Therapy for Teens and Young Adults

Overstressed and under-resourced

Your teenager is not the problem, but they do have problems. Real issues that need more internal resources than they have available. There’s a reason the teenage years are called the years of rejection. One of the most prevalent feelings for teenagers is rejection – rejection from peers, schools, siblings, clubs, parents, and stepparents. The mental stress facing teens is a fact of life. Many teens are overstressed and under-resourced with tools to cope with this stress.

Anxiety and depression are growing concerns among teenagers, especially among teenage girls. Teenage girls are almost three times as likely as teen boys to experience depression. Anxiety and depression should not be overlooked for both teens and adults and are valid reasons to seek professional help. 

Teenage Problems

Anxiety, depression, bullying, cyberbullying, relationships, and pressure over body image, are just a few challenges of the teenage years. In a Pew Research Center study, over 55% of teens reported that bullying was a significant problem among their peers.

It’s too much to expect teens to navigate these challenges independently while maintaining grades, engaging in extra-curricular activities, working, applying to higher education, and transitioning into adulthood. If you think reading that sentence is exhausting, try living it. Teenage depression and anxiety are on the rise, and for good reasons. Many teens report that no one understands them outside of their peers. While an accepting peer group is essential, it is just not enough.

Don’t judge a person solely by their behavior

It’s easy to judge the behavior of teens. Behavior is important and has lasting consequences. However, it only tells part of the story. Our Georgia therapists help to identify and name the underlying problems. What at first glance looks like problematic teenage behavior may be a coping strategy to deal with the multitude of stressors and anxieties that your teen faces. Coping strategies to help regulate emotions can be helpful or harmful. We want to make sure your teen is equipped with long-term helpful strategies.

If your teen doesn’t get the resources to deal with these challenges, the coping strategies they develop to get them through today can turn into the problems that hold them back tomorrow.

The Teenager Years are Scary…For Everyone

Most parents and teens recognize the importance of adolescents and the impact of poor choices. Every decision seems so weighty, and future success seems to ride on daily decisions. Most adults can’t handle that kind of sustained pressure, yet we normalize this as a part of being a teenager.

Help for Parents

As a parent looking for help for your teenager, we know how important it is to find a therapist to whom your teen can relate. We also understand that a child’s teenage years collide with the overwhelming season of “mid-life” for parents. When parents face some of the most challenging seasons of adulthood: providing for a family, paying for college, caring for aging parents, friends dying and divorcing, and keeping your marriage healthy, your sweet child’s hormones become active and introduce an additional layer of stress.

In short, your child needs you in a way they have never needed, and life’s responsibilities also demand more of your time. Parenting a teenager requires adults to face their fears and insecurities when they have the least bandwidth to do so.

Therapy for Teens and Young Adults in Georgia– What can I expect?

Therapy for teens and therapy for young adults in Georgia is not a behavior control method. Instead, it is a time to develop more effective coping strategies that will serve them throughout life. Sadly, teens are exposed to many life stressors but stop being taught coping skills after elementary school. We want to provide a safe place to equip your child to handle life stressors and know how to reach out for help.

Our Georgia therapists partner with parents and teens. We don’t just help teenagers grow into thriving adults; we help teenagers cope with the present so that the teenage years are years of growth and joy rather than anxiety and depression. When necessary, help heal any rifts in the relationships between parent and child.

One of my favorite sayings is, “if you do nothing, it gets worse.” Don’t just wait for this storm to blow over. Take proactive steps today to ensure you and your family become more connected on the other side.

Begin Therapy for Teens and Young Adults in Marietta, East Cobb, or Anywhere Via Online Therapy in Georgia