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We can help your teen process their emotions while living authentically
Is communicating with your teen hard?
Does it seem like you are arguing with them over rules and boundaries?
Have they been isolating themselves more than usual?
Have you noticed a problem with their behavior or performance at school?
Do you believe your teen is suffering from low self esteem or low self worth?
As a parent you may think being a teen is pretty easy. You see it as a time they should cherish because while they may be older, they still don’t have to worry about everything that comes with being an adult . However, while they may not have all the responsibilities of an adult yet, being a teen can still be hard. They have to balance getting good grades, along with extracurricular activities, relationships, family, and let’s not forget social media.
They live in a time when they face a tremendous amount of pressure from people around them and those they’ve never even met before. This can cause them to have unrealistic expectations of what they should look like or the type of life they should have based on pics and videos. Striving to meet these expectations can cause them stress, anxiety, even depression which can show up in various ways. You see behavior like isolating themselves as wanting to get away from the family, but it may be that they feel alone and misunderstood.
Being a teenager can be hard – it’s a time in life when they are experiencing a lot of new things as well as a lot of new emotions that they may not know how to deal with yet. Despite the arguing that you’re experiencing with them, your teen may actually want a closer relationship with you, but they feel like you don’t understand who they are or what they’re going through. While you may always see them as your baby who at one time couldn’t go without you for even a few minutes, they are young adults who are dealing with adult-like problems. This includes stress, peer pressure, relationship issues, questions around their sexualtity, and much more. These issues can not only impact your relationship with your teen, but their mental health.
Being a teenager can be hard – it’s a time in life when they are experiencing a lot of new things as well as a lot of new emotions that they may not know how to deal with yet. Despite the arguing that you’re experiencing with them, your teen may actually want a closer relationship with you, but they feel like you don’t understand who they are or what they’re going through. While you may always see them as your baby who at one time couldn’t go without you for even a few minutes, they are young adults who are dealing with adult-like problems. This includes stress, peer pressure, relationship issues, questions around their sexualtity, and much more. These issues can not only impact your relationship with your teen, but their mental health.
In fact, 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year. While your teen is getting older, they’re still very much children. Their brains are still in the process of fully forming, so they’re not yet able to make decisions or handle certain situations as well as you, or other adults can. They’re rationale and logic may seem a little weird to you or the way they respond to certain situations may seem dramatic but they’re doing the best they can. They are trying to figure out who they are while also dealing with the fear that they may not be accepted by you, their friends, and others in their life. And it doesn’t help that we are living in an era where they feel pressured to post their life only to be judged.
Your expectations for your teen include them successfully embracing their freedom, preparing for an independent life in college, and enjoying the time left they have in high school. You thought you were doing the right things to prepare them for all of these things, but when you look at how things are going, you realize they are struggling. And the last thing you want for your teen is to feel as though they are failing in any aspect of their life.
At Renewed Focus, we have a team of therapists and counselors who are passionate about helping teens improve their mental health. We know that parenting a teen can be overwhelming, but with the help of a therapist we can alleviate some of the stress you may feel.
Our first priority in teen counseling is making sure your teen feels safe and heard. In our sessions, we make it clear that this is a non-judgmental space where they are free to express themselves openly without worrying about the consequences. Once this safety is established, we meet your teen where they’re at. We never ask them to tell us things that they don’t feel comfortable sharing, but we do encourage them to let us in on what’s going on in their life. Establishing rapport and trust is essential to being successful in teen counseling. After the initial intake session, which may include parents, the following sessions will be dedicated to taking a deeper dive into their life.
Once we figure out what issues they are facing and having the most trouble dealing with, we work together to create a plan on how to deal with these things in a more healthy, effective way moving forward. The goal of teen counseling is to provide your teen with tools and strategies that empower them to live their life authentically. We want them to be proud of who they are, now and in the future.
Despite being a minor your teen will still have privacy and confidentiality in our sessions. In fact, with teen counseling, you may not be invited to every session. We found this helpful because sometimes teens don’t feel comfortable sharing their genuine thoughts and feelings around their parents, especially as they’re trying to figure out exactly what they’re feeling.
We know this may make you a little hesitant, especially when you want to know exactly what they’re saying, but this confidentiality helps your teen realize that they are in a safe, non-judgemental space where they can express their thoughts and emotions openly without the fear of consequences.
However, as therapists there are a few exceptions to this. We are mandated to report if your teen has intent to harm themselves or others, have experienced sexual or physical abuse, and/or suicidal thoughts.
Well, we can’t guarantee that your teen will be willing to open up and be vulnerable right away. But, we must say it can be easier to do so around someone that is objective and has no bias.
It’s important that you look at therapy as an investment in your teen. An investment that could help them explore their current emotions, behaviors, what’s causing them, and how they handle them better moving forward. Helping them live their best life is totally worth it, right?!
While we are not paneled with any insurance companies, we still believe in helping our clients obtain the best possible care. We are Out of Network Providers, which means we can help you submit claims to your insurance so that you can take advantage of your out of network benefits. We take care of that process (if you would like) so you do not have to worry about any of the red tape or paperwork. We also gladly accept vouchers from the Love Land Foundation to help offset the cost of your therapy. Please don’t let cost be your barrier. Give us a call and let’s talk about it.
Are you ready to take the next step and are interested in reaching out to one of our therapists? If you think Renewed Focus is a good fit, we invite you to contact us today for a free consultation. We look forward to hearing from you.
