Our counselors offer counseling for teens in Kennesaw, GA

My go-to approach for helping a teen in therapy is first to establish a rapport with the individual I will be meeting with. For trust to be established and maintained, I will review the terms of confidentiality with all members of the family, especially as it pertains to safety but also emphasizing the rights of the teen involved in therapy. I will ensure that parents/guardians are comfortable with me meeting with their child and encourage family involvement to help enforce lessons, systems, and changes their teen and I may discuss. I like to use collaborative therapy strategies to help the teen feel like the expert in their lives as well as use relationship cycles to understand problem cycles and to better comprehend what changes can be beneficial to make. In my experience, behaviors appear to be driven by a need, so understanding what those needs may be and working as a family unit together has been the most effective in my practice.

The tools I teach in therapy with a teen vary depending on the age and presenting problem of the adolescent. Emotional regulation skills, communication skills, and relationship cycle work are examples of tools that may be discussed and taught in sessions.

I know a client is making meaningful progress in therapy with a teen when the client and their family each report improvement in relationship dynamics or a decrease in unwanted behaviors or behavioral cycles.

Clients can supplement their time in therapy by enforcing skills and tools reviewed in therapy to help encourage and promote desired changes. I find that tools can be helpful for the parents/grown-ups as well to help them self-regulate and model preferred responses from their child(ren).

To prepare for their first therapy session, a family can create a plan for therapy. Helping a child feel heard and like their feelings are important, even about attending therapy, is important. When a person feels “forced” to do something, it can definitely impact the effectiveness of therapy.