“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. The best is yet to come.” – Zig Ziglar
Teen Therapy
Teen years can be especially challenging years. Do you remember? We do.
We should all have a voice and as teens are developing and finding their place in the world they have a lot to think about and a lot to talk about, if we give them the environment where they’ll be listened to. Teens want to think for themselves but they also want to feel they have the security and guidance of caring adults who have experiences and expertise to share.
These days are filled with an exorbitant amount of challenges that we did not have as children. We respect you highly for taking the steps to make this investment in your children.
I remember how it was as a teen. Not sure where I fit in, not feeling understood, dabbling in things that weren’t good for me, suicidal at times.
I wasn’t alone. In 2020 one in four adolescent girls were shown to have Major Depression. Unfortunately boys are not left behind when it comes to mental illness.
We have years of experience in crisis work outside of private practice. We are aware of the risks of mental anguish as they are faced with multiple tasks and decisions, not always well laid out, and a world of more social pressures than ever before, risks of self-harm, and even suicide on our children today. If you child is also just needing someone to talk to or trying to figure out what they want to “be” when they grow up, we can help.
We are committed to helping these kids thrive, not just survive, to feel supported, respected, and listened to. We work creatively with you and your child to help understand and address how to help your child and family navigate these difficult seasons.
Sometimes some of the kids that seem to be more “together,” good grades, many friends, or a kid that doesn’t get into trouble and is involved in sports and hobbies… are the ones that commit suicide. I liked how this following video pointed out some things that many parents might not be aware of. Often times, parents are concerned if they ask their kiddo if they have ever thought of hurting themselves they might put it into their head. I understand that thinking but it doesn’t really work that way. It’s still important to ask. If they were thinking about self harm you need to know. We need to have these talks with our kids.
We get it and would be glad to hear from you!
For crisis or suicide, please call us, too, but call the crisis line for immediate help first 602-222-9444.
These days teens have pressures coming from all sides…
-pressure to do well at school
-to make and keep friends in the world of social media
-keep up with after school interests and athletics
-to figure out where to go to college
-to try to figure out a plan for the rest of your life
And pressure to figure out who they are and where they “fit.”
As a teen, they might find themselves thinking things like:
“Everyone else seems to be doing fine. What’s wrong with me?”
“I’m a failure. I’m not good at anything.”
“I’m not ready to grow up. I want to stay a kid.”
“No one understands me.”
“I’m fat. I’m ugly. Noone’s going to want me.”
Teens deserve to love their teen years. As a parent, you want nothing more in life than to see them happy and reaching their potential.
We help teens and families learn to flourish again.
Collectively, we’ve helped teens and families for 40+ years. If you give us a chance, we’d be honored and thrilled to walk with you to a better place.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many sessions are generally needed?
Every person/family is different. Some people are coming to therapy for a quick question or one issue but most do best when there’s a 2-6 month “commitment” to the work (there is no contract keeping you in therapy. I am referring to a personal commitment). I have found that for deeper issues, anything less can just give temporary results whereas in many situations we need to get to the heart of what’s really under the struggles for the kiddo or/and the family. With an ongoing commitment and dedication to doing the homework between sessions, families achieve long term positive changes.
Should it be just myself, or should both parents be present?
Ideally, both parent attend the first session with the teen. We review confidentiality and what therapy will look like, the parents get to share concerns and since they’ve already been said out loud it can move things along faster. Ideally the therapist and kiddo will have some time together for individual counseling the first session, but we tend to go with what they are comfortable with and if the topics on hand may do best with the parents present. Usually the teen is happy to have the time alone to dive in, though. Sometimes just one parent will be at the session. We will meet as needed depending on the agreement of confidentiality and what best suites the goals and situation. We love to get updates from the parents and will pull the parents back in at some point at a minimum to discuss the treatment plan goals.
My teen doesn’t want therapy. Should I force them or should I come without them?
In most cases, in this situation, we say the parent should enforce that the child come to therapy at least for a 2-3 visits. They need to at least give it a go. Usually the kids like being there and want to come back. Even adults have a hard time making the first jump into therapy, no matter a teen. It is developmentally appropriate for a teen to want to pull away or want to go against authority as they try to try to figure out their autonomy but they don’t always know what’s best for them and therapy is a really good thing.
After working with hundreds of children and parents, we understand the core of most problems families are struggling with when they come to see us. We can often help quite a bit just working with the parents while we provide tips and tools to transform the struggle. Parents can have a huge impact on their child’s/teen’s struggles with daily strategies for success.