Does Your Teen Need Counseling?

Do you lie awake at night worrying about your teenager? Have you noticed abrupt behavior or academic changes? Has your teenage son or daughter changed friend groups or have they become more isolated? Do you suspect bullying or self-harming behavior? If the answer to these questions is "yes," then you've found the right place in Atlanta for counseling for teens.

These are all issues that are common for so many teens who struggle on a psychological and emotional level with the landscape of adolescence. You are likely worrying often and may feel like you’ve lost connection with your teenager. As an Atlanta-based counseling center, we are very familiar with all these challenges. We can help your teenager navigate through them.

Why Counseling for Teens is Important

Adolescence is a stage of human development marked by enormous change. Factor in high stress and the fast pace of living associated with living in bustling cities like Atlanta, and you have teens that have become more vulnerable to mental health disorders. Teens are migrating away from relying on parents for emotional support. At this stage, they are transitioning to their friends and peer group. This is very natural. But, it can be complicated by worrisome behaviors that your teenager is showing. Teens are going through enormous cognitive and emotional changes. Couple that with a still-developing prefrontal cortex (responsible for thinking through consequences of behavior), and now we have the potential for worrisome and reckless teen behavior.

Though your teen is learning how to become more independent, he is still in need of support. Counseling for teens in Atlanta is available for many of the issues your son or daughter is likely facing. As a provider of counseling for teens in Atlanta, we can help your son or daughter identify underlying issues specific to them. Together, we can help them find ways to cope with stress and intense emotions. It is our goal to provide a place of understanding.

How Therapists for Teens in Atlanta, GA Can Help

In your search, I’m sure you’ve already found that many Atlanta offices do not provide counseling for teens. Our Atlanta teen therapists are not only very trained in working with the teenage population. We also gravitate toward that population because we can connect. Unlike most adults who come to therapy, many teens are forced to come by their parents. Or, they are apprehensive about talking to anybody who isn't a friend. Counseling for teens is a specialty that focuses on all the specific needs your son or daughter has in this turbulent time of adolescence.

A therapist for teens works hard at connecting and building rapport and trust. Teens are often skeptical of adults. As a result, this can lead to the suspicion that a therapist will side with the parents. Sound and effective therapy that focuses on teen issues recognizes that this stage of development is difficult. So, it takes patience and rapport to effect positive change. These difficult times also have a strong impact on the family system. Because of that, an effective therapist for teens spends some time with parents to partner in your teenager's mental health. These are some of the issues facing your teen today:

Counseling for Teens Experiencing Bullying

Whether in secret or the open, being bullied can cause a great deal of emotional distress. And, feelings of powerlessness. With all the (much needed) attention given to bullying, parents often fear the worst. Counseling for teens focuses on processing all the feelings that come along with being targeted and rejected. We also look for strategies to get support from the school, family, and peer group. In the end, the goal of a teen counselor is to not only increase feelings of safety and security. It is also about building resilience and self-confidence.

Counseling for Teens with Low Self-Esteem

Teens often compare themselves to others on a daily basis, sometimes minute by minute. They measure their own worth by their peer groups and popularity as well as all the trends of the day. This leads to constant insecurity shown by irritability, anxiety, self-hatred, and depression. Measuring up to others and seeking to gain control over their emotions may also lead to eating disorders and body dysmorphia (distorted self-view of the body). Contrary to popular belief, eating disorders are showing up in teen boys more and more as well as girls. Teen counselors help your son or daughter find their own inherent value and not look for the approval of others.

Counseling for Teens Experiencing Relationship Problems

Relationships and friendships during adolescence become more complex than in the preteen years. The importance of status and the peer group are of utmost priority. Your teenage son or daughter is becoming more reliant on his or her peers and less reliant on you. Teens may also use the word "friend" to describe anybody from acquaintances to besties. Teen dating relationships lasting for even short periods can have a deep emotional impact on boys and girls. Counseling for teens focuses on:

• Social conflict in peer groups
• Volatile dating relationships
• Poor emotional boundaries
• And reckless behavior

Teen Counseling for Academic Pressure

Your teenager likely faces academic challenges regularly that can lead to her experiencing:

• Anxiety
• Stress
• Moodiness
• Depression
• Pressure to perform
• Lack of concentration
• And the loss of motivation

The pressure to succeed can be enormous. Completing all assignments and projects, balancing extracurricular activities, time management, and preparing for college can be a lot for a teen brain to manage. Pressure comes from all angles including school, perceived (or real) pressure from parents, and self-imposed pressure. Counseling for teens offers a way for teens to vent, process their stress, and brainstorm ways to manage their time. As a result, they can find solutions to achieve their academic goals.

Counseling for Teens Experiencing Divorce

Adolescents are very perceptive and usually know when a divorce is coming. Your teen can experience increased anxiety, depression, feelings of insecurity, as well as disdain for one or both parents. Experiencing a divorce can be emotionally draining for them. Your teen may lose focus in school, sports, and activities and become apathetic. Parents may be fighting, in the process of separation or divorce, or post-divorce. Regardless, teenagers need support outside of friends and family. Counseling for teens allows your son or daughter to share feelings about divorce and you. The goal of a therapist for teens is to provide a safe place to sort through these problems. In this safe place, they can learn coping strategies to get through them.

Counseling for Teens Experiencing Self-harm

There are many misconceptions about self-harm as it is more prevalent now than in previous generations. These are the top 3 myths about self-harm:

"Adolescents self-harm for attention."

FACT: A teen who self-harms typically hides her cuts and scars. She usually wears a lot of bracelets, long sleeve shirts, or cuts in places that are not visible (thigh, upper arm, etc.). Teenagers who cut are not on Instagram or Snapchat putting their scars on display. Instead, they are cutting or self-harming in private, to deal with whatever pain is going on in their lives.