What is adolescent counseling
Adolescent counseling is aimed at helping young people make sense of their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
Counseling helps adolescents learn healthy coping skills and set realistic goals.
Types of adolescent counseling
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Individual therapy
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Family therapy
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Group therapy
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Trauma therapy
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Experiential therapy (art, music, play therapy, Equine and Adventure)
Signs to watch for to establish if an adolescent needs therapy
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Persistent feelings of hopelessness
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Feeling sad, depressed, angry, or anxious
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Having difficulty focusing
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Talking about thoughts of self-harm, death, or suicide
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Significant changes in eating habits
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Changes in behavior
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Isolating themselves
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An abrupt drop in grades
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Extreme mood swings
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Self-destructive behaviors
The Benefits of Youth and Adolescent Counseling
Building Emotional Regulation
Emotion regulation can be difficult for teens with developmental disabilities, mood disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, and addictions.
Healing from Trauma
Without treatment, acute or chronic trauma can stunt brain development and put adolescents at a disadvantage as they grow up, negatively impacting them for the rest of their lives
Growing Self-Worth and Self-Compassion
Teens need to develop a greater sense of self-worth. Many adolescents have low self-esteem which could lead to depression and suicidal thoughts. Learning self-compassion can help adolescents be kinder to themselves and develop a greater sense of self.
Supporting Teens’ Growth and Development
Counseling supports adolescent development. There are different developmental milestones that adolescents need to reach to move on to the next stage of the teen years. Counseling can help teens meet their developmental goals by working through each stage of development and its effects on social, behavioral, and emotional development.
Repairing Family Relationships
Teen therapy is particularly impactful when the family is involved. Family therapy tailored toward adolescents, such as Attachment-Based Family Therapy, can restore ruptures between parents and children. These ruptures might be the result of early childhood trauma or may have developed during the teen years while the adolescent was struggling with mental health issues.
Gaining Healthy Coping Skills