Therapy for Adolescents
Your teen may be struggling in school, hanging out with the wrong crowd or disobeying the rules at home, but how do you know when therapy is needed?
If the problems have persisted over time and are affecting the quality of life of your teen or your family, it’s probably time to get help. As a parent, you know your child best so trust your intuition and don’t hesitate to seek professional advice if you’re concerned.
What type of help? There are different types of therapies, all of which can effectively treat a number of issues. Some of the options include:
- Individual Therapy – One-on-one sessions with a therapist can help teens address private or sensitive issues in a safe environment. If your teen doesn’t mesh with one therapist, try others until you find the right match.
- Group Therapy – Because they care deeply about the opinions and acceptance of their peers, teenagers typically respond best to group therapy. In this setting, teens can share their stories and give and receive feedback from other teens.
- Family Therapy – Family therapy sessions provide a forum for your family to discuss issues with input and guidance from a neutral therapist. The goal of family therapy is often to help each family member develop healthier communication skills and stronger bonds, while working through specific troubles such as substance abuse, eating disorders, depression or difficult life experiences.
- Creative Therapies – Art, music, poetry and dance can be immensely therapeutic, particularly for teens who struggle to express themselves in words. Expressive art therapies heighten a teen’s self-awareness, give them an outlet for healthy self-expression and stress management, and give the therapist deeper insights into the teen’s behavior.
- Experiential Therapy – This can include a number of approaches, including equine therapy, ropes course initiatives, wilderness trips and other hands-on forms of learning. Because teens are actively engaging with the world around them and creating memories, this form of therapy can have long-lasting benefits.
You may begin to see improvement in just a few sessions, or you may uncover underlying issues that require more intensive treatment. In these cases, your teen’s therapist may recommend a wilderness therapy program, residential treatment center or therapeutic boarding school to address more significant issues, such as depression, oppositional defiant disorder, learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. These programs often include academics and a variety of therapies with master’s level therapists who specialize in treating teen issues.
