Why We Enjoy Working with Adolescents, Young Adults, and College Students:

Adolescence and young adulthood are such amazing, magical, wondrous, and tumultuous times of life. There is such ripe ground for exploration and discovery, yet many young people get stuck in the mud along the journey. It has been a great joy and education for us to work with teenagers and young adults in a variety of settings, and it was these experiences that launched us individually onto our own journeys into psychology. Through these experiences, we have become keenly aware of the power of HOPE for change that is present and crucial when working with young people. When coupled with deep listening, a lot of humor, and witnessing the unique person experiencing their world for the first time, the process of teen counseling can be a profoundly rewarding experience for both client and therapist.

Why is adolescence and young adulthood so challenging?

When adolescence rolls around (starting around age 12 or 13), hormones, increased social pressures, school intensity and pressure, and the increasing need for independence sets in. Over the next 6+ years, young people need an ever changing balance of widening boundaries, trust in their decision making,  and the space to learn about themselves. It requires open communication, as well as clear and fair boundaries, help and support in making decisions, and reliable modeling from parents and adults about how to communicate and regulate their emotional state. This is a tall order for parents who never quite know what their teenager is going to need on which day!

Some of the adolescent angst decreases in young adulthood and there is an increase in responsibility and independence. However, the challenges that the individual young person feels inside and the challenges present in relationships with parents, are very real. The years following high school require both the young person and their parents to adjust their expectations and involvement and change the roles that both have played during childhood and adolescence.

How these challenges manifest is unique to each person, but generally teen counseling can help young adults struggling with:

  • Depression (which can look like lethargy, loss of motivation, loss of interest, hopelessness, and/or irritability/anger in teenagers)
  • Anxiety
  • Increase in mood swings
  • Challenges in relationships (parents, friends, romantic relationships)
  • School anxiety
  • Body image issues
  • Experimentation and/or dependency on drugs and/or alcohol
  • Loss of functioning due to increase use of technology, internet, and/or video games
  • Lack of coping skills
  • Lack of self esteem or sense of self
  • Extreme trouble making decisions
  • Dependency in relationships
  • Questions about identity
  • Talk of suicide
  • Suicide attempts
  • Existential questioning
  • Self harm

When to Seek Support:

Many of the above issues are experienced by most adolescents. It is when these issues begin to negatively impact their lives that seeking teen counseling is important.  This can show up in a number of way including, but not limited to, a drop in grades or academic interests, increased isolation, increase in technology use, substance abuse, pushing way beyond an established boundary, developing an outside dependence on another individual or substances.  

As parents, we trust in a parent’s intuition and sometimes it can be challenging to distinguish between intuition and emotional discomfort.

We also believe that there is basic wisdom in what we do. What that means is that even if a coping skill is unhealthy or maladaptive, we believe that it was created for the greater good of the individual, to keep them safe in their world. It is often helpful to seek support at this time to help find or develop safer alternatives that allow for healing and growth.

Is there HOPE?

The adolescent years are not meant to be lived with no bruises, no mistakes, or no lessons. It is during these years that we learn who we are, what our preferences are, how we cope when life is really difficult, and build resiliency to keep moving forward. These are crucial years of building the foundation for what lies ahead.

Ways Teen Counseling Can Help:

  • Create stronger, more honest relationship with yourself and others in your life.
  • Improve communication.
  • Increase healthy coping skills.
  • Build skills to make better decisions.
  • Understand your emotions.
  • Tolerate states of discomfort.
  • Learn skills to calm yourself down and feel more settled.
  • Learn skills to be more present in the moment.
  • Bring clarity to your situation.

Working with Parents:

We offer support for parents who are navigating difficult terrain with their adolescents and young adults, including divorce, transition from middle school to high school, and transition from high school to college and adulthood. While these times can be very difficult for the children, who may also need therapeutic support, it is imperative that parents acknowledge their own difficulties, patterns, and feelings present in the conflict. When parents are able to work through their own issues, it provides a healthy model for their children to do the same. Parents’ ability to take care of themselves through conflicts is emphasized.