THERAPY SERVICESTRAINING SCHOOL
LOCATIONS
TOOTINGCLAPHAMMARYLEBONE
CALL 020 8673 4545BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
Product has been added to your basket.
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • THE AWARENESS CENTRE
      • About The Awareness Centre
      • The Team
      • Centre News
      • Media
      • Collaborative Partners & External Agencies
    • OUR PRACTICES
      • TAC Clapham
      • TAC Tooting
      • TAC Marylebone
      • How to Find Us
    • THE DIRECTOR
      • Michaela McCarthy
  • THERAPY SERVICES
    • NHS THERAPY SERVICES
      • NHS Lambeth
      • NHS Wandsworth
      • NHS Sutton
      • Our NHS Therapists
      • NHS Multilingual Counselling
    • PRIVATE THERAPY SERVICES
      • Online Counselling & Telephone Therapy
      • Low Cost Counselling, Psychotherapy & Counselling Psychology
      • Counselling
      • Psychotherapy
      • Psychology
      • Our Low Cost Therapists
      • Our Private Therapists
      • Private Healthcare Providers
    • SPECIALIST THERAPY SERVICES
      • Addiction Counselling
      • Anger Management Therapy
      • Bereavement Counselling
      • Child & Adolescent Counselling
      • Couples Counselling
      • Eating Disorders Therapy
      • Family Therapy
      • LGBTQ+ Counselling
      • Multilingual Counselling
      • Sex & Relationship Therapy
      • Trauma Counselling & Psychotherapy
    • FURTHER INFORMATION
      • Types of Issues
        • Abuse
        • Addiction
        • ADHD
        • Anger
        • Anxiety Disorders
        • Asperger’s Syndrome
        • Attachment Disorder
        • Bereavement and Loss
        • Body Dysmorphic Disorder
        • Bullying
        • Cancer
        • Carer Support
        • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
        • Communication
        • Dementia
        • Depression
        • Disability
        • Dissociation
        • Eating Disorders
        • Family and Relationships
        • Gender & Identity
        • Guilt and Shame
        • Hearing Voices
        • HIV/AIDS
        • Illness
        • Infertility
        • Isolation & Loneliness
        • Learning Difficulties
        • Life Transitions
        • Low Self-Esteem
        • Mental Health
        • Paranoia
        • Passive Aggressive Behaviour
        • Personality Disorders
        • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
        • Pregnancy & Childbirth
        • Psychosis
        • Rape
        • Redundancy
        • Schizophrenia
        • Self-Harm
        • Sex and Relationships
        • Sexuality
        • Spirituality
        • Stress
        • Suicidal Thoughts
        • Tourette’s Syndrome
        • Trauma (Child & Adult)
        • Trichotillomania
        • Workplace Issues
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Resources
      • Approaches to Therapy
      • Client Testimonials
      • Book an Appointment
  • FEES
  • TAC TRAINING SCHOOL
    • Meet the Faculty
    • Foundation Certificate in Counselling
    • Diploma in Integrative Counselling
    • Diploma in Clinical Supervision
    • Diploma in Working with Couples
    • Corporate Mental Health Workshops
    • Testimonials for the Foundation Certificate
    • Testimonials for the Diplomas
  • PRIVATE PRACTICE
    • Private Practice
    • Hire A Room
    • Wimpole Street Practice
    • Join TAC Directory
    • Therapist Testimonials
  • BLOG
  • WORK AT TAC
  • COUNSELLING PLACEMENT
    • Counselling Placement
    • Counselling Placement Testimonials
    • Placement Training Testimonials
  • CONTACT
    • Appointment Request
    • Contact Us
GCSE Results 2020: What NOT To Say To Your Teenager

GCSE Results 2020: What NOT To Say To Your Teenager

‘Class of 2020’ sounded very different at the start of the year for Year 11s: excitement at the start of a new decade, the chance to do their utmost in GCSE exams, and the opportunity to enjoy the freedom and fun of summer afterwards.

Except ‘Class of 2020’ – as it has transpired – has significant connotations and disappointments attached to it. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic meant that academic and social structures had to shut down. Lockdown happened. Teaching face-to-face stopped. Exams were cancelled. Teenagers never got to complete their work or see if they could reach their academic ambitions. Neither did they get to party afterwards.

Through no fault of their own, during Covid-19, Year 11 pupils never sat the exams they had been preparing for. This may be have come as a relief to some who didn’t care about missing out on exams and were comfortable about whatever results they achieved. But, for others, not being able to take exams because of coronavirus might have felt devastating:

  • Why have I been deprived of the chance to show how good I can be?
  • Why didn’t I revise harder for my mocks to get better predictive grades?
  • Why is that final grade decision is in the hands of others?
  • Why am I missing out on all the awesome stuff I was meant to enjoy after putting in all the effort to pass GCSEs?
  • Will anyone even take my GCSE results seriously when I didn’t really pass them?

Not only that, but teenagers didn’t get to mix with their peers at precisely the time when they’re supposed to. This is the developmental stage when they separate from their parents and forge stronger emotional bonds with friends their age and lifestyle. That’s hard to do when in lockdown with the family they’re meant to be separating from.

When it comes to the Year of 2020, we suggest NOT saying the following…

“You’ll have other proms.”

One of the cruellest things to do to a teenager is deprive them of the chance to socialise with their peers. Add the kicks to that deprivation is your teen then can’t attend a supreme social situation that they have been playing out in their head for years – and maybe even bought a special outfit for? That hurts. There will be NO OTHER Year 11 prom for Year 2020.  There will only be regret and sadness that they never got to say goodbye properly to good friends. Try to understand that and accept the grief they’re feeling at missing out on all their goodbyes.

