Are You Concerned About Your Tween/Teen’s Behavior And Emotional Well-Being?

Has your tween/teen begun acting in uncharacteristic ways? Is he or she frequently sad, worried or have mood swings? Does your teen tell you that he or she does not want to go to school, sometimes completely refusing to attend? Perhaps you’re worried that your teen is getting bullied at school. Or maybe your teen is struggling with academics and/or organization and time management skills. Does your teen easily get upset? Has he or she ever self-harmed? Perhaps your teen constantly compares him or herself to peers, causing him or her to worry or isolate. It’s also possible that your teen often feels anxious because it is difficult for him or her to balance the many activities and responsibilities required of teenagers today. Do you wish you could help your teen feel happy, calm and confident?

Preteens, teenagers and their parents face an enormous amount of pressure throughout the day. Your teen may wake up in the morning and beg you to let him or her stay home from school. You may find your teen overthinking his or her actions or appearance because he or she worries about classmates’ opinions. At school, your teen may struggle in classes, experience trouble concentrating or suffer from test anxiety. Once home, your teen may immediately shut down and struggle through homework, causing you to question your parenting skills and wonder if you are doing everything you can to ensure a healthy and loving household. You may put extra pressure on your teen by checking his or her texts or social media accounts. And, the day may finish with growing tension and arguments about bedtimes or curfews.

Emotional And Behavioral Issues Are Common During The Teenage Years

It’s fairly common for preteens and teens to act out. In some cases, parents and teens can move through unpleasant phases on their own. But, often teenagers get stuck in a negative cycle, which can be detrimental to their development and their relationships with family and friends.

Many factors contribute the intense emotions and uncharacteristic behaviors we often see in teenagers. Many teens are under a lot of pressure to succeed because their performance at school and activities can directly affect their future. The use of social media also causes many teens to constantly compare themselves to their peers. Faced with the glamorized images of their friends, some teenagers feel inadequate, sad or anxious about themselves. In addition, bullying – whether it is cyber-bullying or traditional in-person bullying – is very prevalent in schools today. When teens experience bullying in any form, they may isolate themselves or suffer from racing anxious thoughts throughout the day.

The good news, however, is that regardless of how your teen is struggling, teen counseling can help him or her develop the insights and skills needed to live a happier, more connected and calmer life.

Help Your Teenager Find Relief Through Teen Counseling

During safe, interactive, comfortable and non-judgmental teen counseling sessions, your teenager can learn strategies and tools to help mitigate symptoms of depression, anxiety, mood swings or distorted thoughts. While some therapists approach teen counseling with pamphlets and intimidating sessions, we pride our practice on our collaborative and individualized methods that are often fun and creative. Almost immediately, your teenager will understand that our office is a safe place where he or she can feel open to share any and all thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Using various effective approaches, such as art therapy, one of our experienced therapists can help your teen identify difficult emotions and thoughts and address the specific triggers that are causing him or her pain. Depending on your teenager’s specific interests and background, we will use different games and artistic activities to ensure he or she feels relaxed and open to change.

If you teen struggles with anxiety or school refusal, your teen’s therapist can teach him or her coping strategies, such as relaxation and breathing techniques, which can provide immediate relief. In addition, our play/art therapy sessions model different social interactions so your teen can learn how to calmly communicate through different future scenarios.

If your teen suffers from depression, negative thoughts or self-harm, teen counseling sessions can help him or her modify the way he or she thinks about him or herself as well as peers, family life, certain events and interactions. For example, if your teen has an unpleasant interaction in school and as a result feels worthless or unmotivated, your teen’s therapist can help him or her start thinking more positively and learn how to improve the situation in the future.

The therapists at Life Balance Counseling specialize in helping tween/teens find relief from a variety of different issues. No matter how your teen struggles in life, there is always help and hope. With guidance, support and the right approach, your teen can find more joy in school and other activities as well as feel more relaxed and confident throughout the day.

I think my teenager could benefit from teen counseling, but I still have a few questions and concerns…

I want to know everything that my teen says during sessions.

You may feel concerned about what your teen talks about during his or her sessions, especially if it concerns you or your family. While we will absolutely share important information about your teen’s sessions, it is also important to keep our conversations with your teen confidential. In order to achieve the most effective teen counseling sessions, our therapists need to build a level of trust with our teen clients. If we disclosed all of our teen counseling conversations to you, your teen may not feel safe enough to open up and talk about his or her emotions.

Will my teenager need to take medication?

We do not prescribe medication at our practice. Even though medication can help many teens find relief, we believe in fully exploring holistic solutions to issues. We work with your teen to find the root cause of his or her struggles and help him or her move in a positive direction rather than relying on medication to solve one aspect of an issue.

My tween/teen does not want to attend teen counseling. What can I do?

If you allow your teen to attend one session to get a feel for our fun and creative environment and our therapy approach, chances are your teen will want to return. Letting your teen explore our office and the process allows him or her to feel more in control of therapy – instead of you forcing him or her to attend.

Your Tween/Teen Can Have A Fulfilling Life

If your teen is ready to commit to change and feel happy, motivated and calm, we invite you to call us for a free 15 minute phone consultation to discuss his or her needs and how teen counseling can help.

 

If you are interested in learning more about our teen counseling services, please call us at 847.220.6981 or contact us online.

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