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Teen Therapy
Is Your Teen Showing Signs Of Anxiety Or Depression?
Has your son or daughter been struggling academically? Have you noticed that they’ve been isolating themselves from their peers and making little to no effort to engage in social activities? Is your teen frequently in conflict with other kids at school?
Maybe they’ve been acting out and have become rebellious and defiant. Or perhaps they spend excessive time in their room alone or online, hardly engaging with family and friends. Your teen has probably made changes to their appearance to fit in or stand out.
At their core, your teen is trying to figure out their emotions and identity. They want to figure out their place in the world. All they want is to feel understood.
Growing Up Comes With Its Fair Share Of Changes And Challenges
You may have noticed that some of these behaviors are more frequent in your teen:
Persistent sadness, anxiety, or irritability
Emotional outbursts
Isolation and withdrawal
Conflict with peers
Sleep problems
Lack of motivation
Panic attacks
Shutting down
Headaches
Appetite changes
Maybe you’re concerned that this may not just be a phase and that your teen can’t overcome these issues alone. You want to help but feel frustrated because they won’t open up to you.
Problems during adolescent years aren’t rare—help is available. Teen Counseling with Neuron & Rose Psychological Services can help you and your teen strengthen your connection and feel hopeful about the future.
It’s Common To Experience Challenges During Teenage Years
Being a teenager in today’s world can be difficult. Teens are still learning to navigate the waters of physical changes, social pressures, parental expectations, peer relationships, and identity formation.
The number of teens seeking therapy has been increasing in recent years. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an estimated 7.9 million U.S. teens between 12 and 17 years old received mental health services in 2020. This number is likely to rise as more and more teens become increasingly aware of the benefits of getting help for their mental health problems. (1)
Societal Pressures Can Make It Hard For Teens To Enjoy Their Youth
Society today makes being a teenager difficult.
On social media platforms, carefully curated, idealized representations are the norm. Teens often find themselves caught in a cycle of comparing their lives to others and creating an identity that couldn’t be further from who they truly are. This can erode self-esteem and foster the need for validation and feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy.
Peer conflicts, common in the teenage years, can also take a toll, contributing to anxiety and depression. As teenagers embark on their journey of self-discovery and figuring out questions related to identity, such as gender and sexuality— the fear of rejection, not fitting in, or not being understood further adds to their mental and emotional burden.
The weight of high expectations for academic achievement and an overloaded schedule further elevate stress levels. Conflicts between personal values and those of their families or cultures can create internal turmoil and lead to anxiety, depression, and various other mental health disorders.
Teen Counseling with an experienced therapist can provide your son or daughter with the guidance and support they need to make sense of their emotions and learn strategies to manage life stressors.
Therapy Can Help Your Teen Embrace Positive Growth And Self-Discovery
Counseling with Neuron & Rose Psychological Services gives teens a space to explore and understand who they are. Sessions will encourage them to be themselves and share their thoughts and feelings in an environment that is accepting and nonjudgmental.
Our therapists spend time getting to know your teen and learning about their interests, preferences, goals, and values. We will utilize strategies tailored toward their particular neurotype and how their brain works.
Our Approach To Teen Counseling
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based approach that utilizes emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills to manage emotional responses and identify healthy ways to cope with distress.
Emotion regulation can help your teen understand what is triggering their anxiety, depression, or other emotions. Through this approach, we discuss the different ways teens can cope in the moment and keep themselves stable.
Distress tolerance teaches teens skills to help them self-soothe and ground themselves during overwhelming or distressing situations without resorting to impulsive behaviors.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an approach that encourages teens to observe and accept their thoughts without passing judgment. ACT incorporates various techniques that help teens to build personal strengths and foster resilience.
Communication and problem-solving skills help them to learn proactive approaches to dealing with a challenge. They will also learn self-compassion and mindfulness exercises, which allow them to become more aware of thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations. Additionally, your teen will be taught how to treat themselves with compassion and kindness.
Our ultimate goal during therapy is to help your teen improve every aspect of their lives. At Neuron & Rose Psychological Services, we can help them develop their identity, have healthy relationships with family and peers, and be in touch with their emotions but not allow them to control their actions.
Perhaps You Are Considering Teen Counseling But Still Have Some Concerns…
Do you share everything addressed in therapy with parents?
Teens are entitled to confidentiality during therapy. This means most of what we talk about is private. While parents might be involved in treatment, we often work with your teen about what is shared. This could involve inviting parents/caregivers to sessions to have a conversation together. Ideally, the goal is to help teens and parents learn each other’s communication styles and what works best.
Do you facilitate communication via email/text?
Everyone has different communication preferences. We can explore various ways to incorporate alternative forms of communication in the therapy room. However, text and email are often limited to scheduling. If you do text or email, we will work to schedule an appointment to address your questions or concerns.
What do teens usually talk about during therapy?
That's a great question! What we talk about is often up to your teen. We have topics that we can suggest, but at the same time, we want to hear about anything they’d like to talk about— the good and the bad. We even love to hear about the "boring everyday stuff." Anything and everything has a place in the therapy room.
Therapy Gives Your Teen Chance To Enjoy Being A Teenager
If your teen struggles with anxiety, depression, or other mental health problems, counseling with Neuron & Rose Psychological Services can help them feel validated while providing support and solutions.
Let us help your teen look forward to their future. Growing up doesn’t have to be hard work. Please schedule a free initial 15-minute consultation by calling (805) 285-2307 or visiting our contact page.
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(1) https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
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We don’t often associate anxiety with teenagers. After all, as an adult, you can look back on your teenage years and think about how easy things were. But, it doesn’t always feel that way when you’re living it.