Therapy for Teens
Is your teenager struggling with anxiety, depression, or another mental health issue?
Have they been falling behind in school, skipping meals, and isolating more than usual?
Do you feel like you can’t get through to your teen, no matter how hard you try?
Maybe your teenager has been unusually withdrawn lately and refusing to spend time with their friends. Perhaps their grades have slipped, their mood has become unpredictable, and they don’t find any joy in the activities they used to love. To cope with their challenges, they might be engaging in substance abuse, disordered eating, and other unhealthy behaviors.
Your teen’s mental health issues could impact their day-to-day life and functioning, making you worried that they won’t become a successful adult. As a result, you might be considering talking to a teen therapist
Have they been falling behind in school, skipping meals, and isolating more than usual?
Do you feel like you can’t get through to your teen, no matter how hard you try?
Maybe your teenager has been unusually withdrawn lately and refusing to spend time with their friends. Perhaps their grades have slipped, their mood has become unpredictable, and they don’t find any joy in the activities they used to love. To cope with their challenges, they might be engaging in substance abuse, disordered eating, and other unhealthy behaviors.
Your teen’s mental health issues could impact their day-to-day life and functioning, making you worried that they won’t become a successful adult. As a result, you might be considering talking to a teen therapist
You’ve probably done all you can to help your teenager, only for them to keep dealing with the same issues again and again. Over time, this can lead to self-blame and self-criticism. You might worry that you’re not a good parent or that you’ve done something wrong in raising them.
Additionally, you may have a tough time figuring out the best way to support your teen. Now that they’re older, they want their independence from you, so you don’t want to be a helicopter parent and get too involved in their life. At the same time, however, you don’t want to let them go on struggling.
The good news is that you don’t have to do it all alone. At Therapy for Women in Philadelphia, we’ve helped thousands of teens work through anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, disordered eating, LGBTQIA+ challenges, and many other teenage issues. We’re confident that we can help your teenager, too!
According to a study done by the CDC in 2023, roughly 57 percent of high school-age girls struggle with “persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness,” which is noticeably higher than the 36 percent reported in 2011.* Between the rise of social media, online bullying, sky-high academic expectations, and a global pandemic, teens nowadays face a world full of unprecedented stressors.
Social media in particular has added so many new problems to the lives of teens. It’s created a toxic “compare-and-despair” culture where kids are always comparing themselves to unrealistic standards. After all, social media isn’t designed for teens—most of the models and influencers that they see are adults. This is especially a problem for teen girls, since many of them are buying all the anti-aging products that they see women twice their age using. Gone are the days of teen magazines, when the standard of comparison was other teens. Now, teen girls face pressure to look, act, and dress like adult women influencers. .
The world has changed a lot in the past few decades. Most parents had a wildly different adolescence than teenagers today. While some things—peer pressure, school stress, and hormonal issues—remain the same, social media has created many challenges that didn’t exist when most of us were young.
For instance, it’s easy enough to make sure teens are protected in the real world, but what about online? Many parents establish rules about no sleepovers, walking home from school alone, or staying out past a certain hour. But how can you ensure that your teen is staying safe on social media? How can you ensure that they’re not engaging in an unhealthy comparison culture?
These are questions that many of us didn’t have to worry about when we were kids. As a result, we may not have all the answers to our teenager’s issues—and that’s okay. Sometimes we all need extra support in our parenting, and that’s what our practice is here to provide.
What many teens need is a neutral third party who can help them understand what they are going through and act as a liaison between them and their parents. They need someone who will listen to them, validate their concerns, and accept them for who they are. At the Therapy for Women Center, our mission is to fulfill that role in your teen’s life.
Instead of focusing on your teen’s behavior, our practice concentrates on exploring the root of their struggles and looking at what emotions lie beneath their behavior. After all, we believe that “acting out” or “being rebellious” are signs of a deeper struggle in your teen’s life. Rather than shaming them for their behavior, we want to empower them to overcome their pain and distress.