“GSCEs don’t matter in the grand scheme of things anyway.”

This type of phrase is probably said to help the teen cope. But ultimately it sounds as though you’re dismissing their concerns. GCSE exams matter for the person taking them, and the results can have a huge impact on a person’s life going forward. Don’t look at the issue from your far distant perspective. Your teen needs to know you take them seriously.

“It wasn’t like this in my day.”

Whether you are academically gifted or otherwise, no teenager wants to feel compared with your progress at school. They especially don’t want to have to feel challenged by you. They have enough to deal with by feeling they need to keep up with friends. Put your experience in the background. Put your teen’s experience in the foreground. Make them the priority.

“Don’t be so lazy.”

Whoa! Lockdown has zapped the motivation of so many people. A teen is no exception. Let your teen laze in the bedroom if that’s what they need to do today. You can also work with them to discuss what other activities they may want to engage in, even if they kick back and reject suggestions.

As a parent, you have a lot to deal with: parenting a teenager can be sunshine one moment and stormy the next. Meeting your teenagers where they are is always the best option. They’re going through so much cognitively and emotionally and you need to be patient and open and accepting, whether that comes naturally or not. They may be feeling a mixed bag of emotions when they receive their results. Be as supportive and encouraging as you can.

If you or your teenager could benefit from support to help you work your way through GCSE results season and beyond, give us a call on 020 8673 4545. We have sessions available seven days a week from our Clapham and Tooting centres – as well as phone and online video sessions. You can also email us on [email protected]

Karen Dempsey
With a 20-year career in print and online publishing and an MA in creative writing, Karen Dempsey has worked as a journalist, editor and copywriter and has managed large editorial teams. She is a qualified, accredited and practising psychotherapist with an MA/diploma in transpersonal integrative counselling & psychotherapy.
Resiliency and Learned Helplessness
Post Lockdown: Four Ways To Reduce Your Anxiety At Work

Related Posts

How Altruism Can Help Not Just Others, But You Too

How Altruism Can Help Not Just Others, But You Too

How To Cope With A Panic Attack

How To Cope With A Panic Attack

Surviving Your Parents’ Divorce

Surviving Your Parents’ Divorce

Are You Playing the Victim?

Are You Playing the Victim?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.

Subscribe to our newsletter



    Please add me to the list

    Categories

    • Abortion
    • Abuse
    • Acute Stress Disorder
    • Addiction
    • ADHD
    • Agoraphobia
    • Alcoholism
    • Anger Management
    • Anxiety
    • Ask Michaela
    • Attachment
    • Bereavement & Loss
    • Bipolar
    • Borderline Personality Disorder
    • Bullying
    • Children and Adolescents
    • Co-Dependency
    • Coaching
    • Coronavirus
    • Counselling
    • Counselling Placements
    • Couples
    • Dementia
    • Depression
    • Divorce
    • Domestic Violence
    • Dreams
    • Eating Disorders
    • Echoism
    • Ecopsychology
    • Empty Nest Syndrome
    • Family
    • Guilt
    • Health
    • Imposter Syndrome
    • Infertility
    • Insomnia
    • LGBTQ
    • Life Stories
    • Loneliness
    • Masochism
    • Meditation
    • Menopause
    • Mental Health
    • Mindfulness
    • Narcissism
    • News
    • OCD
    • Panic Attacks
    • Parenting
    • Personal Development
    • Personality Disorders
    • Porn
    • Postnatal Depression
    • Pregnancy
    • Psychology
    • Psychosexual
    • Psychotherapy
    • PTSD
    • Relationships
    • Sadness
    • Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
    • Self Esteem
    • Self-Care
    • Self-Harm
    • Sex
    • Sexual Harassment
    • Sleep
    • Social Anxiety Disorder
    • Stress
    • Suicide
    • The Awareness Centre
    • Therapy
    • Training School
    • Trauma
    • Uncategorized
    • Workplace Issues

    TAC Brochure

    DOWNLOAD

    TAC has BACP Membership

    TAC Clapham

    41 Abbeville Road
    London SW4 9JX
    [email protected]
    020 8673 4545

    Available Services

    check_circle
    Low Cost Therapy
    check_circle
    Private Therapy

    Appointments

    Monday – Thursday:
    7.00am – 10.00pm

    Friday:
    7.00am – 9.00pm

    Saturday:
    9.00am – 5.30pm

    Sunday:
    10.00am – 2.00pm

    TAC Tooting

    74-80 Upper Tooting Road
    London SW17 7PB
    [email protected]
    020 8673 4545

    Available Services

    check_circle
    Private Therapy

    Appointments

    Monday – Thursday:
    7.00am – 10.00pm

    Friday:
    7.00am – 9.00pm

    Saturday:
    9.00am – 5.30pm

    TAC Marylebone

    85 Wimpole Street
    London W1G 9RJ
    [email protected]
    020 8079 0708

    Available Services

    check_circle
    Private Therapy

    Appointments

    Tuesday and Thursday:
    8.00am – 12.00pm

    Email
    Facebook
    Twitter
    LinkedIn
    YouTube
    Instagram
    Pinterest

    © 2022 The Awareness Centre Ltd.

    • OUR THERAPISTS
    • TYPES OF ISSUES
    • OUR LANGUAGES
    • FAQS
    • HOW TO FIND US

    The Awareness Centre Limited. A company registered in England and Wales, Number: 06194423. Registered Office: 74-80 Upper Tooting Road, London, England, SW17 7PB.  Trading as The Awareness Centre.

    This site uses cookies and data collection for personalised advertising. Your data may be shared with third parties for this purpose. Learn more about how we collect data and use cookies, and check that you consent. Manage PreferencesI Consent Learn more
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT