Nowadays, teens are under enormous peer pressure and social media influence, which makes them especially fragile and sensitive. Therefore, therapy for teens is of increasing importance in today’s society.

What is therapy for teens in Illinois?

Teen therapy helps adolescents cope with life difficulties such as anxiety, depression, trauma, stress, and life transitions. Beginning online therapy in Illinois means helping teens get in touch with their emotions, understand their thoughts, behaviors, and develop helpful life habits.

The main goal of teen therapy is to help teens in a somewhat difficult transition between childhood and adulthood. It is not uncommon for teens to develop certain damaging behavior patterns during the adolescence period. Therefore, speaking with an online therapist often helps guide this transition and reduces teens’ stress.

Why is teen therapy important?

During adolescence, teens start experiencing significant mental and physical changes. Those changes are followed by hormone changes which are hard to understand. Due to these hormone changes, young adults end up confused about their bodies and emotions.

All those changes greatly impact their mental health and affect their sensitivity. Also, due to the lack of experience, they may become an easy target for others. If they have issues with their confidence or self-esteem they may be abused, misguided, and end up following the wrong path.

With the help of qualified online therapists, young adults can, properly address their feelings, understand themselves and make more balanced and thoughtful decisions.

The value of teen therapy in Hinsdale, Oak Brook, or online for parents

The adolescence phase can be challenging for both parents and their kids. For parents, it is hard to continue to be the authority figures while trying hard to keep communicating openly and directly, with mutual understanding. Parents seem to lose touch with their kids which can be frightening to them.

On the other side, teens avoid every attempt their parents make to keep this open line of communication. This is because they often want to spend more time with their peers and keep their lives private. They usually do not feel confident enough to open up to their parents.

Due to this gap and distancing, it is hard for parents and their teenage kids to effectively communicate and understand each other. Also, it is hard for parents to supervise their kids and ensure they are on the right path all the time.

This is when teen counseling in Riverside Il, and Chicago, IL comes into place. Giving your child space to talk with skilled online therapists can gain the trust you have been seeking. Therapists provide valuable support and guidance in making proper decisions and understanding themselves. If you’re looking for further support, we also offer counseling for parents seeking to connect better with their teens.

What does an adolescent therapist do?

A teen therapist is a trained professional with extensive education and experience in psychology, with an emphasis on adolescents. Therefore, a counselor who works with adolescents needs to possess in-depth knowledge, skills, and experience in working with numerous adolescent patients. Moreover, a counselor needs to be able to handle different life situations a patient may experience.

Adolescent therapists have a delicate and yet important task: to help adolescents process their thoughts and emotions during difficult periods in their life.

A counselor also needs to balance the patient’s need for confidence on one side, and the parent’s need to be involved in the process of healing, on the other side. This is a delicate task that can determine whether the counseling will be successful. After all, a parenting bonding with their teen is a necessary step in transitioning to adulthood – balanced relationships based on trust will help adolescents prosper and develop into healthy adults.

Characteristics of a good teen counselor

A good adolescent therapist must keep up to certain standards and possess the following skills:

• Confidentiality – which is incredibly important to the sensitive and complex nature of adolescents
• Ability to create trust – it is of utmost importance for an adolescent to have an adult figure they may trust because often they do not feel quite confident to open up to their parents
• Expertise – a good counselor is experienced and skillful in this specific field
• Able to handle emotional outbursts or roadblocks – working with teenagers can be challenging due to their intense emotions. A good counselor will know how to deal with that and maintain calmness.
• Impartial – the possibility to see the real causes of issues even when either parents or patient have their own versions of reality

Types of teen counseling

There are many different adolescent therapists. However, it does not mean an adolescent should stick to only one type of counseling. Different situations may require different types of online therapy services.

Career counseling

Using career counseling helps young adults to discover their hidden career potential and pick the best type of career for them. Plus, career counselors can act as support before making important decisions about which career to choose. Making career decisions is extremely stressful for young adults. Often they are confused and torn up by many options. Furthermore, young adults often tend to please their parents with their career choice. Or, they feel inclined to follow their peers’ career choices. This leads to a stressful and unfulfilling career which may become their reality.

Family Therapy

If a teenager misbehaves, has constant conflicts with his parents, or feels emotionally disconnected, the best solution would be to include the parents in the counseling sessions as well.

In these cases, identifying the core issues between a teenager and other family members and improving their relationships is a step to recovering from bad behavior. Moreover, one of the benefits of successful family therapy would also be regaining harmony in the family. However, the journey is long and difficult.

Family therapy cannot be properly done without the readiness and sincere desire to work issues. This means all family members involved are working to resolve the issue. A good adolescent and family therapist shows patience and understanding during the whole process. Also, it is important to coordinate between different family members, motivate them and engage them to slowly resolve family issues.