Our therapists have experience treating anxiety, depression, and many other teenage mental health issues. We are also an LGBTQIA+ affirming practice that believes in gender-affirming care. So if your teen is struggling with their gender identity or sexual orientation, we can help!
Our approach to therapy is very flexible depending on the needs, goals, and age of your teen. Typically, we will meet with your teen one-on-one for the first session and then meet with both of you together for the last 15 minutes. Although the majority of therapy will take place between your teen and their counselor, we always make sure parents play an active role in their teen’s treatment. We can hold monthly phone calls and check-ins with you to discuss your teen’s progress and listen to your feedback.
In our work with teens we use a wide range of treatment approaches. We utilize Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to teach teens distress tolerance skills so that they can manage difficult emotions instead of self-sabotaging or avoiding their fears. We also draw from Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy to help teens practice self-compassion and increase their self-awareness, enabling them to make decisions for the good of their future selves.
Additionally, some of our therapists use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help teens identify their values and understand when their actions aren’t aligned with those values. This way, they can live more mindfully and become aware of how certain behaviors (substance use, avoidance, etc.) impact their mental health.
Ultimately, our goal is to teach your teen how to use the skills they learn so that they aren’t dependent on therapy. Between our help and your support, we believe your teen can boost their confidence, improve their relationships, and learn to navigate the challenges of an increasingly complex world.
In our work with teens we use a wide range of treatment approaches. We utilize Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to teach teens distress tolerance skills so that they can manage difficult emotions instead of self-sabotaging or avoiding their fears. We also draw from Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy to help teens practice self-compassion and increase their self-awareness, enabling them to make decisions for the good of their future selves.
Additionally, some of our therapists use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help teens identify their values and understand when their actions aren’t aligned with those values. This way, they can live more mindfully and become aware of how certain behaviors (substance use, avoidance, etc.) impact their mental health.
Ultimately, our goal is to teach your teen how to use the skills they learn so that they aren’t dependent on therapy. Between our help and your support, we believe your teen can boost their confidence, improve their relationships, and learn to navigate the challenges of an increasingly complex world.
It’s incredibly frustrating when your teen goes to therapy and you don’t see any progress. The truth is that many counselors are not experts in working with teens. We are, since our practitioners are specifically trained to work with adolescents and their families. And since we use a wide range of interventions and have many therapists on staff, we’re confident that we can come up with a treatment plan that brings lasting change into your teen’s life.
Many teens are worried about adults telling them what to do, but that’s not the case at Therapy for Women. We’re very supportive and empowering and most of the teens we see come to find therapy fulfilling and rewarding. What’s more, your teen is probably used to seeing the doctor when they don’t feel physically well. In a similar way, we encourage them to think of therapy as a place to attend when they don’t feel emotionally well.
Confidentiality is very important in building a trusting relationship with any client. Your teen’s therapist will determine what is needed for them in terms of parental involvement. We use a limited confidentiality agreement, meaning that we want caregivers to be part of the treatment process, but they also need to know that what their teen shares in sessions stays between them and their therapist.
Our practice aims to teach teens the life skills and tools they need in order to thrive through adolescence and young adulthood. To learn more about our approach to teen counseling, contact us or book an appointment.
Are You Worried About Your Teenager’s Emotional Wellbeing?
It’s Hard To Help A Struggling Teen, No Matter How Caring Of A Parent You Are
Life In The Social Media Age Is Full Of Unprecedented Stress For Teens
Many Parents Struggle To Understand The Challenges Of Today’s Teens
Therapy Gives Teens An Affirming And Empowering Space To Learn New Skills
What To Expect In Teen Counseling Sessions
01. My teen already tried therapy and nothing changed. How will this be different?
02. What if my teen doesn’t want to go to therapy?
03. How involved will I be in my teen’s treatment?
You May Have Some Questions About Teen Counseling…
Set Your Teen Up For Future Success
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*Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2011-2021 (cdc.gov)
