Children and Teens Mental Health

We focus on treating teens and young adults with the following issues:

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
Anxiety
Bullying
Anger
Family Issues
Depression
Coping Skills
Grief
Conflict
Life Transitions
Self-Esteem
School Adjustment

Children with these issues have it really tough. They have a hard time fitting in and may also have trouble with social interactions. In addition, some of these issues like bullying, grief and conflict to name a few, can often cause depression and anxiety. Though it is common for children to experience sadness at times, it is not common for their symptoms to become persistent or interfere with everyday life activities. In the long run, this can have a negative impact on their childhood years and as they age into adulthood.

Consequently, anxiety disorders are one of the most common disorders in young people. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 3 teens will experience some type of anxiety disorder. Unfortunately, these disorders often go undetected and untreated. Getting your child the help he or she needs can decrease the overall negative impact of these disorders on mental health, academic and social functioning, as well as their persistence into adulthood.

Approach To Therapy

Our approach to therapy when working with teens and young adults has always been to involve family. This basically means that the parent needs to take an active role in the child’s treatment. This is important to get to know how the child is functioning in the family unit. The first session will be conducted with the child and caregiver present and this is considered a family session. After the first session, if the teen feels comfortable, then we will proceed with individual sessions. It is important for you to make time at least 1 -2 times per month to be present for family sessions to reinforce and get the most out of your child’s therapy experience.

Sessions will be completed online (with parents’ consent to telehealth for clients younger than 18). Click HERE to find out more about therapy services for teens and young adults.

What happens during sessions?

Sessions vary depending on the reasons why your child is coming for therapy. Below is a list of the most common therapeutic approaches we use in sessions:

Developing coping skills: learning methods to deal with stressful situations. Helping them breakdown task for it to be more manageable, learning to recognize feelings, developing good methods of communication.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: for adolescents/teens with depression and anxiety. It involves helping the adolescent access their thoughts and see how they affect their behaviors and feelings. Oftentimes, patterns of thinking that are not quite based in reality will emerge. With CBT, this would challenge their thought processes and base it on facts and reality.
Social skills training: Involving: role-playing different scenarios where issues like, problem solving skills, being empathetic and demonstrate the ability to listen, follow direction and learn to control impulses.

What if my child won’t talk?!

If this does happen, know that this is pretty common and natural. As a grown adult, we often have a hard time opening up ourselves — imagine how your child must feel at the beginning. Not to worry though, the first few sessions would be about building trust and rapport. Giving the teens/young adults time and space to open up when they feel comfortable and ready.