Individual Therapy for Teens
It’s not just hormones!
For every young person traveling toward adulthood, there’s a unique set of strengths, challenges, and circumstances.
They might experience anxiety around school performance or when someone asks them to hang out… and they probably argue more with their parents.
The burden of doing well in school, excelling in extracurricular activities, and navigating social pressures is understandably overwhelming.
For many teens, it feels easier to hunker down in their room, avoid people, and zone out.
We get it, and we’re here for all of it.
We <3 teenagers!
Teens have grit and fresh perspectives, and they’re usually pretty funny. In addition to emotional turmoil, teens have grit and fresh perspectives. Our therapists who work with adolescents have done it for many years, and there isn’t much we haven’t seen.
In therapy, teens can say what they want and be real with their thoughts and emotions. One of the most valuable experiences that comes from therapy is the realization that they’re not the only ones going through this.
At SCTC, we have a variety of strategies to reduce anxiety, rediscover delight, and make it easier to walk through this chapter of life.
Teens need someone to talk with.
It means a lot to them, and they get relief from simply saying out loud what’s burdening them throughout the day.
As therapists who have worked with many young clients in various settings, we know how to normalize unfamiliar and overwhelming experiences.
We use humor to create levity and openness to new ideas and perspectives, and we treat our teen clients as partners as we think through situations and feelings, charting a healthier path forward.
Therapy gives young people a stronger sense of self, tangible ways to cope with anxiety and depression, and a hopeful perspective about the future.
We need parents’ input, too.
We’ll have a meeting with your teen and another with you as their parent(s) to be sure we understand your concerns and the family dynamics behind them. We want to clarify why you’re seeking support and what you’d like to accomplish.
Our teen clients have a confidential relationship with their therapist, which means what they discuss is private unless there is a safety concern. In the beginning, when we get to know you and your family’s situation, your therapist will outline clear guidelines about privacy and develop a system for involving parents.
In most cases, we talk with parents every month or so. The therapist and teen client will talk about the upcoming parent session and discuss themes or focal points important for the parent to better understand.
Our goal is to support the functioning of your entire family – not to get in the way of the parent-child relationship. When teens and parents better understand each other and communicate more clearly, calmly, and compassionately, we know we’ve done our job.
We see parents as partners, balancing a confidential space for teens and supporting parents as they make meaningful changes at home.
Don’t you wish you had a therapist when you were younger?
Adolescence is rough for most of us, and there weren’t many resources when we were teenagers.
Things are different now. If your child hasn’t been in therapy before, they have friends who have.
Many parents call us because their child tells them they WANT therapy.
Give us a call to learn more about how our approach with teens can support your family: (831) 302-2323.
