Effective Mental Health Counseling for Teens

Young people and teens sometimes require mental health counseling, just like adults do. Many mental health issues begin to present themselves during adolescents, so seeking help can be the best thing to do for your teen. Teens who see a therapist before they reach a crisis point see significant benefits to their mental health. That said, we offer a narrow set of therapy options for teens, including cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, and play or art therapy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapist for Teens

A well-known form of mental health counseling for teens is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). During CBT, the counselor works with your teen individually on their specific concerns to change a response to a particular behavior. Behaviors your teen might need help with include:

• Anger Management
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Disordered eating
• Substance abuse
• Self-harm

CBT aims to have your teen examine how they react to their anxiety, depression, or other mental health condition. Then, the counselor will walk your teen through the steps needed to change their thought patterns, reactions, and other behaviors. Over time, your teen learns appropriate responses to stressors. Ideally, they can learn to reduce or eliminate harmful behaviors and thought patterns.

Family Therapy for Teen Mental Health

When a teen needs counseling, the whole family often needs counseling too. Your teen is partially a product of their environment. Family therapy aims to identify and improve the relationship they had with you and other household members. You and your teen’s siblings or extended family will learn how to interact with your troubled teen in the presence of a strategic family therapist. You will all learn communication skills and can share your concerns in a safe place.

Play, Art, or Other Therapy for Teens

Play therapy is for more than just young children. Teens and adults can benefit from play or art therapy as many people express themselves well through play or art. Art therapy uses the creative process to work through trauma and help with healing. Through art and crafts, your teen can explore their feelings, manage their behavior, develop social skills, reduce anxiety, and improve self-esteem. Art therapy is not an art lesson, however, but rather a counseling session.

Conclusion

While there are several mental health counseling methods for teens, we focus on a narrow set of techniques at Family Strategies Counseling and Mediation. One of our most common methods is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which focuses on changing behavior and thought patterns. We often recommend family therapy whenever a teenager is involved, as they are partially a product of their environment. For example, a counselor can help you identify poor communication patterns contributing to your teen’s mental health concerns. We also use play and art therapy to help teens process trauma, explore feelings, manage behaviors, and improve self-esteem.

Family Strategies Counseling and Mediation is a therapy office specializing in individual, couples, and family counseling. We offer a wide range of services based on our excellent staff’s various specialties and credentials, both in-person and online. Check out our about page for more information about our team, or contact us at (708) 798-5433 with questions or concerns.

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