Teen Counseling

Is Your Teen Feeling Overwhelmed, Anxious, Or Sad?

Does your teen seem unhappy or stressed out? Are they struggling to keep up at school or having problems getting along with their friends? Rather than letting you in on what’s going on, have they become withdrawn and no longer communicate with you how they once did?

No one knows your child as well as you. That’s why when they’re in distress, you can tell immediately. Perhaps they seem anxious or depressed about school and spend more time isolated from their family or friends. Or maybe they’ve recently started engaging in risky behaviors, such as self-harm, having sex, experimenting with drugs or alcohol, or making reckless decisions that endanger their safety. 

As A Parent, You Want To Help But Perhaps Don’t Know What’s Best 

Remembering how you felt as a teen, you might realize that your child wants to assert their independence and, as a result, has stopped confiding in you. As much as you want to get them the support they need, at this stage in their development, perhaps additional support coming from someone other than a parent could be beneficial. 

As teens face this challenging phase of life, forging relationships with adults other than their parents can benefit their emotional growth. A counselor can be a positive influence in your teen’s life, providing them with an unbiased platform to talk about their challenges and concerns. At Rocky Mountain Counseling, we pride ourselves on offering relatable expertise and therapy that can help your teenage child overcome the obstacles they may be dealing with, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, stress management, issues related to school, and sexual identity and/or orientation.

Have any questions? Send us a message!

Counseling Can Help Your Child Foster Self-Love, Strength, And Resilience

At Rocky Mountain Counseling, our team is comprised of talented therapists who pride themselves on building trusting and compassionate relationships with teens. Once a strong foundation is established, counseling is at its most effective, providing your teen with a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental space to talk about their challenges, fears, and dreams. Although what your teen discusses in therapy will generally remain confidential, their counselor will be aware of safety concerns and bring you into the conversation as needed.

What To Expect From Teen Counseling

With our culture’s myopic focus on academics and extracurricular activities, teens are often ill-equipped to manage stress, regulate their emotions, and navigate the ever-growing demands being placed on them. In counseling, your teen will develop and hone more effective coping skills to handle whatever may be on their plate. 

To help ensure comprehensive and long-term outcomes, we may decide to include other family members in the therapeutic process. Together, we will guide your child toward realizing their unique potential and help prepare them for a successful and healthy future. To best support your teen, we will work collaboratively to understand your family’s values and worldview.

We conduct counseling for teens in a variety of locations based on their interests, such as local parks, rock-climbing gyms, and basketball courts. These experiential opportunities, coupled with non-traditional strategies, not only make therapy more comfortable for your teen but also will immerse them in real-life environments where they can practice and hone coping skills. This ensures your child can replicate these newly acquired skills at home, school, and in the community.

The Types Of Treatments Offered In Teen Counseling

Whether therapy occurs outdoors, online, or in our office, we will customize a tailored approach that focuses on your teen’s strengths to overcome specific challenges and maximize potential outcomes. Issues commonly addressed in therapy are:

• Behavioral struggles, lack of motivation, impulse control, or poor social skills;

• School refusal, lack of accountability, and other problems related to poor learning habits;

• Academic underachievement due to developmental delays or learning differences—such as dyslexia or Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADHD); 

• Ongoing family conflict attributed to life transitions like divorce or relocation; 

• Experimentation with substance use;

• Suicidal ideation;

• Low Self-esteem.

Our counselors have expertise in several evidence-based modalities for teens, including both strength and solution-focused therapy, Narrative Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). 

Narrative therapy explores the stories we tell ourselves and, through externalizing the story and asking whether it’s accurate or helpful, helps your teen rewrite it. Whether they reexamine their story verbally, in music, or more philosophically, they can shift their narrative toward positive goals. In addition, ACT can help them identify, define, and hone their values to ensure they are living in alignment with what they care about the most.   

Our therapists work from a lens that considers the physical and emotional impact of trauma. TF-CBT offers tangible tools for reframing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors while also being considerate and responsive to any trauma your teen may have experienced. 

Partnering with a therapist can help your family identify solutions to problems that may be difficult to tackle alone. No matter what your teen struggles with, counseling offers hope, compassion, and support.