Are You Struggling As a Teen? 

 

Life is hard enough, but being a teenager can be brutal––and the raging hormones don’t help! It is a time of so much transition and change, and often a time when our emotions can feel totally out of control. 

 

Are you struggling in your relationships? Have you been dealing with anxiety, depression, anger, irritability, or apathy? Maybe you have been or are currently being bullied by someone at school or online. Or you can never seem to hold on to friends for very long. 

 

Does your lack of motivation in school lead to poor grades or school attendance? Perhaps you talk negatively to yourself, have even had suicidal thoughts, or struggle with an eating disorder. Do you struggle to manage your time well? 

 

Maybe your biggest desire is to learn how to overcome your social anxiety so you can actually talk to people without getting sweaty every time. You may want to learn how to stop overthinking and worrying about everything, or being caught up in all the what-ifs. Maybe you want to learn to like yourself without seeking the approval of others. Perhaps you would like to have a healthy relationship with food and learn how to manage overwhelming feelings. Maybe all you want is to make your parents happy or make lasting and fulfilling friendships.

 

It’s Not Always Easy Being a Teen! 

 

Throughout childhood and adolescence, it is common to feel different, confused, alone, scared, ignored, helpless, and frustrated––among many other feelings. This can happen due to the increase in social media use in society, the after effects of quarantine due to the COVID, anxiety and grief related to the pandemic, and simply navigating new experiences in life for the first time.

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According to the CDC, in 2019 more than one in three high school students experienced persistent sadness or hopelessness, and one in six reported making a suicide plan in the past year.* Clearly, mental health is an issue for teens. 

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As a teen, you are still developing and transitioning from childhood to adulthood. You are facing many stressors from school, peers, culture, and family. You may have high expectations for yourself and others, are still discovering who you are, and are forming your identity. 

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You Don’t Have to Keep Struggling

It’s hard to ask for help, and it can be nearly impossible to recognize when you need help, so it is important to notice your thoughts and your actions, as these can be warning signs that you need support. Your parents or those closest to you may not even notice that you are struggling because you don’t show it on the surface. Maybe at some point in your life, you decided to do things on your own and not call attention to yourself––and you became very good at pretending that everything is fine. 

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As the parent of a teen, you may have noticed some signs, but may have thought that these are “normal teen behaviors.” However, you may not recognize the magnitude of your teen’s internal struggles. But your teen doesn’t have to face their adolescent years alone. 

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At Florecer Family Counseling, we provide professional, non-biased counseling services for teens going through exactly what you are dealing with. We listen to you, reflect, and give you feedback. Parents, your teen doesn’t need to keep their troubling thoughts to themselves any longer–they can talk to someone today! 

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Teen Counseling Can Make a Difference 

Therapy is a safe place to explore your thoughts and process your experiences out loud with someone who wants to help you meet your own personal goals.

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What to Expect in the Sessions

In the first session, your therapist will review your intake questionnaire and clarify any questions that they may have, as well as explore the reasons you are seeking therapy. Your therapist will begin to develop a treatment plan that will include your goals. They will ask you what you would like to see change or improve with the help of therapy. 

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In the following sessions, you will learn emotion management skills. These skills will be a great addition to your toolbox that can be used when encountering challenging situations and feelings. You will become more resilient and able to resolve internal and external conflicts in a more efficient way.

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You will learn to identify feelings, how your thoughts affect your emotions, how to notice and change unhelpful ways of thinking, and coping skills that involve a healthier way of problem-solving. 

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Treatment Methods 

We use an eclectic approach of modalities, including:  

• (CBT) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy provides support in identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and assists clients in making corrections based on facts. It also conceptualizes the connection between clients’ feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. 

 

• Motivational Interviewing is used to help teens build their motivation to change. 

 

• Interpersonal Psychotherapy helps teens learn healthy relational interactions and develop healthy skills. 

 

• Seeking Safety is a great treatment for teens who have experienced a traumatic event and who are struggling with substance abuse.

 

• Trauma-Focused CBT helps children and teens process a traumatic event. 

 

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - EMDR  helps teens resolve unprocessed traumatic memories. *The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved.

 

Therapy can help you know yourself better, identify healthy relationships, and build strong bonds with others––all of which provide feelings of connectedness and a sense of hope.

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Is Teen Counseling Right for You? 

Knowing how to express emotions in a healthy way is a challenge for everyone. Sometimes there can be a stigma associated with needing or receiving mental health support, but keep in mind that we all need support–and using your support system is a healthy way of problem-solving when experiencing distress. Here are some commonly asked questions about therapy:

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How does talking about my situation help me? 

When we have unhelpful thoughts and we keep them to ourselves, there is no room for a change in perspective or for changes in our reactions to those thoughts. Sometimes it takes voicing our thoughts to realize HOW we think and question IF what we are thinking is helpful or not.

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Sharing your private thoughts and feelings out loud might be a very new experience, but the therapy session is a safe place to express the thoughts you may have otherwise thought were unspeakable or unacceptable.

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How would you integrate my Christian faith in treatment?

Our Christian faith at Florecer Family Counseling directs our perspective regarding hope and healing. If our patients identify as Christian and want to integrate their Christian faith in their treatment, we can offer prayer at the beginning of our session, and encourage our patients to refer to Bible verses that might be relatable to their circumstances. You can discuss your faith with your therapist and decide how you would like to include it in your treatment.

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As a parent, how involved can I be in my teen’s treatment? 

We want to provide the safest space in therapy for your teens, and we do this by providing confidentiality about their sessions. Nevertheless, in the case of an emergency, we do inform parents about safety issues, and can provide family sessions as needed and as the teen is ready and open for these. 

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Take the Next Step to Flourish!

We are here to help teens overcome obstacles and thrive. We would love to get in touch with you and your parent(s) and offer a free consultation call. We offer online and in-person counseling in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, CA and in the Antelope Valley in Lancaster, CA. We also provide online therapy to clients in the state of Florida.  Learn more about our HIPAA compliant Telehealth therapy.

 

Reach out to schedule a free 15 minutes consultation call.

 

Start your healing journey by obtaining the skills you need to feel more confident, heal from traumatic experiences, and continue growing into your best adult version of yourself. 

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Give your teen the gift of therapy to flourish and become their happiest self!

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Reach out today!

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