Do you know anyone that would benefit from teen therapy services? Even if you don’t think that you do, it might be wise to take a moment to reflect on your loved ones and make sure they are taking care of their mental health. Unfortunately, mental health struggles are common during the teen years. Many high school students report symptoms of depression, such as hopelessness and sadness. The teenage years are a critical period for mental health development, and teen therapy services can help maintain the overall health of adolescents. Contact Foothills at Red Oak Recovery by calling 866.300.5275 or reaching out to our team online.

How Does Teen Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Work?

Teen cognitive-behavioral therapy is just like any other cognitive-behavioral therapy (or CBT) for people of any age. CBT is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on making connections between behaviors, feelings, and thought patterns. Therapists can use CBT to help teenagers recognize and change dysfunctional behaviors.

Adolescents often develop distorted core beliefs about themselves. CBT helps confront and modify those distortions. A therapist using CBT would help a teen identify unhealthy thought patterns that contribute to any of their mental health problems. During CBT, teens can identify negative thoughts, develop new ways of thinking, and learn new coping skills.

Teens may be assigned homework to do outside of their therapy sessions, involving practicing the skills they are learning. Be sure to talk to the therapist about how parents and other family members can best support a teen’s treatment.

What Types of Disorders Can Teen CBT Help to Manage?

CBT is often used in adolescent mental health treatments. It can effectively treat a wide range of issues typically faced by teens, including:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Disordered eating
• Substance use
• Trauma

Teen CBT works by helping clients understand the negativity of their thought patterns and learn how to replace them with more positive ones. This type of therapy can give teens realistic strategies to improve their lives at once. Once these strategies become habitual, their newfound skills can follow them throughout their lives.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help adolescents control defiance, impulsivity, self-defeating thoughts, and tantrums. It can help them replace negative reactions with coping mechanisms, improved self-image, more self-control, and problem-solving skills.

What Should Clients Expect from Teen Therapy Services?

Parents and guardians should remember that individual mental therapy sessions for their teens are not the same as family therapy. Parents should let the therapist know ahead of time if they have any specific issues they’re hoping to address, so the therapist is aware of some things to work on. It will be important to understand what can be shared with the teen client and what will be kept confidential. Depending on what a client needs, it may also be helpful to consider family therapy.

The therapist can offer insight and educational feedback so that teenagers can better understand their issues and build a level of self-awareness. A common misconception is that therapy will help teens become happy. Therapists aren’t trying to help teenagers be happy. Instead, therapists help the clients cope with emotions that are disproportionate to the event more effectively. Remember, everyone experiences uncomfortable feelings. What’s important is how someone manages the emotion so they can continue to function.

To help teens progress in treatment, a therapist will validate their feelings. Be aware that validating feelings is much different than agreeing. The therapist can validate that teens feel frustrated in a home situation, but that doesn’t mean the therapist agrees with their perspective. It’s important to realize that teens won’t work on their issues and their role in situations if they don’t feel heard and understood first. Once they feel supported by the therapist, the therapist can then confront them and challenge their perceptions and thought distortions. The therapist can only confront the teen as much as they have supported them.

Learn More About Therapeutic Options at Foothills at Red Oak Recovery

If you or your teen is battling a mental health condition or addiction, our therapeutic options can help. We offer a range of treatment options, including:

• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Family therapy
• Experiential therapy
• Equine-assisted therapy
• Adventure therapy

Contact Foothills at Red Oak Recovery. Call 866.300.5275 or reach out to our team online.