What Are the Signs a Teen Needs Therapy?

Your teen’s therapist should be compassionate, understanding, and kind.

It’s tough being a kid in our modern world. Teen therapy can help your loved one learn to cope with those profoundly stressful challenges. Today, the expectations placed on your teen are higher than ever. Schools are becoming more and more competitive, while peer pressure, hormones, bullying, and normal adolescent rebellion can influence your teen’s life. Plus, they now have to circumnavigate the challenges of growing up in a digital society.

Contact Time Wellness today to learn more about our top-rated mental health treatment in the South.

What is Teen Therapy?

Kids see and understand their emotions differently than adults. Teen therapists are trained to help your teen make sense of the thoughts and feelings going on in their bodies, mind, and life. Most importantly, though, a teen therapist helps your teen do this in a way they can understand.

Teen therapy focuses on youth, teens, and adolescents with one or more mental health needs. It also provides therapeutic support and guidance to teens who have experienced trauma or have (or are) experiencing a stressful, dysfunctional, or abusive home environment. While many of these issues mirror those faced by adults who share similar experiences, teens are not always emotionally equipped to manage them in healthy or effective ways.

Teens experience many of the same challenges as adults. Common examples include depression, grief, anxiety, and trauma. Teen therapy aims to break these problems down into smaller, easy-to-manage parts so your teen can better understand and cope with them.

What Are the Signs a Teen Needs Therapy?

There are many ways your teen may show you that they are in distress. For some, it’s acting out, fighting, having temper tantrums, or bullying their peers. For others, their warning signs may be withdrawing, shutting down emotionally, falling behind in school, or ignoring you.

While some behavioral patterns may simply be a part of your teen’s personality, external influences can also play a significant role. Teen therapy can help identify the root causes, which can include:

• Being bullied
• Excessive use of technology
• ADD or ADHD
• Physical or sexual trauma
• Exposure to alcoholism and drug addiction
• Witnessing violence and chronic conflict
• Losing a friend or loved one
• Parental separation or divorce

What Methods Do Our Teen Psychologists Use?

Introducing your loved one to a skilled and supportive teen therapist is a great way to support their personal growth and development. Through a combination of play therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy for teens, and traditional talk therapy, our specialists will assess their behavior, mood, and intellectual functioning.

The process is designed to help you as well, as your teen psychologist may suggest new parenting strategies to support your teen’s individual needs. Additionally, we can provide therapy to family members, should it be beneficial for your teen’s treatment.

To learn more about what we treat, contact us today.

What are the Benefits of Teen Therapy?

Teen therapy is an excellent way to help your teen deal with life’s challenges. Therapy not only teaches them how to manage and reduce depression and anxiety, but it can also help improve self-esteem and develop social skills and a strong sense of self. Seeing a therapist specializing in teen therapy allows your teen to learn and practice safer and healthier ways to regulate their emotions while developing a better understanding of how their feelings and behavior connect.

What to Look for in a Teen Therapist?

When considering a teen therapist, there are several things you should look for. First, choosing a therapist who is a good “fit” for your teen is essential. If not, there is a strong possibility your teen will feel anxious, embarrassed, and even uncomfortable being open and honest with a counselor. When working with a therapist with whom they feel safe and supported, therapy is more likely to be productive and helpful for your teen.

Choosing a counselor with the right training to meet your teen’s needs is also important. There are many reasons why your teen may benefit from the help of a teen therapist, and not all providers have the same training or educational background. This does not diminish the skill or ability of a particular provider; it simply means not all providers are equipped to manage and treat the same conditions. As a result, finding a teen therapist with the best skills and tools to help your teen meet their treatment goals is vital.

Get Help for Your Teen with Time Wellness

It is important to understand the difference between standard, every day teenhood challenges and stressors and the kind you need to be worried about. If you notice (or your teen vocalizes) a change in their typical behavior or feelings, it may be time to consider reaching out to a teen therapist for help.

If teenhood mental health concerns are allowed to go unchecked for too long, it can result in debilitating physical and emotional symptoms, which could further impact your teen. Also, your teen could experience medical and other mental health side effects that require medical intervention. The earlier treatment is sought for your teen, the more effective therapeutic interventions will be. In addition, early treatment will likely reduce the time required for treatment or therapy, limiting disruption to your teen’s academic and social activities.

There are many benefits to teen therapy. Let us help you connect with the best provider to help your teen take their first steps towards healing from mental health and emotional health challenges. To learn more about Time Wellness and our team of caring and compassionate teen therapy providers, click below for more information.