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What Do Teenager Counselors Do?
Adolescent and young adult counselors provide their clients with coping skills to achieve emotional and mental health. They encourage clients to discuss their daily experiences and emotions and help them process their reactions and adjust to major life changes, such as divorce, death, and starting college. A good counselor will teach their clients to develop skills to change their behavior, cope with life’s challenges, and make good decisions.
How do I know if my teenager needs therapy?
Some behaviors are normal teenage development but then there are some signs that show that your teenager may need therapy. Some of these include: signs of depression; running away; participating in illegal activities, drug use; skipping school or failing classes; sexual acting out; self-harm; changes in friends or activities; eating problems; inappropriate anger; increased defiance; significant
changes in mood and behavior. It would be helpful to start by talking to your teen’s doctor to see what recommendations they would make first.
How to engage a resistant adolescent in therapy
Sometimes as therapists we may want to give up when there is that client that shows that he or she does not want to be there and does not want our help. However, as members of a helping profession we must keep trying. Some things we can do to engage a resistant adolescent include making them feel comfortable. This may include finding out what interests them, who did they aspire to become, what kind of music do they listen to. Oftentimes, this shows that you are interested in them and want to make them feel safe in the counseling space. In addition, find out what the adolescent wants. Through this process you can direct the session towards that instead of the agenda you may have had. Next, acknowledge their perspective. Recognize that counseling can be uncomfortable and yes, they may not want to be there. However, they can benefit if they just try. Finally, find out and use what motivates them. There is always something that we all as humans want or need to change. Find out what that is from the adolescent. Many will not mind telling us.
Professional and Affordable Counseling
The average cost for adolescent counseling is $130, Empowering Minds offers individual counseling for adolescents for only $110. We believe in professional and affordable counseling.