Being a teenager in today’s world has got to be challenging. Not only are the adolescent years a time full of physical, relational, mental, and emotional change, but add on the influence of social media, pressure from peer groups, and the ever-increasing academic demand, teens need more support than ever before.
Below we discuss 5 key benefits of mental health therapy for teens. When our teens thrive, so do their families.
Improved Emotional Regulation
We are all familiar with the rapidly changing moods of teenagers (specifically younger teens). Their bodies and brains are trying to keep up with hormonal changes in combination with an under-developed prefrontal cortex (the part of our brain that helps regulate emotions and impulse control) - phew, they can be happy one moment and crying or yelling the next. This is normal AND we want to equip them with tools to better manage their own experiences so they can enter adulthood with confidence in themselves.
In working together in sessions, we will help your teen better identify these emotional shifts before they happen. With increased awareness, their ability to manage and regulate their emotions will improve. Using mindfulness-based interventions, such as diaphragmatic breathing, grounding techniques, and body scans, many teens will notice a reduction in overall levels of anxiety as they learn how to better handle how their own body + brain responds to stress.
Better emotional regulation leads to fewer panic attacks, less time spent overthinking, and can lead to improved sleep and concentration to promote academic success.
2. Stronger Family Communication
At Wild Grace Counseling, we support the whole family in identifying barriers to effective communication. We equip teens with self-advocacy skills and will practice using those skills in session so they are prepared to use them in real life. When appropriate, we have parents, siblings, or caregivers join a session to facilitate clear communication between all parties. Learning how to communicate well is something all of us have to learn. The tension you feel in your house doesn’t have to last forever, together we can help improve the relational discomfort between parents/caregivers and teens.
3. Improved School Performance and Attendance
School avoidance, frequent absences, or leaving school early are common symptoms we treat when helping adolescents work through anxiety and depression. When appropriate, we are able to coordinate with your child’s school counselor to help them better advocate for changes to 504 plans or their IE’s so that your child can experience more success in the academic setting.
As emotional stability improves, teens often show better attendance, higher grades, and increased resilience during high-stress times like college prep or transitioning to adulthood.
4. Reduced Anxiety
Anxiety can be debilitating. In teens, anxiety often shows up as avoidance - not wanting to go to practice, skipping the same class period each week, refusing to talk to that one friend. At Wild Grace Counseling, we never want teens or parents to settle, thinking these types of choices are normal. Your kiddo might be anxious and needing support in developing effective skills to navigate whatever stressors life brings them.
In our work together we will have the opportunity to “try on” several different types of coping skills while also learning to tolerate uncomfortable emotional experiences. We often need to find the balance of coping with the anxiety and learning to tolerate it because there are going to be real life situations we cannot avoid forever.
Common coping skills we recommend for teens:
Box breathing for in the moment anxiety.
Having a plan for stressful social situations (a bonus if we practice the conversations in session!).
Learning to identify “how anxious” something leaves them feeling. We want to identify if someone has anxiety that is rated 4/10 vs. 9.5/10 - we’d use different skills to support them in reducing the intensity of those feelings.
Developing effective boundaries around screentime.
Promoting a balanced sleep routine for school nights.
5. Develop Resilience
Imagine watching your child go off to college or start their first job. You see them being able to not only tolerate frustration, but successfully regulate themselves, confidently handle conflict in relationships, and come out the other side of challenges with calm in their body and a plan in their brain. These are the types of outcomes we strive for in working to support teens on their mental wellness journey. Life is hard, there are going to be countless things that frustrate us and require endurance to navigate. But expecting that the world will bend to our will or things will “just work out” is not a realistic plan. The goal is to learn how to bounce back with reliable support from a therapist and parents, while support is readily available.
Wild Grace Counseling utilizes age-appropriate, evidence-based interventions to promote healing, build resilience, and support teens in living more balanced, engaged lives. If you’re in Colorado Springs or Monument and are looking for anxiety or depression therapy for your teen, you can use this link to schedule a free 15 minute phone consultation. Feel free to reach out today!
Therapy for Teens | Adolescent Therapist | Anxiety Therapist for Teens Colorado Springs
