• Therapeutic games can help guide teenagers on their path of realization.teenager on swing image by pixelcarpenter from Fotolia.com
  
  While the teen years abound with discoveries and firsts, it is absolutely a period of change, adjustment and transition. It can be an extremely difficult time as teens daily face tough decisions regarding drugs, alcohol, sex, responsibility, anger, honesty and friendship. Therapeutic games can sometimes assist teenagers as they journey on this path of self-discovery.
  
  

Actions and Consequences

• Learning that their actions have direct consequences is an important lesson that teenagers must understand to become responsible adults. The board game "Actions and Consequences" comes with a set of playing cards specifically for teens which ask them how they would handle scenarios that involve things like alcohol and drugs, anger, anxiety, money, peer pressure, personal health, and laws. For example, each player has to take a turn picking a card and reading the described situation out loud. Each player must then say what he would most likely do in real life, what would most likely occur if he did this, and if the results would most likely be positive or negative.
  
  

Teen Sense

• This game gives teenagers practice with responding suitably to several difficult or problematic social situations. While most games have a winner, the goal of this game is simply to encourage a free exchange of ideas. According to the website www.researchpress.com, "The leader should not judge students’ contributions. The game is full of emotionally charged material, and the way students react to it will depend on their individual personalities, backgrounds, and experiences."
  
  

From Rage to Reason

• Many teens need to understand that anger is a normal, healthy emotion and that they should never feel like they have to hide or conceal their anger. However, teens must understand that what often gets them into trouble is how they express their anger. The game "From Rage to Reason" can help teenagers with anger-control issues learn about important tools such as thinking skills and people skills. Players score points by giving the main character of the game, Randy, suitable advice on how to deal with his natural frustrations that arise from daily situations. The advice players can give Randy should assist him in keeping his cool, making responsible decisions, and getting ready for tough situations.