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Are you or a friend coping with a family conflict like separated, divorced, drug addicted, abused or abusive parents?
family
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Are you or a friend coping with a problem friendship, boyfriend, girlfriend, authority figure, cult or gang?
relationships
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Are you or a friend coping with poor self-esteem, stress, anxiety, loneliness, grief, anger or depression?
feelings
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Are you or a friend coping with depression or thoughts of suicide?
suicide
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Are you or a friend coping with a lack of basic needs like food, clothing, housing, employment, or trouble at school?
basic needs
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Are you or a friend coping with prejudice, neglect, emotional, physical or sexual abuse, survival sex, prostitution, domestic violence or crime?
abuse
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Are you or a friend coping with a physical disability, sexually transmitted disease (STD), HIV/AIDS, self-harm, a psychiatric or eating disorder?
health
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Are you or a friend coping with questions about sexuality, sexual hygiene, a pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease (STD) or HIV/AIDS?
sex
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Are you or a friend coping with tobacco, alcohol, street drugs or prescription drugs?
drugs & alcohol
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Are you or a friend coping with thoughts of leaving home, running away or are you already homeless?
running away
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It's free. It's 24/7. It's for you.
What is family?
Family problems can seem overwhelming. If you or a friend are coping with separation, divorce, drug addicted, abused or abusive parents, or another family conflict, this is the place to talk to someone who can help.
What is family?
Are there different kinds of family problems?
Do I have a family problem?
How do I get help?
How can Nineline help me?
meet a Covenant House kid
download info on family (pdf)
visit our forum on family
abuse information for caregivers
Today’s definition of family has grown to include grandparents, parents, stepparents, foster parents, siblings, half-siblings and stepsiblings.
Having a supportive family can be great but conflicts among family members are not unusual. Often, they are the result of generational differences, poor communication, changing expectations or lack of trust among family members.
When conflicts pop up you might find yourself reacting by rebelling. This is one way of showing your family that you dislike a situation. It may even make you feel like you’re controlling the situation. But in the end, rebellion can just make things worse because it focuses everyone’s attention on your rebellion rather than the real problem. It’s much more productive to actually communicate than to "act out".
For example, if you rebel against your overprotective parents by staying out late on a Saturday night, they will get upset and ground you. Wouldn’t it be better to talk to them, help them face their fears and learn to trust you to go out late one night a week?