TEEN QUESTION/PROBLEM:
ill be a senior this year so ive been putting alot of thought into colleges.im determined to be a social worker but ive been told "how are you going to deal with other peoples problems if you cant even deal with your own".i may run away and have cut and had thoughts of suicide but does that really mean i cant have the future im determined to have?i dont want to be heldback by whats happened to me.my own experiances are what are driving me to help other peopls its what i love to do and it what i want to do.its just frustrating be told "i cant" by the person whos brought me down for years.i know i can.

TEEN LINE WROTE:
Hey there,

First off, thanks for emailing TEEN LINE. That's really great that you are determined and that you know what you want to do. I want you to know that there are a lot of other people that have dealt with the same things you have and you are not alone. It sounds like you're frustrated and kind of worried. Do you think that because of what you've dealt with you can't be a social worker? It all gets back to what you want to do. You mentioned that you have cut yourself, you've ran away, and that you've had thoughts of suicide, so I just want you to know that you can always call TEEN LINE at 310-855-4673 from 6 pm to 10 pm every night. Thanks again for emailing us.

a TEEN LINE listener