Adolescences and Teens
Do you feel like your child has disappeared?
Developmentally, believe it or not, much of what happened during those ‘terrible twos’ gets replayed during the adolescent years. Both periods are about your child’s healthy self awareness and growing need for independence.
These are critical years when your teen is sorting out who they are, what they believe, and what matters most to them. It can be a tough time for parents – and kids. One moment they act like young adults who surprise you with how mature they are. The next, they’re little kids again, needing reassurance and wanting a hug.
It’s probably all normal – but normal is hard when you’re a teenager. And sometimes, having a trusted adult to talk to outside your family, can make a huge difference in your teen’s ability to navigate the challenges that come with this time.
Plus, what looks like ‘normal’ teen drama may at times be signs for real concern. So if you’re worried about your son or daughter, talk to one of us and let’s see if we can sort things out.
What is counseling for teens?
Teen counseling focuses on adolescents who are struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, social issues, substance use, changes in the home such as divorce, or other stressful situations.
At The Counseling Studio, we offer compassionate counseling and work together with parents to help your teenager identify and cope with any circumstances they are experiencing in a healthy way. Seeking help for your teen is the best thing you can do for them, and we are here to help.
What to expect in teen therapy sessions?
It is important that you speak to your teen before attending therapy so they will understand that therapy helps them with their thoughts, emotions, feelings, and any problems or worries that they may have. Encourage them to consider counseling as a chance to talk, get support, have fun, learn, and feel better, so they can do better outside of therapy.
At your initial consultation, the therapist will meet with you and your teen to ask basic questions, understand your teen’s history and current struggles, and answer any questions you may have. Any caregivers are invited to participate and provide any information that will help your teen progress. During the course of our counseling sessions, we are also happy to consult with your teen’s pediatrician or teacher with your written permission. We are here to help in any way we can, so let us know how to make you and your teen feel more comfortable while visiting with us.
When to consider counseling for a teenager
Here at The Counseling Studio, we understand the pressures of being a teenager. Navigating changes biologically, socially and psychologically can be challenging both for them and those around them.
Throw a global pandemic into the mix where your teen missed their friends, school activities were postponed, socializing was reduced… and traditional developmental issues are only magnified.
Here are some signs that signal therapy may be helpful for your teen:
Feeling distant and non-communicative: While moodiness and hormonal changes go with the territory of being a teen, you may feel that your teen is struggling more than usual. One minute they may be all smiles and happy, and the next they turn inward, reluctant to do any of their normal activities. You may feel helpless not knowing what to say or do to get back that happy, funny kid they once were.
Anxiety: Feelings of panic or fear, which when we face stressful situations, can trigger our in-built alarm system. Of course we want that feeling to go away, and it usually does when the situation has passed (like after an exam). But for a teen, these anxious feelings can be worrying and hard to understand that these feelings will eventually pass. Symptoms can include feeling nervous, on edge, or panicky all the time, fast heartrate, feeling overwhelmed, having trouble sleeping, finding it difficult to concentrate, feeling tired and grumpy, having GI issues.
Depression: Having negative thoughts or a low mood a lot of the time can be signal depression. This can develop alongside anxiety and can also run in families. Symptoms can include not wanting to do things that they previously enjoyed, avoiding friends or social situations, sleeping / eating more or less than normal, feeling irritable, upset, miserable or lonely, or being self-critical & feeling hopeless.
Self-harming: Self-harming involves deliberately causing some kind of physical hurt on oneself as a way of managing difficult feelings. Your teen may be self-harming to reduce tension, manage extreme emotional upset, provide a feeling of physical pain to distract from emotional pain, express emotions such as hurt, anger or frustration, regain control over feelings or problems, or punish themselves or others.
Contact us
At The Counseling Studio, we believe there’s no one size fits all when it comes to teenagers. We have highly trained therapists to help your teenager understand their moods and feelings and develop self-awareness and coping skills for their daily lives.
So if your teen is going through some hard times right now or you’ve noticed a negative change in their behavior, please get in touch so we can help.
Getting started with counseling for your teenager is easy:
Learn more about our adolescent therapists here.
Contact the therapist of your choice directly.
See your teen stop struggling and start smiling.