Therapy for Teens
in Agoura Hills and Encinco, CA
Are You Worried About Your Teen?
It can be concerning when we see our children struggle in adolescence. New issues crop up as teens and tweens encounter more challenges, more pressures, and the beginning stages of independence.
Physical and hormonal changes often make these challenges worse as teens experience difficulties regulating stress and common mental health issues like depression and anxiety. It feels helpless when we as parents try to offer help and solutions only for nothing to work effectively.
If you’re seeking out a therapist for your teen, you have probably noticed changes in your child’s relationships and ability to function. You may get the sense that they are generally distressed since they’re more reactive or withdrawn than normal.
Maybe they’re complaining about being tired or uncomfortable due to disruptive digestive symptoms and other growing pains. They may be moodier or more irritable lately, acting increasingly defiant and disengaged.
Therapy helps teens because it makes space in their lives that they often feel they don’t have. As your therapist speaks your child’s language in counseling, new habits and responses can be created—leading to more peace, stability, and forward momentum in your teen’s life.
Sometimes Certain Challenges
Can Develop In Adolescence
Teenagers can develop many of the mental health issues that are present in adults, but symptoms may look different or more emphasized since coping skills often have to be learned throughout the developmental phases of life. Often, parents seek out counseling for their teens as they notice overt symptoms of:
● Heightened stress, overwhelming or anxious thoughts, and fears around being in certain situations (anxiety)
● Withdrawal, a lack of interest or engagement, feelings of despair, and thoughts of self- harm (depression)
● Repetitive, compulsive behaviors based on unwanted thoughts or fears (OCD)
● Lack of focus, forgetfulness, difficulties with attention and academic performance (ADHD and learning disabilities)
These issues are amplified at a time in life when teens are discovering who they are and expressing their personal power for the first time, which is why symptoms can lead to interpersonal conflict and disconnection.
Is Your Teen’s Symptoms In Response To A Significant Change Or Transition?
This is also a time in life when teens begin to understand some of the bigger, more existential aspects of what life has in store. Mental and emotional health symptoms in adolescence are sometimes triggered by a big life event, such as a divorce, a death in the family, or a first breakup.
Unfortunately, under the lens of social media, teens are given many and often conflicting narratives about how they should respond to challenges and who they should be, leading to the unrealistic expectations they place on themselves and others. The noise of it all has a way of creating a tornado of pressure in teens’ lives, and being a parent can often feel like you’re watching your child get caught in the eye of the storm.
The counseling space is designed to help your teen understand and slow down their emotional response so they can act with more maturity, intention, and care. Through the development of key skills and insights in the therapy process, your teen can get set up for success both now and in the future.
Effective, Evidence-Based Counseling For Teens Is Available Through Child & Family Center
As you probably know as a parent, it can be tough to get your teen’s “buy-in” at times—there can be some resistance to treatment interventions or the need for counseling at all. That’s why our skilled and experienced group of therapists works first and foremost to build a strong rapport with our clients before doing the deeper work of behavioral change.
In therapy for teens, we take a casual yet direct approach that clients respond to. A big part of this work involves normalizing the experiences your teen is having, which is also helpful for understanding how best to individualize the counseling process. Our goal is to help your child complete treatment with a sense of empowerment and awareness of how to leverage their strengths.
Our Approach
As a solution-focused practice, we seek to help clients address immediate symptoms since these symptoms can be particularly overwhelming for teens. As they learn lifelong tools for grounding
and regulating the nervous system, they can achieve new levels of self-soothing.
From there, we can begin to incorporate more focused therapeutic work through:
● Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – teens learn to connect thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, ultimately slowing down the brain’s emotional or stress response.
● Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) – focusing on skills in the four areas of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, teens increase their capacity for uncertainty and discomfort.
Communication is always at the forefront of these sessions as your teen’s therapist mirrors healthy expression and boundary-setting to them. Through this, they will feel more heard, which will allow them to better hear others.
While the experiences you’re having as a parent of a teen are often stressful and isolating, you are not alone—and the right support is out there. As we track your teen’s “wins” throughout the counseling process, they will feel increasingly capable, confident, and connected to their most formative values.
Common Questions About Therapy For Teens…
As a parent, what role do I have in my teen’s treatment process?
We individualize counseling to each client’s unique needs and goals, which means there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to including parents in the therapy process. Though we view our teen clients as the main focus of treatment, we value your input and will incorporate you in the process to the extent that it’s beneficial.
That said, it’s also important to keep in mind that many teens view counseling as their time,
which can be difficult to come by at such a transitional period of life. We will follow their lead to determine what feels most conducive to reaching their goals.
How much experience do your therapists have working with teens?
At Child & Family Therapy Center, we are experts in child and adolescent development. Our team has decades of experience counseling teens, and we enjoy working with this population.
Given our extensive background in the field, we’ve figured out how to work with teens in a way that nurtures trust, healing, and open communication. We view ourselves as allies in the lives of our clients, and we will do everything we can to help them feel empowered to make positive, healthy decisions.
What if my teen and I disagree about what needs to happen in therapy?
As therapists, we do our best not to “take sides”—especially when it comes to working with teens, who can become defensive and conflict-oriented if they feel unheard. Instead of looking at the situation from the perspective of who’s “right” and who’s “wrong,” therapy is designed to help clients understand and resolve their presenting issues.
We know you are doing your best as parents, and we will work with you and your teen throughout this process in a way that allows both of you to feel validated.
Growth Is Achievable
If your teen is struggling with aspects of anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, or other changes in their mental health, counseling through Child & Family Therapy can help facilitate growth and new skills. For more information, contact us.
