Some teens have a more difficult time becoming socialized than others. This happens for a variety of reasons such as being home-schooled, having physical, psychological or learning disabilities, or simply because they are shy. Because adolescence is already stressful, teenagers that find it complicated to make friends or to feel comfortable in social situations might need help.
School
In cases in which teens or preteens are not socialized properly because of being home-schooled, parents can integrate them into a public or private school. While it is usually difficult for an adolescent with little or no social skills to adapt to the culture of a public school, it is the easiest and quickest form of socialization. Some teenagers will not benefit from public school. Whether the process of school socialization is positive or negative for a teenager depends on the social atmosphere and his attitude toward the change.
Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular activities are structured pastimes that come in many forms. Some common examples are clubs, sports and art-related activities. Teenagers that attend school outside of their homes have the option of joining school associated groups, teams or activities. Home-schooled teens, however, must look outside of traditional school-related pastimes to community-based programs, such as those offered by the YMCA. Teenagers that find peers with similar positive interests will find it easier to have conversations and, in general, be around others, which is a good start to the process of becoming socialized.
Group Homes
If an adolescent cannot relate to or chooses not to associate with her peer group at home, being sent off is sometimes a helpful aid in socialization. Depending on your teenager’s situation and your own preference, a variety of choices exist when considering group homes. Wilderness camps attempt to teach adolescents survival techniques and to live without common comforts, whereas in farm-based schools, students handle animals, learn to grow their own food and live off the land. Therapeutic boarding schools attempt to balance learning and education with therapy and building social skills.
Psychotherapy
In extreme cases that involve a teen’s inability to function in social situations, psychotherapy can be helpful. This is especially true if an underlying psychological problem exists that is keeping a teenager from becoming socialized. Social anxiety, for example, occurs when a person is so nervous in social situations that it affects daily life. For teenagers, this can take the form of an inability to be part of peer-related activities and an increased difficulty in attending school. Treatments for social anxiety and other problems with socialization include medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy and social skills training.
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