Therapy For Teens
about TEEN counseling:
Being a teen can be extremely stressful, as there’s a lot to worry about. Teens are experiencing an increase in anxiety and depression symptoms, which parents have to look out for.
It is common for teens to have low self-esteem due to what others say on social media platforms, such as:
And other apps
These apps are also the place where most teens socialize and interact. It is typical for teens to experience changes in friendships and relationships, which cause stress, anxiety, and sadness.
Can social media really affect my teen’s mental health?
Absolutely!
Social media can cause:
Fear of missing out (FOMO)
Isolation
Anxiety
Depression
Human beings are social creatures. In order to grow, we require external connections; however, those connections can become complicated when social media comes into the picture.
When your teen is socially connected, they can experience:
Happiness
Increased self-worth
The prevention of loneliness
A decrease in anxiety
A decrease in depression
A decrease in stress
General comfort
If your teen is missing face-to-face social connections, they may turn to social media to fill that void. You may notice that this causes your teen to spend excessive amounts of time on social media.
Excessive social media use can cause teens to feel:
Defeated
Lonely
Upset
Dissatisfied
Unmotivated
If this is the case, having your child decrease their social media use and having them talk to a teenager therapist can be helpful.
What are some other common sources of stress for teens?
In addition to overusing social media platforms, many life transitions can bring unnecessary stress into your teen’s life.
For example, the application process to get into high school and college are top causes of stress for most teens. Students stress about which schools to apply to, how to complete the application, and how many acceptances they will receive when all is said and done.
Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic deeply impacted the physical, emotional, and mental lives of the youth. Even in a post-pandemic world, kids are still grappling with the aftermath of this epidemic. The American Psychological Association has even highlighted the crisis of teens’ mental health.
Your teen may feel like they are racing against time. Trying to balance their social lives, academic work, and even work responsibilities. It can be a lot for any person to manage, especially if they are young. Therefore, they may need help from a teen counselor navigating the process.
Life transitions are a normal, but frustrating part of life for your teen.
Why choose Anchor Therapy for teen counseling?
At Anchor Therapy, we find that every student could use counseling for teens as it is such a stressful time in their life. Our therapists for teenagers pride themselves on being able to relate to your child. We do not blow off serious issues, such as depression and anxiety, as “teenage phases.” Instead, we work to get to the root of the issue so that your teen can start feeling like the best version of themself again.
Our teenage therapists are specialized in helping teens and create a great bond with all of the teen clients they see. Our teen mental health counselors are passionate about helping teens and greatly enjoy it.
Our teenage counselors keep up-to-date with social media, pop culture, TV shows, and movies that teens are watching so that we can speak the same language. We genuinely enjoy seeing the progress a teen client can make in teenage mental health counseling and find it so rewarding once they “graduate” from therapy with more confidence and a better send of their identity.
What types of therapy are available for teens at Anchor Therapy?
Generally, there are three primary types of therapy for adolescents. In some cases, you may feel like it is necessary for your teen to do a combination of the following types of mental health counseling. The type of therapy your teen will do depends on the issues they are facing. Since this is unique to every teen, this is something you, your teen, and your teenage counselor would discuss at the intake session.
The three types of teen therapy are as follows:
Individual counseling for teens - In individual counseling for teens, your teen would meet with their teen counselor for sessions on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The first session is an hour intake session with the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the teen. It is optional to have the teen present for the first intake session based on how open you’d like to be about your concerns with the teen specialized therapist. Each session after the intake session is 45-minutes long. We highly recommend starting therapy weekly if possible so that the teen and therapist can build rapport. We also provide biweekly sessions if needed for scheduling or financial reasons as well. While therapy sessions are unique and largely dependent on the teen specialized therapist that your child sees, it can generally be expected that your teen will be asked to identify their feelings about the issues in their life. They may even get assigned “homework” to help them through difficult situations.
Family therapy - Teenage family counseling is when you, the other parent/guardian (if applicable), your teen, and possibly sibling(s) will all come together for therapy sessions. Together, you will work on problems that impact the family unit as a whole. In this setting, everyone gets to express their concerns.
Group therapy - Group therapy for teenagers gives your teen a unique perspective on life. They will learn that they are not alone in their struggles, and they can see how other teens handle similar problems. Starting out group therapy can be scary but, after a few sessions, your teen will feel more comfortable. Group therapy can vastly help your teen’s social skills as well. Teens can greatly benefit from a combination of group therapy sessions and individual counseling.
Does Anchor Therapy offer teenage parent counseling?
At Anchor Therapy, we also have parenting sessions available throughout your teen’s treatment. Parenting sessions can be short check-in’s on the phone between your teen’s sessions, or it could be a full session with parents in-person, on the phone, or over video.
As parents, you truly want the best for your children. You want them to be happy and safe. There are times that you may find yourself feeling at the end of your rope because your teen is not doing well.
Your teen may be struggling in:
School
Peer relationships
Work
Home
Identity
What do we discuss during parenting sessions?
