Anyone and everyone can benefit from therapeutic sessions with a therapist, from teens and 20’s to those in Hospice and End Of Life Care. Therapists help us to sort through the thoughts and emotions that come with the different phases of life. Therapy helps us to adapt through the changes and challenges of life, and helps us to understand ourselves as we too change and transform.
Why Teens And Young Adults Need Therapy More Than Adults
We need therapy during the times of change, and children, teens and young adults go through the most life changes than adults — all of which can be intimidating or downright scary. Teens and young adults know that every move they make is under scrutiny by parents, teachers, relatives, friends, and society as a whole. They know that every decision they make is going to affect them for the next 5-10-50- or even 80 years!!! There is a lot of weight on the shoulders of teens and young adults.
Parents DO NOT Do a Good Job Addressing Their Children’s Thoughts, Worries, and Mental Health Needs
Parents want to do a good job at all things regarding their children’s care, but are not perfect, and may fail to do so sometimes. That is just reality. Sometimes doctors, dentists, behavioral specialists, or other professionals need to help provide the best care for a child that is possible. This goes for mental health therapists as well. It is important for teens and young adults to see a therapist for talk therapy if they want it or show signs of needing it.
Teens Are Not Good At Listening To Their Parents
Equally, teens are not good at listening or taking advice from their parents. Further, many teens naturally place blame on their parents for life’s problems; which not only worsens problems for the teen, but hampers communication with the parents. Without the help of a therapist, parents will find themselves in an uphill battle when trying to simply help their teen with their struggles.
Therapy for teens is perfectly healthy, even though some parents may feel a stigma or that their children seeing a counselor or therapist is a sign of something they did wrong. Therapy is nothing to feel shameful-about. Denying the care of a therapist to your children else because of YOUR feelings about can further the problems your teen is experiencing.
Parents are not experts. Children, teens and young adults ask questions that are simply beyond the ability of most parents to answer. Teens and young adults want answers on the questions they have about their changing bodies and brains, and therapists are usually much more equipped to answer these questions than the average parent.
Therapy for Life Changes in Teens and Young Adults
Teens experience a lot of life changes that feel and seem weird to them. Their bodies and brains are changing, and there are new emotions that are developing each day and with each experience the day brings. Questions abound and they need answers that a therapist can help to answer.
Therapy for Teens Going Through Puberty
Puberty is a very intense life change that can start anywhere from age 8 (in the youngest cases) to 21 years (in Delayed Puberty). Teens going through this life change go through changes in body-chemistry and start producing different hormones and chemicals — all of which play a role in thoughts, brain development, emotions, and emotional development.
Why should a teen going through puberty speak to a therapist? Once a teen is comfortable with their therapist and opens-up about their feelings, thoughts and experiences, there are a million reasons that will come pouring out of a teens mind. Issues from bullying to love and lust, from school to friends, the lives of teens are complex and offer numerous opportunities for outside help — help from family, friends, parents, relatives and even therapists.
Therapy For Teens with Delayed Puberty
Children, teens, and young adults can be quite cruel to those who are different than the other majority. Delayed puberty, unfortunately, offers many opportunities for others to be cruel. As other teens start their change of life, they may begin bullying those that don’t develop as fast. Biological females with delayed puberty may get bullied for their looks just as biological males that are “late bloomers.”
Bullying and cruelty about a person’s physical appearance can leave a lasting impression, cause lifelong trauma, or otherwise harm teens. Giving a teen an outlet for negative emotions during the trying times of “not going through puberty when your friends are” can prevent a lot of damage or harm.
Therapy For Teens With Learning Challenges
Teens that are facing learning challenges are at a pivotal point in their teenage years — they are preparing to make decisions that will affect their future educations and livelihoods. At this time, unaddressed learning challenges — even simple ones — can derail the futures of promising young adults.
Many teens get frustrated in their teenage high school years because of all of the challenges that are building-up. The term “dropping out” is synonymous with not finishing high school, but is a good term to use for the way teens feel with unaddressed feelings, thoughts, emotions, or worries . The pressure of it all makes them want to just “Quit.”
In many cases, a teen with learning challenges can be saved and keep themselves “on-track” in their teenage years by giving them an outlet through therapy. Therapy can help a teenager sort-out their emotions and worries, and put everything into a manageable view. Therapists tackle the individual points of stress: schoolwork, concentration problems, social worries, and other stressors; by then addressing each individually, the frustration with the multiple problems can dissolve away.
Therapy For Teens With ADHD
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) are both contentious diagnoses, as attention disorders seem to fall along a much broader spectrum (similar to autism spectrum disorders). A teen may have an attention deficit that is almost unnoticeable in comparison to severe cases. Because the spectrum is so broad, broad treatments like a single medication type for all cases is unwise — if you care for the long-term wellbeing of teens. Instead, pinpointed therapy sessions aimed to improve concentration and cognitive skills can better-treat the unique needs of patients.
Therapy For Teens With Questions About Sex and Sexuality
If there is one problem that gets tougher for teens as time goes on, it is the problem of questions about sex. Teens and young adults in 2024 have a lot more questions about sex and sexuality than teens just 50 years ago, because our understanding of sex and sexuality as a society and culture has changed. Questions from teens about sex and sexuality are best handled by parents and a therapist in-conjunction; parents who are open to having talks about sex with their teens are encourages to do so while leaning-on the expertise of a therapist.
Parents Who Are Not Comfortable with Talking About Sex With Their Teens
If you — as a parent — are not comfortable with talking about sex to your kids, or don’t feel that you are best suited for the conversations, we encourage you to encourage your teens to speak with a therapist about their questions. A therapist can help them to understand the safety needs around sex as well, educating them about pregnancy, STIs and STDs, and sexual boundaries.
Starting Teen Therapy and Family Counseling with a Free Consultation
Families and parents of teens are encouraged to start a free 15 minute phone consultation to see how therapy can help you, your teens, children and family. This is the best way to start your search for a therapist that matches your needs, as well as your insurance and payment questions.
