Teen Therapy & Mental Health: Can Teen Therapy With Licensed Therapists Help Teens?
Adolescence can be a challenging life stage. A young adult can deal with physical changes from puberty, new social circles, changing schools, and a higher expectation of responsibility than previously awarded. Many report feeling challenged mentally and emotionally as they become young adults and to help with navigating this, some teens seek therapy. There are different stages of adolescence, and understanding the adolescent age range can help one grasp the experiences of teens.
Stages of adolescence
The adolescent age range is broken down into three phases, each having different challenges and goals for teens. According to a 2021 statistical report, nearly 14% of teens aged 12-17 in the United States experienced a major depressive episode within one year of the report, and 40% of adolescents with depression reached out for support from a professional.
Therapy for teens facing depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges
If your child is struggling with mental health challenges during the teenage years that are beginning to affect their life negatively, you may be wondering how you can best help them. Many parents worry about the problems their children face, such as excessive screen time, skipping school, or other destructive behaviors. In such situations, seeking therapy from a treatment provider can help develop healthy coping skills for teens, which can prove to be extremely important for the teens' emotional well-being. Through working with a trained therapist or other mental health professionals, your child can learn to identify and manage their difficult feelings and intense emotions and carry these new coping skills with them into adulthood.
Should you enroll your teen?
It's important to recognize that different mental health approaches may affect individuals differently. As such, it may be up to you and your family whether therapy could be effective, but how do I know if my teenager needs counseling? According to recent research, teen therapy can provide a leg of support for adolescents facing emotional reactions and stress during their teenage years. This is especially true when mental health therapy for young adults is combined with an effective support network of trusted adults and healthy coping mechanisms.
The warning signs your teen should go to therapy can be personal and vary from individual to individual. You might consider teenage counseling if your child requires additional support that cannot be offered by friends, family members, a school therapist, or other existing support options. If there is a history of childhood trauma, therapy is typically also helpful. A more structured treatment plan for mental health conditions affecting daily life may be found through therapy. However, therapy can benefit anyone; an adolescent without a mental health condition may also benefit from professional advice as they navigate family conflicts, overall mental well-being, and life in general.
Potential benefits of therapy
Studies have found that offering mental health intervention programs like therapy to young adults can help dissuade disruptive behavior, lessen affective symptoms of mood disorders like depression and anxiety, offer a constructive social skill-building environment, and allow for a stronger sense of personal well-being. These forms of mental health support via therapists can help teens have a safe place to open up about issues, including mental health problems, medication management, health, stress, and home life with a licensed therapist.
Discussing therapy with your teen
Discuss options with your child to see whether they believe it would be appropriate to begin therapy. For struggling adolescents, mental health therapy may be the best option to help them cope with their emotions in a healthy way. This can be a difficult conversation to have, but it is an important one that will help your teen in the long run; therapy can also be a good treatment for difficult symptoms your teen may be facing, like self-harm or panic attacks. You may also discuss the idea with your child’s primary care physician; they're professionals and good for helping your teen with anxiety. Some adolescents might be nervous about speaking to a licensed therapist about depression or anxiety. It is often helpful to explain the therapy process and help them understand how it can help. Giving your child an opportunity to understand the process may help them create a sense of security surrounding the process before their first session.
Options for teens
There are many types of therapy available for teens experiencing mental health challenges, including individual and group therapies.
Individual therapy for depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems
Individual therapy involves a one-on-one meeting with a mental health professional to address concerns and build strategies for managing mental health. It can take place either in a therapist’s office or online.Individual services can address mental health problems and conditions, like eating disorders, bipolar disorder, and other mental illnesses. Sessions usually take place once per week.
These therapies may benefit those struggling with feeling insecure, embarrassed, or ashamed of their concerns. The environment of individual therapy may help adolescents feel more comfortable and capable of addressing their mental health problems.