During these parenting sessions, we listen to any concerns you may have and help create a plan on how you can help your teen continue treatment at home. Since teens are older and more independent, it is likely that a lot of parenting sessions are not needed unless something specific comes up. We put trust in our relationship with teens before anything else and will be open and honest with them if we feel we want to include their parent(s) in treatment. It is possible that a family session with multiple family members is appropriate for a session. All of this would be discussed with your teen first so that they are always aware of what is happening and have control over their treatment. Therapy with teens is also confidential unless there are any high risk factors (i.e. suicidal ideation, self-harm, or abuse). If there are high risk topics that arise in therapy sessions with your teen, we are required to tell their parent/guardian. We always discuss this first with the teen and invite them to tell you first or offer to help them include you in the topic discussed.
Raising kids is definitely not an easy job. We are here to provide the support you need to make sure you’re doing okay also. Our goal is to provide some relief for your family and to open communication. We will be there to keep your teen lifted up so that they can grow into becoming a confident and happy individual. We will also teach them tools and skills to use when they are feeling overwhelmed.
WHAT ISSUES CAN TEEN COUNSELING AT ANCHOR THERAPY HELP WITH?
HOW ANCHOR THERAPY CAN HELP YOUR TEEN:
Your children will have obstacles put in front of them as they grow up and try to navigate their life. As a parent, you want to protect them from anything that you can. As teen therapists, we are here to give your children tools and skills so that they can successfully get through those obstacles. Therapy for teens will open up your child’s communication so that they can express themselves in a better way. This will lead them to have healthier relationships in their life. We can help your child express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions more openly.
At Anchor Therapy, we put self-care before everything, making sure that all of our clinicians have enough time for self-care so that when they come into work to help others, they are 100% present and happy to help. In teenager therapy, your child will have the unique opportunity to have the full attention of an adult that is there to listen and help support them. The therapist for teenagers will act as a role model who can help your child find what self-care they need as well. We provide a safe place for your child to find themselves and what they need. We are here to motivate and inspire your children to help them develop and reach their potential.
THERAPY APPROACHES WE USE WITH TEENS:
We will work with your teen to help them cope with life transitions and stressors that come their way. Through CBT for teens, we can help your child recognize what is causing them to feel anxious, depressed, or overwhelmed. We then explore what the thoughts are that are causing them discomfort in their mind and reframe and challenge them so that the symptoms of anxiety and/or depression decrease. We also provide art and play therapy for kids. While building a relationship with your teen, we may incorporate aspects of this to make counseling fun and interactive while accomplishing our goals.
DO YOU USE THE SAME THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES WITH EVERY TEEN?
No. Since every teen is unique, every approach must be unique. We are here to fit our therapeutic approach to exactly what your teen and family needs, taking a multidisciplinary approach to our work.
Here are some common types of therapy offered at Anchor Therapy:
In the first intake session with the therapist, you will be present along with your teen (and any other parent/guardian preferably). If you prefer to come without your teen for the intake session so you can talk openly about your concerns first without them present then that is okay as well. In this case, your teen would be present starting at the second therapy session. Sometimes teens wish to have full control over therapy sessions, but when they are under 18 years old we do require at least one parent/guardian present for at least some of the intake session to answer some background questions and to consent to their teen’s therapy.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR TEEN DOES NOT WANT TO COME IN FOR THERAPY:
It is often the case that you feel that your teen could use help from therapy but they are resistant to it. We are trained to build rapport with your teen and the only thing that you need to do is convince them to just try it out by attending the first few sessions with us. We will take it from there.
Ideally, as the sessions go on, your teen will look forward to having a place to go to openly express themselves and receive feedback and tools they can use in their daily life to feel better. As licensed therapists, we know how to build a trusting relationship over time with teens and we make teen counseling fun! Our teen therapists keep up-to-date with what’s happening in the schools in our area as well as in pop culture and other things teens are interested in. We know it is important to connect with your child and show them that we care to look into and understand their world.
SIGNS THAT YOUR TEEN MAY NEED THERAPY:
Angry
Irritable
Impulsive
Worried often
Experiencing stomach issues
Experiencing a change in appetite
Sleeping too much or not getting enough sleep
Struggling at school or home
No longer interested in activities they usually enjoy
Anxious about social interactions
Lacking concentration
Experiencing low self-esteem
A perfectionist
Experiencing test taking anxiety
Going through parents divorcing
Applying for high school/college
HOW DO I GET STARTED WITH TEENAGE COUNSELING AT ANCHOR THERAPY?
WORKING WITH US IS EASY
If you are interested in treatment for your teen, reach out to us directly by filling out the form below. We have teen psychotherapists who specialize in helping teens whether in an individual or group format. Our teen mental health counselors are also trained to help parent(s) and families.
After filling out the form below for teen counseling, our intake coordinator will reach out to you to match your teen with a trained teen therapist who fits your child’s and overall family’s needs.
You’ll rest easy tonight knowing you made the first step to improve your teen’s life.
