is just around the corner, and the excitement and anticipation among teen dancers are unmatched. For many, this season represents a fresh start, new opportunities, and the chance to build their craft. However, transitioning into a new competition season can also be daunting. As a parent, your role in supporting your teen dancer during this time is crucial. Here’s a guide to help you provide the best support as they embark on this exciting journey.
Open Communication With Your NJ Teen Dancer
Start the season with open lines of communication. Ask your teen about their goals, fears, and expectations for their upcoming competition schedule. The start of the season brings new routines, auditions, and increased pressure to perform well. Show genuine interest in their aspirations and listen actively. This dialogue can help them feel understood and supported. Furthermore, it can also give you insight into how best to assist them and what their main worries may be as the season starts.
Encourage a Positive Attitude to Help Your Dancer Overcome Performance Anxiety
Starting a new season can bring a mix of excitement and anxiety. Encourage your teen to focus on the positive aspects such as:
- Performing new routines for the first time
- Opportunities for growth
- Showcasing new costumes, choreography, and music
- The overall excitement that comes with performing on stage.
Remind them that challenges are a natural part of any journey and that each one is an opportunity for growth. The excitement of a new season can quickly get covered up by anxiety if we do not make the conscious effort to celebrate all the new season has to bring.
Time Management For Student Athletes in NJ
Balancing academics, family, social life, and dance can be challenging. Typically, dancers finish homework late at night after practice. Moreover, they are studying early in the morning while eating breakfast, making use of any time they can get. Competitions typically take up all weekend, if not overtaking Thursdays and Fridays sometimes too. Assist your teen in creating a schedule that allows for adequate time for practice, recovery, and relaxation after the long hauls of the competition weekend. Sometimes, taking rest can be falsely viewed as negative, weak, or unnecessary. Yet, rest is so vital to keep your teen maintaining their busy schedule in the long term. Encourage them to set realistic goals and prioritize their commitments to avoid burnout and find balance in their routine.
Stay Informed About Your Teen Dancer’s Season
Take some time to understand the demands and expectations of the dance season. Learn about the competition schedule, if there are any additional choreography classes they will be taking, or which routines are your dancer’s biggest worry. Each year, teens usually add more and more routines to their lists. Knowing what opportunities are on the horizon, the intensity of the competition of the team, and which dances are most important to your dancer is crucial. Being informed allows you to offer more meaningful support and also shows your teen that you’re invested in their passion.
Attend Performances and Events, Especially If Your Teen Dancer Has Performance Anxiety
Whenever possible, attend their competition weekends with them! Your presence not only provides emotional support but also demonstrates your commitment to their dreams. Having a support there for hair, makeup, and quick changes, is something your dancer will never forget. The more you attend, the more informed you will be. You will know the new trick is coming up in their routine. You’ll be rooting for them as they refine that tricky turn sequence or new acrobat skill they just learned and want to stick the landing on. Knowing these details can be so validating for your teen. Be sure to celebrate their successes, whether big or small. Acknowledging these specific moments can be so supportive, especially when they nail it!
Foster Independence in Your Dancer Teen in NJ
While it’s important to be supportive, it’s equally crucial to encourage independence for your dancer. When it comes to dance, every teen’s goals may vary. Some prioritize the community and team, the exercise and self-care, the competition, or the future career in college and beyond. Not to mention scholarships and future auditions in the professional world. Knowing your teen’s goals and letting them decide what dance is to them fosters growth, confidence, independence, and autonomy. Allow your teen to take ownership of their dance journey and schedule. There are many moments for building trust and independence such as:
- Managing their practices
- Checking they have the correct shoes and clothing for class
- Knowing when choreography practices are scheduled
- Bringing certain props or costumes to class
Your support can empower them to take charge of their development and craft.
Celebrate Achievements To Help With Low Self-Esteem
Make sure to celebrate both the small and large achievements. Whether it’s mastering a new skill, improving a routine, or simply having a good ballet class, recognition and celebration can provide a significant morale boost. Imagine it is right in the middle of the season, burnout is surfacing and school is busy with tests and finals. These little pushes go a long way and can remind us to keep going. Supporting a teen dancer through a new season involves a delicate balance of encouragement, understanding, and practical assistance. Celebrating them is reminding them that achievements are more than just winning first place. Of course, those moments are amazing, but an achievement can be having fun, making it through the long weekend, or having a dance feel the best it has felt on stage, despite the score. By being an active, informed, and empathetic presence in their lives, you can help them navigate the challenges and celebrate the triumphs of their dance journey.
My Best Parenting Advice as an NJ Teen Counselor for Dancers: Have Fun, Together!
Make sure to remind your teen the overall goal of attending a competition is to enjoy their craft and have fun. This can get lost along the way with the busy schedule, underlying vulnerabilities and comparison amongst scores and rank, and of course sometimes even drama. When it comes down to it, we should be dancing because of how it makes us feel! It is an absolute gift to move our bodies and express ourselves in such a beautiful way. Sometimes our dance career comes to an end unexpectedly for many reasons, so enjoy it together and keep these memories close!
NJ Adolescent Therapy For Your Dancer
If your child is a competitive dancer our teen counselors in Scotch Plains, NJ can provide them with extra support. We know navigating the competitive dance world can be hard. However, with the right support, it can be extremely rewarding. Online therapy for teens can help from anywhere in New Jersey. Our therapy practice is here to support you and your teen.
Get Parenting Help in Scotch Plains, NJ For Your Teen Athlete
If you or your child is struggling with navigating competitive athletics, we are here to help and support you with counseling for teens as well as parenting help and support. Our team would love to connect and listen to the challenges you are facing and tackle some of these obstacles together. Please reach out for a free consultation.
Online Therapy for Teens in NJ
Ever thought a therapist would be perfect for you, only if they were closer? Now, this is possible. Our video therapy service connects you with one of our Scotch Plains, New Jersey therapists. Of course, the system is secure, private, and HIPAA-compliant. You and a Brave Minds therapist can see and hear each other in real time to assess and address your concerns and needs.
Brave Minds therapists are experts at helping teens and young adults adapt to life changes. Our online teen therapists can help with:
- Perfectionism
- Performance anxiety
- Panic and phobias
- Major life changes
- Grief and loss
- Parenting challenges
- Food allergy anxiety
- Obsessive-Compulsive behaviors
- Behavior problems
Start Working with A Teen Counselor in Scotch Plains, NJ, Branchburg, & Across the State!
If you’re still curious about what therapy looks like, check out our FAQs, telehealth Q&A, or contact us for a complementary consultation. Our team of caring therapists is ready to help you and your teen dancer find balance and thrive during competition season and all year round. Start your therapy journey with Brave Minds Psychological Services by following these simple steps:
- Reach out for a free 20-minute consultation.
- Meet with a caring therapist from our team
- Start helping your teen practice healthier choices!
Other Services Offered With Brave Minds Psychological Services
Therapy for teens is not the only service we offer at Brave Minds Psychological Services. Our team is happy to offer support with a variety of mental health concerns including support for children, adults, and groups. For teens, we are happy to offer support via equestrian anxiety, food allergies, sexual abuse, social phobias, and selective mutism. Our team is happy to also offer support via trauma therapy, couples counseling, parent counseling, grief counseling, and online therapy across New Jersey. Feel free to learn more about therapy modalities our team uses like EMDR and CBT, or visit our blog to learn more today!
