Worried about your pre-teen or adolescent?
Parenting adolescents is universally challenging. Not only is the road paved with high emotions and boundary testing, but a child’s progression into the teen years can put marriages under strain and test the strength of the entire family.
We know that as a parent you hope for independence and happiness for your teens and want them to learn who they are, who they want to become, make good choices and live a healthy, fulfilling life. But during this sometimes turbulent time, it can be difficult to know what behaviors are “normal” for your teen and when there may be a more serious problem.
Signs your teen could benefit from therapy:
- Abnormal amount of anger, acting out, arguing or changes in eating habits
- Changes in academic or athletic performance
- Engaging in risky or self-harming behaviors
- Teen appears sad more than normal, lives in isolation or has large swings in mood
- Teen has changes in groups of friends – i.e., hanging out with different people and ignoring old friends
- Changes in activities they once loved
- Aggressive behavior towards others
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Complains of: headache, stomachache, or not feeling well despite being healthy
- Major changes to family life – i.e., divorce, re-marriage or death
- Sexual, physical, or emotional abuse
- Problems with drugs or alcohol
In therapy, many older children and adolescents prefer to be treated as young adults and respond best to a combination of play therapy techniques geared toward teens and adult “talk therapy.” These pre-teens and teens are capable of talking about what is bothering them and have the ability to try new solutions to solve their problems. We try to help them look objectively at their behaviors, feelings and thoughts and the situations in which they occur. We use an intensive assessment tool to help gain an understanding of the unique qualities and development of your child. Assessment helps in problem solving, diagnosis, psychotherapy and counseling, and in evaluating progress.
Counseling can help teens:
- Work though anxiety and depression, learning what’s normal and how to cope with difficult feelings
- Heal from traumatic experiences, such as bullying
- Become more resilient and able to cope with problems in school and family life
- Improve self-esteem
- Learn skills for developing friendships
- Support personal development to aid transition to independent adulthood – for example, career exploration, goal setting – exploring “who am I and who do I want to be?”
- Make healthy mature life decisions
Let the skilled staff of our licensed counselors at Lifestance Health consult with you about your concerns…we are ready to answer your questions and find out how we can help today. We accept many major insurance plans and offer evening and weekend appointments for your convenience. Contact us to make an appointment.