Some forms of individual teen therapy can include:
- Cognitive Behavior (CBT) is a psychotherapeutic approach that targets behavioral problems for teens by reorganizing patterns of thinking to be more constructive. CBT is also helpful for addressing teen alcohol use disorders or other substance use concerns.
- Dialectical Behavior (DBT) is a type of teen counseling aims to help individuals achieve a better understanding of themselves and their emotions. DBT emphasizes personal responsibility and conflict resolution.
- Acceptance And Commitment (ACT) involves learning to accept your emotional state and addressing it in a healthy, positive way in the future.
To find a therapist that offers individual therapy, search for “teen therapy in my area” or look through online directories.
Teen therapy in a group
Talking directly with their peers and engaging in positive self-talk can be the most effective way for some teens to address their concerns. Group sessions, in particular, can be extremely beneficial for young adults as it can make them feel less isolated and more supported as they address their mental health problems with other teens experiencing the same struggles. Through talking with their peers, they identify how to interact constructively with others and develop valuable communication skills, in addition to working through mental health concerns with licensed mental health professionals. Group members often share coping tools and strategies that might help your child make meaningful progress on their mental health journey.
Group sessions may be held within small groups of individuals guided by a professional through various exercises and discussions. These sessions for teenagers often focus on using group dynamics to explore and resolve various mental health concerns.
Some forms of group counseling can include:
- Family Therapy -This can be a transformative approach for the whole family, as each session aims to build a more supportive and productive family dynamic.
- Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) - This focuses specifically on offering real-time coaching for parents and their children to establish positive interaction patterns. Parents taught basic behavioral strategies and techniques to influence their child’s behavior positively.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) - This may sometimes include two separate session environments, group and individual, to help build social skills and a sense of responsibility for one’s actions.
Online therapy and therapists for teens
I can't find teen counseling near me– is there any other option? If you believe your child would benefit from mental health resources, there are many forms you can try. Online therapy can also be beneficial for adolescents or families struggling with scheduling or finding time to commute to in-person visits. With internet-based treatment, you can stay connected to a therapist through video, phone, or live chat sessions. Additionally, you can message your therapist anytime, responding to challenges as they happen rather than delaying them until the next session.
Online therapy is on the rise in the modern world, and peer-reviewed studies suggest that online teen counseling can be as effective as in-person counterparts in treating various mental health conditions, including mood disorders like anxiety and depression, which are common among young adults. It has been proven particularly effective for teens due to their familiarity with online platforms in general.
If your child is open to trying online therapy, they can sign up through an online platform like TeenCounseling with parental consent. In parenting teenagers, you would also benefit from therapy; platforms like BetterHelp offer appointments for adults and get to a growing database of licensed therapists. With affordable rates, you don’t have to worry about substantial fees or fight for insurance coverage.
Takeaway
Adolescence can be a difficult period of life for many individuals. With a rapid change in physical, mental, emotional, and societal norms, teens may feel overwhelmed or challenged. If you feel your child could use professional support, seeking a therapist matched to their needs might be valuable. If you suspect your child may be experiencing a mental illness, early diagnosis via working with a therapist can be a way to minimize the impact of the illness on your child’s life. Don't hesitate to reach out and learn more about how therapy can help your child cope with life's challenges and grow into a more confident, independent adult.
What type of counseling is best for teens?
There are a variety of counseling services for people in their teenage years, depending on their needs. Teens can receive services from licensed professional therapists in their own practice, community clinics, or school-based programs. Teens can also participate in group or individual teen therapy sessions.
Online therapy via phone, text, or video
Online therapy can be really helpful for a teen who doesn’t have transportation or has a difficult time scheduling appointments because of a busy schedule.
Family therapy with licensed therapists
Family therapy with other family members can be helpful if family dynamics are difficult, but only if you feel that it would be safe. A licensed mental health professional might use different modalities for teens, including dialectical behavior, interpersonal, or ACT sessions (acceptance and commitment therapy).
When should you consider family therapy?
