Therapy for Teens
Are Your Teen’s Challenges Causing
Them To Feel Isolated Or Distressed?
Often, when teens struggle with their mental health, they develop the belief that they are alone and misunderstood in their challenges. Despite having the best intentions for your adolescent or teen child, it’s possible they are avoiding, defying, or turning away from you in the process of becoming their own person.
At LA Psychotherapy Group, we understand that issues like teen angst, behavioral changes, and learning difficulties affect more than the individuals experiencing them—these issues tend to impact the entire dynamic at home. After all, families are systems, and when one component is “off,” the mechanisms that once worked flawlessly begin to break down.
Our therapists strive to create a safe, trusting relationship for teen clients, where they can learn lifelong skills for expressing emotions, managing distress, and setting boundaries. As they become more aware of their emotions and role in the family system, they can balance their needs in a way that empowers them to make positive, lasting changes in their lives.
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What Is Your Teen’s Experience?
Just like the young adults they’re developing into, teens encounter a spectrum of unique challenges. While therapeutic treatment is never meant to be one-size-fits-all, we recognize that many teens develop mental health struggles stemming from academic stress, social pressures, and changes at home.
Maybe your child is chronically overwhelmed and dysregulated. They might “overthink” every scenario, unable to trust themselves to navigate obstacles—particularly when it comes to their output and performance. Seemingly routine tasks like homework or chores may have become too much for them to handle, resulting in anger, frustration, low self-esteem, and conflict. In many cases, these issues are intensified by an inability to concentrate and/or other learning difficulties, including ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence.
Maybe something significant has happened to shift the family dynamic, whether there has been a move, divorce, or death in the family. In particular, if you’re in the process of blending families, it’s normal for teens to “act out” or withdraw in response to big, complicated emotions as they find their footing in a new home environment.
Maybe your teen feels lonely or disconnected in general. Despite constantly being on their phones and in communication with their peers, they may fall prey to the comparison trap of social media or encounter online bullying, resulting in self-criticism and feelings of isolation. Over time, they may have withdrawn from their hobbies and relationships. And if they feel “othered” by their gender, sexuality, or other aspects of their identity, they may be feeling alienated or misunderstood by those around them.
There Are No Blueprints For Parenting Adolescents And Teens
We know that when your teen is suffering, you are too. And even though anxiety, mood changes, and relational conflict are completely normal aspects of transitioning into adulthood, they should nevertheless be validated and taken seriously.
Teen therapy through our practice is designed to be an engaging, collaborative experience that honors both your and your child’s goals. By teaching your teen the communication and stress management skills that all of us need to learn sooner or later, counseling can pave the way toward resilience, self-empowerment, and healthy, happy relationships.
Teen Counseling Through LA Psychotherapy Group
Our teen therapy services are available to clients 12 to 19 who may be experiencing dysregulating cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and/or relational symptoms. Once you have completed a consultation call with one of our teen specialists, we will then set up an intake session, which may include parents depending on the client’s age and presenting issues. From there, the treatment process will involve individual sessions that are tailored to your teen’s needs as they gain insights into their emotions and behaviors.
As a parent, you are absolutely essential to the healing process; however, we recognize that in order for therapy to be effective, teen clients must feel like they can trust and open up to their therapist. Though our clinicians will no doubt honor your goals, a large portion of this process revolves around building a strong therapeutic relationship with your child.
Once trust is established, we will begin to practice skills for healthy emotional exploration and communication. Our approach includes time-tested models—including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Psychodynamic Therapy, and Relational Gestalt Therapy among others—to help your teen identify, express, and process their thoughts and feelings. As they gradually gain insight into what they feel and how they behave, they’ll be more empowered to overcome obstacles both now and in the future.
In Reconnecting With Themselves,
Your Teen Will Reconnect With The World Around Them
Your teen is an essential part of your family system, and all of you function at your best when the system is in harmony. Therapy offers your teen an opportunity to feel validated and capable of navigating the tough stuff in a way that doesn’t compromise their wellbeing or the loving connection you share. Through this process, your teen can set themselves and their relationships up for long-term success.
Common Concerns About Teen Therapy…
How do I best support my teen as they go through counseling?
Parents maintain an essential role in the counseling process, and we know that you want nothing more than to see your teen happy, healthy, and connected. Therapy is meant to support both you and your child.
That said, it’s very important to be mindful of your teen’s process and realistic about what to expect. Confidentiality is a vital aspect of the therapeutic experience, and teens won’t feel comfortable opening up to a therapist if they think their privacy is at stake. We will be sure to involve you to an extent that feels both productive and appropriate, but we ask that you give your teen the time and space required in order for this process to work.
On that note, it’s also important to consider that while therapy is highly effective, changes likely won’t happen overnight. It may take a while for you to observe significant improvements, but we are confident that therapy has tremendous potential for reducing acute, surface-level symptoms while also facilitating long-term healing and relief. Our hope is that as treatment progresses, you witness your teen feeling more empowered, aware, and able to engage in healthy, fulfilling relationships.
What are the limits of confidentiality in therapy for teens?
Therapy is generally a confidential process. However, as mandatory reporters working with minors, we are obligated to report any disclosures of an intent to physically harm oneself or others. We will be sure to discuss the limits of confidentiality with teen clients at the outset of treatment so they know what to expect.
Furthermore, our goal is to help your teen cultivate skills for healthy communication and boundary-setting. While we will not disclose non-threatening sensitive information to parents, we will teach teen clients how to have hard conversations and healthy conflict so the family unit can experience a more open line of communication.
How will my busy teen make time for counseling?
Our therapists understand that teen clients often have to juggle a lot of academic and extracurricular activities. Therefore, we try to make the counseling process as flexible and accessible as possible.
If your teen worries about being able to make time for therapy, note that we offer weekend appointments and online sessions to remove the hassle of a commute. We also want to stress that therapy can be great for learning time and stress management skills, ultimately creating more space in your child’s life.
When One Part Is Functioning At Its Best, The Whole Machine Runs Smoothly
LA Psychotherapy Group offers collaborative, client-driven therapy to teens (ages 12-19) who may be struggling with anxiety, stress, depression, family changes, or low self-esteem. For more information or to schedule a consultation with one of our teen counselors, contact us.
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