Children, preteens, and teenagers experience stress, depression, and anxiety as they undergo tumultuous life changes. You can tell your teen needs help if they seem tired and lethargic much of the time; no longer find joy in the things that interest them; experience difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; struggle with focus and motivation; or find it hard to maintain friendships.
If your child is exhibiting most or all of the above symptoms, it might be time to pursue youth counseling.
What Is Youth Counseling and Why Is It Important?
Youth counseling helps kids and teens cope with emotional and mental health struggles, whether it’s anxiety, family conflict, ADHD, or social issues. The myriad of changes that teens go through especially may make them feel overwhelmed and anxious. At this stage, they lose their childhood status, and they have to become more independent from their family. They also have to form new relationships with peers as they try to shape their future.
Through therapy, our counselors can help your child to:
• Overcome any negativity they feel
• Boost their self-esteem and self-worth
• Obtain a better understanding of the changes they are going through
• Enhance their social life by making new friends with ease
• Cope with any trauma they may be struggling with
• Overcome addiction through simple coping mechanisms
• Figure out how to handle new responsibilities that come with being a young adult
• Learn to appreciate themselves and those around them
Low self-esteem and self-doubt can significantly impact the way a child behaves – their communication skills, academic performance, and social life can all suffer as a result of poor confidence.
The mental and emotional state of the teen will determine the type of counseling our experts choose. Among our evidence-based treatment options are the following:
Acceptance and Commitment therapy – This therapy helps children and teens develop a positive attitude towards their life and changes that are happening around them.
Cognitive-Behavioral therapy – Anxiety and depression can manifest into negative thought patterns. CBT allows kids and teens to identify these patterns and recognize how they begin so that they can be alleviated more effectively.
Family therapy – Family conflict can greatly affect the trajectory of a child’s life. By inviting other members of your family to take part in the child’s counseling journey, this can pave the way for healthier communication and an improved outlook on your child’s behavior and life decisions.
Strengths Based therapy – with the availability of social media and electronic devices, our youth can find it difficult to make sense of their strengths and positive areas of life. Through Strengths Based therapy, our counselors encourage youth to focus on their own strengths and learn how to find balance within their environments.
Child (5-9), Youth (9-12), Teens (13-20)
We Help With:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Home Behaviors
- School Behaviors and Stress
- Shame and Guilt
- Family and Life Transitions
- Family Conflict
- Divorce
- Grief/Loss
- Unhealthy Relationships
- Peer Conflict
- Social Skills
- Disordered Eating
- Body Image
- Self-Esteem
- Anger Management
- Trauma
- Suicidal Thoughts
- Self-Injury/Risky Behaviors
- Identity Formation
- LGBTQ+ Issues
- ADHD – assessments and strategies for school
- Career Coaching and Counseling
We use techniques from evidence-based practices:
-
- Play therapy
- Art therapy
- Sandtray therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Solution-Focused
- Multicultural counseling
- Social and emotional learning
- Character assessments and inventories
Let a Mental Health Professional Help You
If you notice that your child is going through emotional hardships, give us a call. Our mental health counselors can help you and your child with the support needed for growth.