Behavioral/CBT Therapy

Behavioral therapy is one of the most common types of counseling recommended for teens. For example, CBT therapy is of huge importance to teenagers because it teaches them how to cope with unpleasant emotions. This includes anger, anxiety, stress, depression, and some damaging behaviors such as substance abuse.

Group therapy

Group therapy is designed to group more teenagers who are going through the same struggles.

The main benefit of group therapy is bonding with other people with similar issues of similar age. Group therapy is especially effective for the following issues a teenager may face:

• eating disorders
• substance abuse
• post-traumatic stress disorder

Mental health issues teenagers may face

There are numerous life events that can trigger mental health issues in adolescents. The consequences may vary, but here are some more common ones:

Depression

It is important to know that the first symptoms of depression often occur during adolescence period. If it is not treated soon, it can transfer into adulthood. Depression is a severe disorder because it affects thinking, emotions, and behavior, and it can cause mental, physical, and emotional issues. Here are just a few most prominent symptoms that can be related to depression: sadness, irritability or anger, loss of interest in different activities, withdrawal from people, poor performance in school, change in eating or sleeping habits, lack of energy, and suicidal thoughts.

If there is any suspicion about depression symptoms in a teenager, a depression therapist is often the first contact for support and help. Learn more about how depression treatment in Hinsdale, IL & Oak Brook, IL with us can aid this recovery.

Anxiety

Anxiety is quite common in teens due to peer pressure, school performance, and relationships with friends and family.

However, apart from the occasional anxiety episodes that can happen to anyone, some teens live with constant anxiety. Those teens are unable to enjoy life as it is, and they constantly worry that bad things are going to happen to them. Living that way is draining and exhausting but talking to a counselor may help them feel better. Supporting them in anxiety therapy has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety in teens.

Substance abuse

Substance abuse in teens often relates to drug and alcohol abuse. These addictive states require serious therapy, usually group therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, or family therapy. Bonding with family members has an important role here, as a dysfunctional family will only make this situation worse.

Behavioral issues

Being a teenager is often connected with different rebellious states such as excessive drinking, running away, violence, aggression, etc. As teenagers begin to build up their own identities, many show certain behavioral changes that are incomprehensible to their parents, this is where the conflict comes from.

What are some behavioral problems beyond typical adolescence phases that require counselor help? This is often risk-related behavior such as excessive drinking, violence, skipping school, running away, self-harming, and eating disorders.

Social issues

Issues with friends can be a source of enormous dissatisfaction for an adolescent. If a teenager has issues socializing or feels socially inadequate, an adolescent therapist can help.

The inability to socialize and gain friends is serious in the eyes of an average teenager. Peers are usually role models, and if a teenager feels rejected, it can have a great deal of impact on his self-confidence. An online therapist can help in setting firm foundations for self-esteem, by being valuable support.

Trauma

Experiencing trauma is difficult even for adults. However, it can deeply upset teenagers, and the way they react to trauma can be somewhat different from the adults’ reactions. In the case of trauma, teenagers may withdraw, experience intense sad emotions they cannot understand, lose interest in different activities, become anxious, etc.

It is important for parents to understand that trauma can seriously affect the mental health of a teenager. What may be tricky is that a teenager may withdraw from their parents. This may lead them to decide not to share his feelings with them which would make it harder for him to process his emotions.

What is important here is that family support is crucial. Parents need to encourage their teenagers to talk and share emotions in a secure family environment.

Are you wondering whether your teen needs online teen counseling?

There are some easily noticeable signs that might indicate that your kid needs counseling with an online adolescent therapist:

• Struggles in school
• Unable to make friendships
• Isolated at home
• Anger and irritability
• Depression signs
• Self-destructive behavior
• Constant shifts in moods/energy
• Anxiety, rumination, nervousness

How do you find a good adolescent therapist for a teenager?

Finding a good online therapist in Illinois for your teen might be one of the most important decisions you will make. What are the factors in choosing the right therapist for your teenager?

Referrals

Get a recommendation from someone you know and trust, who has previous experience with similar issues. It is helpful to receive a reference from a therapist who knows a teen therapist who can help.

Choose a teen therapist specializing in working with teens

The previous experience with teens is vital because the problems they have and how they deal with them are somewhat different from adults’ issues.

Begin Therapy for Teens in in Hinsdale IL, or Via Online Therapy in Illinois

To start your counseling journey, follow these simple steps:

1. Contact PsycHealth Services
2. Meet with one of our skilled teen therapists
3. Begin to understand your emotions while making balanced and thoughtful decisions

Other Therapy services at PsycHealth Services