Teen Therapy
Something is off…
Every parent is warned about the teen years, but even the best of warnings will not adequately prepare you or your teen when something goes awry.
Every day they come home, go to their room, and shut the door. Repeatedly knocking to interact with them, they open the door with a huff and an eye-roll or a rude response.
Sad, angry, and frustrated, you can’t help but feel that something is off – but you can’t put your finger on it.
Day, weeks, and months go by, and it seems to get worse…
Then a pattern emerges. The frightening lows of depression or the paralyzing feelings of anxiety cause your teen to struggle with low self-esteem and become a hermit.
The lack of desire and fear of going to school become your current reality as you find yourself begging your teen to get up and go. Their tears flow down their face as they beg to stay home for one more day.
Your frustration and anger rise, which only seems to make the situation worse. It doesn’t matter what you say, you cannot budge them out of their negative thoughts and drowning sadness.
A healthy balance in your teen’s life is non-existent.
Their grades are dropping, and you don’t know if it’s because of lack of caring, depression, or attention issues.
Staying up too late and lacking a gross amount of sleep, they are constantly on their phone, either with friends or on social media.
Despite your best efforts to add layers of protection to their electronic devices, they find ways to circumvent the filters. You do your best to educate them about the dangers of talking online to strangers, but your teen just thinks you are paranoid.
Then it happens. Every parent’s worse nightmare.
You discover your teen is involved in something that can potentially kill them, and it feels like someone just punched you in the gut. Drugs, alcohol, pre-mature sexual activity, or self-harm. Wondering how and why, all you can do is cry.
Angry and frustrated at being discovered, many teens feel violated and controlled. They want to make their own decisions, and they can’t understand the reasons why what they did was so wrong.
Baffled and speechless…
… you don’t know what to say or how to help.
You spent years pouring love, care, and protection into your child, only to discover that they are not making healthy decisions for their life.
This discovery is shocking, heart breaking, and leaves you feeling desperate as to how to help your child.
Your teen feels like they are in a pressure cooker…
… and all they want to do is escape.
The pressure to succeed in school pounds in their head all day.
The burden to be accepted and approved of by others keeps them up at night. The anxiety to not disappoint their parents drives them to the edge of insanity.
The intensity of dealing with fighting parents or a tumultuous divorce leaves many teens unsettled and feeling out of control.
The pressure to be enough: pretty enough, strong enough, smart enough is overwhelming. The strain to avoid being bullied and go under the radar feels like a full-time job.
The pressure to stay focused and pay attention when there are so many distractions feels impossible.
Looking for an escape route…
All teens are desperately trying to figure out who they are, and they all crave independence. Dealing with an immense amount of confusion, teens are influenced by their friends, social media, and culture.
This confusion leaves many teens feeling highly anxious and depressed. Desperate to get the pain to stop, teens look for an escape route.
Escaping looks different for different kids. Some teens escape via video games, their phones, friends, or social media.
For others, escaping these difficult and overwhelming emotions can include being involved with drugs, alcohol, pornography, sex, or self-harm. Suicidal ideation is the ultimate escape that many teens struggle with daily.
Counseling can be a healthier alternative.
Counseling will allow your teen to open up and talk about what is on their heart.
When parents and teens come to therapy, we usually spend the first 15-20 minutes with the parents in the room, discovering the nature of the problems.
Once the parent leaves, the teen can identify their own problems, share their own perspective, and tell their own story.
We meet your teen on their own level.
Meeting a teen on their level means getting to know what is important in their life and creating a strong therapeutic bond. This can look like listening to their favorite song, talking about their favorite video game, or discussing their most recent crush.
Our goal is to make your teen feel like they are understood and accepted. By meeting your teen on their level, your teen will be able to express the pressures in their life without fear of judgment.
Through the course of their therapy, teens will be empowered to solve their own problems in a healthier way, communicate their feelings in a respectful and honoring manner, and process their emotions before the pressure gets too high.
Your teen doesn’t have to continue to struggle…
… and you don’t have to feel as though you’re constantly banging your head on a wall, begging your teen to come out of their room and talk to you!
Help your teen get out of the pressure cooker and into a life of love, connection, and joy!
Give us a call, and let’s start rewriting and redefining your teen’s future today: (407) 285-6284