Teenagers today face an ever-growing number of challenges.
From exams and deadlines to the lure of the internet, adolescents have all kinds of pressures to deal with. If left to spiral, these unaddressed stressors can result in a wide range of struggles, including depression, stress-related conditions, low self-esteem, drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, and relational difficulties.
Adolescent therapy uses all of the same principles of adult therapy, but counselling is underpinned by strategies from developmental psychology.
If you have a teenager who is showing some of these typical signs of adolescent psychological problems, then counselling could help:
– Difficulties coping with daily life
– Excessive worrying
– Extended period of depression and lethargy
– Noticeable changes in eating
– Disturbed sleeping patterns
– References to suicide or self-harm
– Apparent changes in personality
– Volatile mood
– Drug/alcohol misuse
– Pronounced demonstrations of aggression
It takes a skill to engage with adolescents and guide them in overcoming their difficulties without interrupting the course of natural development. Counsellors need specific training in order to work with teenagers, and must have undergone a CRB check.
You need a specialist practitioner who is trained to work with adolescents and teenagers without judgment. Therapy can help your teenager by giving them the space to talk about the issues they experience in a safe environment. This helps them gain confidence in self-expression and improves their communication levels through practice, and with therapist feedback.
Therapy can also support them while they learn to recognise their strengths and weaknesses, as well as teaching them ways of overcoming worries, pressures and negative behaviours.
