How do I know if my teen needs therapy?

This is a question I get a lot. How do I know if my teen needs therapy? This question arises because society (and let’s face it, personal experience) has told us that teens are emotional, irrational and have tons of attitude. While those things may be true for most teens, this does not mean that help from a therapist would not make this tumultuous time of life easier. H

ere are 3 main signs that your teen should see a therapist for counseling support.

What to look for

1. Your teen has emotional outbursts that seem to go above and beyond the current situation. Again, this can be tricky with understanding the hormonal changes teens are going through. But pay attention to the intensity and frequency of emotional outbursts.

2. Your teen has been isolating themselves from your family and/or friends. Now this is above being an introvert or preferring to be alone as part of a lifelong personality trait. This would be a behavior change that has taken place suddenly or even gradually over the recent past.

3. You start to notice your teen has been displaying some unsafe behaviors. Maybe they have started staying out past curfew, maybe you found a vape pen in their laundry, or they have been sneaking out, cutting, drinking alcohol, or have become very disrespectful (cussing, name calling etc) to you or your family.

How therapy can help

Therapy can help a teen struggling to manage their emotions whether they are displaying them outwardly toward others, in their risky behaviors as listed above or by isolating and internalizing their pain. In therapy, a teen would work with a therapist to identify pain points, struggles and emotions in order to learn to effectively work through them. In therapy, teens can be taught how to work through emotions and have a safe place to process their concerns.

Schedule a call with me

If you read this and think you or your teen need support, feel free to call me at (916) 538-9953 for a free 15 minute phone consultation. I’d be happy to hear about what is happening and help direct you to the right person. If you are looking for help with your child or teen, you can also read more about how I can help on this site's homepage.