Teenagers should consider finding an individual, family therapist, or teen mental health services if they are experiencing any sort of issue that they feel they could use support with. Teen issues can range in type and severity. They can include academic pressure, peer pressure, emotional challenges, low self-esteem, substance abuse, trauma, depression, anxiety, or a problematic relationship with a family member, among others.
What are the most common questions that licensed professional therapists ask in a session?
When therapists are getting to know you, they might ask questions about your family unit, substance abuse, sexually transmitted disease control, self-harm behaviors, stress levels, negative thoughts, or eating disorders so they know how to treat you as a teenager effectively. They might also ask about your goals, interests, friendships, and coping strategies. Once you’ve established a relationship with the therapist, they might ask questions about your feelings and thought processes.
What to talk about in counseling?
People talk about a wide range of things in counseling, depending on the issues they are dealing with. They might talk about emotional issues such as anger or job-, school-, or relationship-based stress. They can talk about problem-solving strategies and learn skills to help them cope with issues like low self-esteem and self-doubt. Almost anything can be discussed in teen counseling, and the therapist can assist you in determining what should be the top priority. A therapist’s expertise can be a valuable tool whether you are addressing a serious problem or addressing a more minor concern.
How much does wellness counseling cost?
Therapy for teens typically costs anywhere from $60 to $200 per hour. Online teen counseling with a platform like BetterHelp can be more affordable, and so can services from a community clinic or university clinic. In some cases, community and university resources can be entirely free of charge.You can also see if a therapist for teens that you want to see accepts insurance, and many insurance plans will pay for mental health services.
How do I go deeper in teen counseling?
You can go deeper in teen counseling by being vulnerable, sharing your true feelings, and telling your therapist what you want to discuss. If you feel like you are pushing to go deeper in your sessions and your therapist isn’t supporting you, it is OK to switch therapists. It is essential to feel you can communicate openly with your therapist, especially when discussing sensitive topics like trauma, and some people need to try a few therapists until they find someone who can communicate in a way that resonates with them.
You might feel like it’s impossible to talk about hard things in teen counseling, especially if others in your life aren’t open to talking about them or if you’re not ready to admit them to yourself. However, therapists are used to talking about hard things with their clients. If you let your therapist know that you have a hard topic and are having a hard time bringing it up, they will know the right questions to ask.
Especially in cases of high anxiety, teens benefit from online therapy, where information can be exchanged through a video message or through audio messages. This physical distance can provide teens with the safety they need to speak vulnerably and seek guidance from a mental health professional in a way that best suits their needs.
Therapists take a non-judgmental approach with their clients and communicate in a way that encourages free expression, even for serious issues like using drugs and alcohol. Mental health professionals do not expect you to know all the answers or be able to find solutions on your own, it is perfectly acceptable to find teen counseling for issues that are hard to discuss with others.
Mental health assessments vary, depending on what they are trying to assess. They might ask questions about mental and physical symptoms you are experiencing, your mood and state of mind, your family history or dynamics, negative thought patterns, and if you are experiencing thoughts of self-harm, among other things. A high-quality evaluation typically includes structured interviews or rating scales that ask highly specific questions about your concern.
A number of different types of therapists can support someone with anxiety and depression. That said, cognitive behavioral techniques have been shown to be highly effective for both anxiety and depression, so you can seek out a therapist who practices this modality.If you have severe anxiety and/or depression, you may also want to see a psychiatrist to discuss the possibility of getting medication that can help. Learning mindfulness practices from a therapist can also support you in overcoming your anxiety or depression. You can see an in-person therapist or an online therapist for anxiety or depression.
If you have no major issues or feelings that you want to discuss, simply tell the therapist what’s going on in your life, and you might find that you have things to work on in your daily life. You can also talk to your therapist about your dreams, your relationships with your friends and family, or your plans for the future. Anything related to your progress in counseling is okay to bring up, including things tangentially related to your original concern. You can discuss how to create better self-care habits or ask for some skills to practice before meeting again next week.
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