Teen Counseling Denver
Are You Concerned Your Teen Feels Misunderstood And Unsupported?
Is your teen struggling to cope with frequent anxiety that’s impacting their daily life? Are OCD related obsessions and compulsions becoming unmanageable for them? Has your teen endured some form of trauma or been a victim of peer pressure, bullying or harassment? Does a lack of motivation or performance anxiety cause them to struggle academically? Is it challenging for your teen to make or maintain friendships and, thus, they feel unseen and alone?
Perhaps your teen is facing relationship issues, like a breakup or ongoing tension with their partner, friends or family. They may have begun engaging in concerning behaviors like skipping school or using alcohol or drugs. Or maybe they have made drastic changes to their appearance because they want to fit in or have an obsessive focus on perceived flaws in their appearance.
The Teenage Years Are Filled With Transformation, Self-Discovery And Many Hurdles And Challenges
In today’s world, being a teenager isn’t easy. As a result, you may have noticed that some of the following things may have become commonplace in their life:
● constant worrying and rumination
● experiencing distressing OCD related thoughts, images and/or impulses
● crying, irritability or outbursts of anger
● isolation
● difficulty focusing
● sleep issues, like insomnia
● withdrawal from social interactions, and/or experiencing social anxiety
● overuse of electronics, social media and/or video games
● defiance toward authority figures
● skin-picking or hair-pulling
Perhaps you’re also worried that your teen is self-harming or enduring suicide ideation. And you may have noticed that they have lost or gained weight, over concerns regarding their body image and appearance.
Deep down, the thing your teen likely wants most is to feel normal, happy and supported. Teen counseling at Elevation Behavioral Therapy can make this possible. Our therapists understand what your teen is going through and can help them feel validated and hopeful about the future.
Almost Everyone Experiences Challenges During Their Teenage Years
Looking back to your adolescence, you can probably recall many of your own challenges. As a teen, it can be scary and anxiety provoking trying to figure out who we are while navigating friendships, relationships and our future. The fact is, though, it is normal to undergo physical, emotional and psychological changes as a youth.
On top of that, in modern times, mental health challenges have become more prominent. For example, since the COVID-19 pandemic, depression and anxiety have been on the rise among adolescents. According to a CDC survey, 37 percent of high school students reported mental health struggles including stress, depression and anxiety.
Lack Of Understanding Regarding Mental Health Treatment For Teens Is A Problem
Our culture today makes being a teenager exceptionally difficult. The pressures from social media to look, act and live a certain way or unrealistic expectations to “do more” and “be better” without providing the support a teen needs is a heavy burden to carry.
On top of all these pressures, there continues to be a lack of understanding regarding normalizing mental health treatment and support for adolescents. Because of this lack of support, many teenagers resort to shutting down, burying themselves in their phones and/or social media, using alcohol and/or drugs or partaking in other risky behaviors to cope with stress, anxiety, trauma and depression.
Maybe your teen has been dealing with this for a while, and it’s become difficult for you and those close to them to understand or find solutions to what they’re going through.
Teen counseling can help you and your teen find these solutions. With our guidance, your teen can learn a variety of coping skills to alleviate the stressors they currently face.
Therapy Can Help Your Teen Overcome Their Challenges
Seeking counseling is one of the best ways to help your teen prepare for the future. Therapy offers them a safe, judgment-free space to explore and better understand their feelings, relationships and goals.
With the help of our therapists, your teen will learn skills to boost their self-esteem, make healthy decisions and form meaningful relationships with those around them. Using a collaborative approach, you and your family will be involved as much or as little as your teen would like so that we can ensure they feel comfortable, supported and understood.
At Elevation Behavioral Therapy, our ultimate goal is to help teens gain self-awareness and utilize their strengths to meet or even exceed their goals.
Our Approach To Teen Counseling
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy, Comprehensive Behavioral (ComB) Treatment and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) are the primary modalities we use in teen counseling.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
helps teens understand the connection between their thoughts, emotions, and actions. This method shows them how negative thinking patterns can contribute to emotional distress and problematic behaviors. Once they identify negative core beliefs, they can begin to challenge and reframe them to improve self-esteem and work toward building a more positive lifestyle.
CBT also aims to expand self-awareness by teaching teens various coping skills they can apply to distressing situations in the real world. For example, during therapy sessions, your therapist will incorporate cognitive restructuring (challenging irrational thoughts) and problem-solving strategies to help target beliefs that contribute to anxiety, teenage depression, trauma and obsessions and compulsions.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy
is a specialized form of CBT that effectively treats teens symptoms of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and OCD related disorders, like body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).
ERP rewires your teen’s brain response to anxiety and OCD related obsessions. By exposing them to feared situations and preventing their usual response, it teaches them that anxiety will naturally decrease as time passes, without acting on compulsions or utilizing avoidance. It also shows them that avoidance will only maintain the cycle of anxiety.
First, your teen’s therapist will help them identify their obsessions and compulsions, or triggers and underlying fears associated with anxiety. Then, your teen will gradually be exposed to anxiety-provoking situations. This exposure is done in a controlled manner with support. Their therapist will begin with less distressing triggers and slowly progress to more daunting ones. Over time, teens will learn that fears are manageable and that they can tolerate triggers and/or their obsessions and compulsions, allowing these symptoms to significantly improve, or even go away altogether.
Comprehensive Behavior (ComB) Treatment
helps teens struggling with body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), including trichotillomania (hair pulling) and excoriation (skin picking.) Teens who engage in BFRBs tend to feel anxious or uneasy before performing the compulsion, and afterward, they feel a sense of relief.
This modality assesses variables contributing to BFRB episodes, such as thoughts, emotions, sensations, actions and environment. The process incorporates four stages of treatment, ending with terminating the compulsion and preventing relapse.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
is particularly effective in helping teens with boundary and communication issues, emotional dysregulation and interpersonal conflict.
This approach utilizes skills that include relaxation techniques, emotion regulation and mindfulness, which can help your teen manage their emotions and impulsive or self-destructive behaviors, particularly in overwhelming or distressing circumstances. It also empowers them to acknowledge and validate their emotional reactions while choosing the best possible way to cope with them.
DBT is a treatment method that is helpful for teenagers who struggle with anxiety, depression, trauma, and OCD or OCD related disorders. They can benefit from the self-soothing techniques it has to offer, which can help reduce the urge to engage in compulsive behaviors or avoidance to find relief. Instead, they will learn how to navigate challenging moments and control their emotional responses.
Additionally, we use a type of therapy called Motivational Interviewing to assist with substance misuse and substance abuse. During this process, we meet your teen where they’re at with substance use and focus on the changes they are willing to make to better their life. Our practice also always incorporates trauma-informed care to help teens process traumatic or adverse life experiences.
Your teen deserves happiness, support and validation. At Elevation Behavioral Therapy, we want to help your teen improve their life by working together to build confidence, self-awareness and acceptance.
Perhaps You Are Considering Teen Counseling But Still Have Some Concerns…
Counseling Can Help Your Teen Enjoy Their Adolescence
If you’re tired of seeing your teen battling OCD related obsessions and compulsions or feelings of stress, anxiety or depression, counseling with Elevation Behavioral Therapy can offer them the care, support and resources they need to heal and look forward to a bright future.
To book a free initial consultation or first appointment you can schedule with us online using our booking link below. You can also email us at support@elevationbehavioraltherapy.com or call or text us at (720) 295-6566 to connect further.
The path to your teen’s happiness begins here.
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