Does your teen seem unlike themselves lately?

Has your teen withdrawn from activities they used to love?
Have they been having problems with school, friendships, and family?
Are they having excessive mood swings?
Have you noticed a drop in their self-esteem or confidence?

Being a teenager can be an emotional roller coaster and parenting a teen can be difficult. Your teen is no longer the happy go lucky five year old you once knew, they’re a young adult trying to learn how to navigate the world. Between peer pressure, their studies, and life in general, your teen is experiencing an array of new things. They’re trying to figure out who they are while facing new issues in their relationships with their family and friends.

As parents you only want the best for your kids, so seeing them stressed, overwhelmed, or depressed can be hard to watch. While you’ve anticipated occasional mood swings, you weren’t ready from them withdrawing from the family, isolating themselves from their friends, or seemingly not enjoying life the way they used to.

All Teens Have Emotional Ups and Downs

Having emotional ups and downs at this age is normal and isn’t something you can prevent nor avoid. They’re going through a time in their life when they’re going to be experiencing new things in life – gaining friends, losing friends, changing emotions towards things they once loved, finding new interests, exploring their sexuality, and feeling emotions they’ve never felt before. Some of the issues they face may be minor, and while it may seem like the end of the world for them at the time, by the next week they will have moved on. But, there are times when certain issues or emotions they will experiencing may rise to a level, in which they should seek professional help.

20% of teens will experience depression and 1 in 3 teens will have an anxiety disorder. These statistics aren’t meant to scare you or to assume that this is what your child is experiencing, but simply bring awareness to what the problem may be.

Your teen may start showing signs of anxiety or depression through various symptoms. Emotionally they may experience being extremely worrisome, irritable, withdrawn, and unhappy. There may also be social changes, such as them isolating themselves from their friends, avoiding their extracurricular activities, and dodging social interactions in general.

As parents all you want is the best for you child, and seeing them experience anything but happiness can be tough. However, the good news is that with the help of an experienced and compassionate teen counselor, you can help your teen learn to process and manage their emotions and get help to live the happy life they deserve. The ability to unload their emotions and stories to someone they feel is unbiased and objective can be helpful.

Teen Therapy Can Help Improve Your Teen’s Well Being

At Friends In Transition Counseling we offer both individual and group counseling for teens and children. We begin with a consultation to learn more about them and what they’re currently going through and their current state of mind. This allows our specialized counselors to tailor their approach to your child. It also helps us determine if they’d thrive best in an individual or group therapeutic environment.

We utilize a variety of approaches including:  

• Expressive Art and Play Therapy Techniques
• Cognitive-behavioral Therapy
• Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
• Person-Centered Approaches

 Trauma approaches include:

Brain-spotting
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy

In Teen Therapy, our specialized clinicians develop an individual, integrated approach that is tailored to your child’s unique needs and goals.

But, You Still May Have Questions About Teen Therapy 

How do I know if my child really needs teen therapy?

Your child doesn’t have to experience a traumatic event or show extreme differences in emotion to come to therapy. Sometimes they just need someone to talk to even about the small things. By coming to therapy early on, we will be able to help them sort out their emotions and learn how to manage them to help prevent depression or anxiety.

I’ve recently separated, how can I ensure my child is handling it well? 

We understand that it’s important for you to protect and prepare your child(ren) to navigate this difficult family change. Divorce can be a disruptive time-period in a child’s life. However, with the appropriate support, Kids in Transition ® can emerge unscathed, happy and well-adjusted. You may have concerns about how to talk to the kids about all the changes that are coming. You might notice that your child is having a hard time and has begun to “act out” or express anger or rebellion.

We are here to help you and your child(ren) navigate this transition. We offer both individual and group support for children and adults.

Our Kids in Transition ® individual and group services can provide a safe space for your child to talk about the changes in the family, learn to appropriately express their feelings about the changes, develop positive coping skills and regain a sense of belonging.

 
Help Your Teen Feel Happy With Their Life

If you would like to schedule a consultation or discuss any questions you may have regarding Teen Counseling, don’t hesitate to reach out.