SIGNS YOUR TEENAGER NEEDS COUNSELLING
Here are the signs your teen needs counselling:
Constantly feeling sad, hopeless, worried, fearful, anxious or angry
Having difficulty concentrating or making decisions.
Feeling restless, unable to settle down, or focus.
Talking about suicide or expressing suicidal thoughts.
Talking about harming themselves or others.
Engaging in self harm behaviors (cutting, hitting, etc.)
Abusing alcohol or drugs.
Earning poor grades in school or a sudden drop in performance.
Abandoning activites/hobbies they once enjoyed.
Changing their sleeping/eating patterns.
Withdrawal from family or friends.
If you don’t notice these symptoms but still feel like your teen could use counselling, don’t be afraid to bring up the subject. Therapy can be helpful for normal life stages or major events like divorce or death. Even if your teen doesn’t choose counselling, make sure they know that it is available for them.
Counselling for teens is very similar to adults. Many of the same techniques are used for teens. The counsellor may need to spend more time explaining goals and treatment plan, but for the most part, teens. Are able to understand the counselling process as well as adults.
When you first bring up counselling to your teen, make sure you present it in a positive light. For example, therapy is a safe place where you can express your feelings. Your therapist can help you develop positive coping strategies.