Episode 234: Does My Teen Really Need Counseling?
Feeding The Mouth That Bites You: Parenting Teens Into Adulthood
Kenneth Wilgus, Cynthia Yanof
4.8 • 801 Ratings
🗓️ 20 January 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
This week’s episode was important enough to re-record: when (and if) you should push your teen to go to therapy. Cynthia and Dr. Ken unpack what therapy actually is, why forcing a resistant teen rarely works, and the surprising ways counseling can sometimes do more harm than good.
Dr. Ken explains how to recognize when therapy becomes necessary, why parent coaching often helps more than sending a reluctant teenager, and what to consider when choosing a counselor—including privacy boundaries, insurance realities, and whether your teen truly needs a Christian therapist.
They also address one of parents’ biggest fears: what to do when you’re worried about your child’s safety. With a practical, steady framework, Dr. Ken walks through how to assess real risk versus normal emotional overwhelm and how to respond without panic.
Today’s show is for anyone wondering whether counseling is the right next step.Â
If you have a minute, please leave us a review. We love hearing listeners encouraging other listeners.Â
You can order Dr. Ken's book "Feeding The Mouth That Bites You" here
You can order Cynthia's book "Life Is Messy, God Is Good" here
You can pre-order Cynthia's book "How'd I Miss That" here
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Got questions or feedback? We want to hear from you! podcast@feedingthemouth.comÂ
Music provided by the great John David Kent - https://www.johndavidkent.com/
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome back to feeding the mouth that bites you, a weekly podcast guide on parenting teens and launching them into the world. |
| 0:15.3 | I'm Cynthia Yanov, and as always, I'm joined by psychologist and author Dr. Ken Wilgus. |
| 0:20.9 | Dr. Ken, welcome to your show. |
| 0:23.3 | Thank you, Cynthia. |
| 0:24.5 | It's our show. |
| 0:27.0 | Let's be honest, everyone. |
| 0:29.0 | Hey, were you trying to just get to the coldest place you could possibly be this time of year |
| 0:35.3 | in the winter? |
| 0:36.1 | Like you live in Texas where it's basically right now I literally could be wearing sunglasses. |
| 0:40.9 | It's so bright in my office. |
| 0:42.3 | Right. |
| 0:42.5 | And you went to New York. |
| 0:43.8 | Yeah, Antarctica was too expensive. |
| 0:45.9 | So we just went to New York where the high was like 29, I think. |
| 0:51.5 | And it probably felt like two, though. |
| 0:53.6 | Like they say the high is 29. Yeah, and then you're |
| 0:56.2 | like, that's not 29. No, it's the kind that I've got my gloves on, but my fingers are still hurting. |
| 1:02.2 | And you're like, wow, this is, I'm sure people that are from very cold climates are listening going, |
| 1:07.8 | you guys need to just shut up. But I was in New York you were in New York |
| 1:12.5 | not long before that yeah I mean it yeah it was nice it gets it gets chilly there that is for sure |
| 1:18.7 | and and whenever they say like 29 I always feel like they need to be like like just shoot straight |
| 1:23.9 | with me it feels two if you're from Texas, okay? Or negative three. Yeah, |
... |
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