Opinion | Adolescent Counseling (PART -1)

Adolescent counseling is counseling (or therapy) specifically for children and teens who need help with their mental health. Child and adolescent counseling is beneficial to truly any young person. But for those who suffer, it’s critical. Mental health counseling can prevent adolescents from experiencing mental health crises and also help those in need of extra mental health support.

Adolescent counseling is essential for an adolescent who is dealing with anxiety, depression, or trauma. Substance use in adolescents is a serious issue that needs to be addressed in adolescent counseling. Moreover, children and adolescents who are discovering their sexual orientation or experiencing gender dysphoria can benefit from child or teen therapy.

For the purposes of this article, we will use “counseling” and “therapy” as well as “counselor” and “therapist” interchangeably, although they are different. Read on to learn what adolescent counseling is, the benefits of teen counseling, the different types of counseling, and how Newport Academy supports adolescents who require mental health treatment. We’ll also answer the question “How do I know if my teenager needs counseling?”

Adolescent counseling should always be provided by a licensed, professional counselor.

There are many different types of teen therapy that include individual, group, family, trauma, and experiential modalities.

Benefits of teen counseling include better emotion regulation, stronger family relationships, and higher self-esteem.

The main difference between counseling and therapy is that counseling typically addresses a specific issue while therapy is a more in-depth approach to heal underlying trauma.

What Is Adolescent Counseling?

There are various types of child and adolescent counseling. When an adolescent is having trouble with their mental health, it’s important for parents to consider adolescent therapy with clinical mental health counselors. School professionals are also among the first to notice when a teen can benefit from adolescent counseling.

Clinical mental health counseling for teens can include the involvement of family members, usually parents or other guardians/caregivers. There are also various types of professional counseling for adolescents. All adolescent counseling should be facilitated by trained and licensed clinicians in the counseling profession.

Why Is Child and Adolescent Counseling Important?

Child and adolescent counseling gives kids and teens a safe place to work through mental health challenges. If mental health issues go untreated, adolescents could end up in crisis. Counseling can avert crises. Teenage counseling can also support the well-being of children who aren’t in crisis but could benefit from additional support.

Adolescence is an intense stage of life. As they move through the stages of adolescence, hormonal changes and puberty can wreak havoc on teens’ physical and emotional well-being. There are many external factors disrupting the mental health of today’s teens, including social media, constant stimulation, fear about world events and climate change. In addition, adolescents deal with perennial issues like peer pressure, self-esteem issues, and bullying.

Counseling for teens helps adolescents learn healthy coping skills and set realistic goals. Clinical mental health counseling provides a safe space for teens to explore distressing thoughts and emotions, work through childhood trauma, and build stronger connections with family members.

Types of Adolescent Counseling

There are various approaches to adolescent counseling. Different modalities of therapy work better for different people. It’s important for parents to find a counselor who does adolescent specialization and has years of experience working with adolescent populations.

At Newport Academy, we offer many different types of therapy and clinical mental health counseling.

Some of these types of therapy are: Individual therapy, Family therapy, Group therapy, Trauma therapy, Experiential therapy (art, music, play therapy, Equine and Adventure).

Individual Therapy

In individual therapy, adolescents receive counseling tailored to their individual mental health needs. The child and adolescent therapist, who is clinically trained to work with young people, will work directly with the client in individual child and adolescent therapy sessions.

Family Therapy

Another type of therapy that is available to adolescents is family therapy. This is often a good option for family members who are concerned about their adolescent’s mental health. Clinical mental health counselors that specialize in family therapy will work with the family’s dynamics as part of treatment. At Newport Academy, we believe family involvement is an essential aspect of achieving long-term healing from adolescent mental health issues.

Group Therapy

In group counseling, adolescents get the chance to relate to other young people who are experiencing similar mental health challenges. Clinical mental health counselors trained in group dynamics provide a safe setting for children and adolescents to share their experiences with each other and the therapist. This type of therapy helps adolescents feel less alone and to receive therapeutic benefits from their peers as well as the mental health counselor.

Trauma Therapy

Trauma counseling for teens can be done in an individual setting or group counseling setting. Adolescent trauma is, unfortunately, common for many of our clients. All clinical mental health counseling at Newport Academy is trauma informed. This means that we treat every one of our clients as if they have experienced trauma, because most of them have in some form. We use language and interventions that are designed to make the adolescent feel safe and avoid trauma triggers.

Experiential Therapy

There are many ways to conduct adolescent counseling that aren’t just talk therapy. At Newport Academy, we offer a variety of experiential therapies. These include professional counseling modalities such as yoga and meditation, Equine-Assisted Learning, music therapy, art therapy, Adventure Therapy, fitness activities, horticulture therapy, Mixed Martial Arts, culinary arts, and community service (depending on location). All these different modalities are avenues for adolescent counseling that aren’t traditional therapy but can be just as beneficial for child and adolescent mental health.

Teenage Counseling Techniques

We’ve already discussed the different types of therapy for adolescents, but let’s dive a little deeper into how child and adolescent counseling works. When counselors work with adolescents, they start by building a rapport with their clients. The therapeutic relationship is one of the most important, if not the most important, part of therapy. If the child or adolescent doesn’t trust the therapist or feel safe in their care, no progress will be made. (To be continued)

– The author can be reached at vkmalout@gmail.com