Teen Counseling

Does Your Teen’s Mood Seem A Bit Off or Concern You?

• Is she discouraged because she’s not with friends or doing what she likes?
• Does he seem bored, not motivated to do anything?
• Is she moody, sad or anxious about life, the future?
• Do you have a teen with out-of-control behavior?
• Has your teenager procrastinated or given up on doing schoolwork?
• Do you wish you could control your own reactions with your teen?

Perhaps your teenager is angry over not being with friends, not able to play sports or not getting the help needed for school. Now they may be behind in school and could be giving up. Possibly they are lacking social interactions on a regular basis which depresses, angers or frustrates them. Maybe they feel overwhelmed with all the changes from the pandemic they are anxious about sickness or loss of control in their environment. They may not be able to recognize the problem but they know they don’t like how they feel.

Being a teenager is tough

However, today in the midst of a pandemic it’s much worse. Teens are growing up in a world of uncertainty. They are trying to figure out hormones, friendships, self-esteem, and what they want to be when they grow up. They really want more independence, but they need to know they have a parent they can rely on. Your teen has many new thoughts and feelings to deal with, has questions about life but may have difficulty expressing them clearly with you. We have been able to help many teens get through family conflicts, improve communication, manage anger, and cope with life’s heartaches.

If your teen is stuck…

isolating, angry, disrespectful, anxious, or depressed, they are not alone. Many teens that we counsel are going through the same or similar issues. They want to be heard, understood, and feel better about themselves. They need to know they can get through their sadness, overcome anxiety, improve coping with tough times, have positive friendships, and hope for the best. We have helped them improve their self-esteem, learn to communicate better, be more hopeful, and improve their motivation.

With teen counseling, the Pathways counselor can help your teen identify root causes of his or her struggles and talk about difficulties in ways they can understand. As the counselor helps your teen sort out thoughts and feelings, set goals, improve decision making, practice healthy coping skills, they can feel better about themselves. Further, your teenager can improve awareness about how his or her actions affect others, learn effective ways to communicate, and gain insight into sorting out internal thoughts and feelings well.

You may have some questions…

Is teen counseling really effective?

Over the years, we have found many times teens need to know home is where they are safe, accepted, loved, respected, and heard. In order for counseling to be effective, it takes these things along with their willingness to grow through tough times, overcome fears, explore some difficult feelings, and learn healthy, effective coping skills. Further, teens need a place to go where they are heard, share openly about how they feel…without being “parented”. Teen counseling is a place of confidentiality, determining the focus of therapy, learn effective communication, identify goals, and determine parental involvement in the process.

Will my teenager ever grow out of this?

Shifting from childhood to adulthood is paramount. The teen years is this shift. So, as they face new hormones, new feelings, and abilities to problem-solve, they need support, understanding and direction. When life situations, relationships, and feelings are very stressful, weird, difficult or just plain overwhelming, they need some help. We all tend to “grow up” eventually, yet for teenagers these things are pretty scary…especially in these extraordinary times.  As counselors, we help them grow through these times with a better sense of self, confidence, and hope.

What if my teenager doesn’t want to go to counseling?

Many times we have seen where teens are resistant to counseling at first. However, when they realize you are genuinely interested in their perspective and willing to listen they are apt to consider it. Further, when parents are willing to seek mutual solutions, and have fair, balanced communication, they tend to come. When they realize there is a counselor listening to them without judgment, with compassion, concern and insight, they stay. They also may want to negotiate their needs and wants with their parent along with the counselor as an objective, neutral third party.

How long will teen counseling take?

This is a good question and the short answer is…it all depends. When your teen gets support from a parent, feels free to address particular needs, finds strength and poise to address their concerns, then counseling tends to be short-term. However, if there are complications in the teen’s life, recent or past traumatic events, or other more difficult issues then counseling may take a bit longer. Teenagers are resilient and have the capacity for change. Further, they are part of a system…a family which has an influence in their lives. Support, encouragement, and motivation are also important in the process of completing counseling.

There is help and hope…

for you and your teenager. Here at Pathways Counseling Services we have trained counselors ready and willing to help. As we address your teen’s struggles, relationships, and sort out difficulties, together we determine some solutions and goals to accomplish. We have found that listening to your teen, taking the time to know his / her concerns from their point of view and letting them be involved in the solutions will empower them to be more committed to change not to mention improved self-esteem and confidence.