ADOLECENTS (TEENAGERS 12 AND OLDER)
Adolescent Anxiety and depression are significant concerns today. If you are reading this your teen appears to be struggling. Even if your teenage years had many happy memories, if you take a moment to reflect on those years you can recall some of the prevalent issues we all faced as teenagers. We had to deal with mental and physical developmental changes, growing into a self-identity, peer pressure, social clicks, dating relationships, wanting independence, and what do I want to be when I grow up. How many times did you experience anxiety and possibly depression because one or more of these issues affected you at some point during your teenage years?
Adolescents of today have the same core issues, but they are magnified by elements that did not exist years ago. How they perceive the world, their self-image, sexuality, bullying and peer pressure, amongst other things are enhanced by digital influence and social media. Compared to years ago and even pre-pandemic times, the incidence of teenage depression, anxiety, family conflict, bullying and peer pressure, alcohol and drug use, stress of future planning, and social isolation or engaging in consistent acting out behaviors have drastically increased.
Each teenager may appear to have one problem area, but other complicated issues the teen is experiencing tend to contribute to that one noticeable problem. Below are some, but not all, of the signs that your teenager would benefit from help:
- Symptoms of anxiety or depression that impact their daily functioning
- Preference to socially isolate from friends, social activities, and/or family
- Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
- Deterioration in their school performance
- Lacking future goals or being not motivated
- Increase in family conflicts
- Defiance outside normal limits
- Frequent mood changes (e.g., sadness, anger, agitation)
- Engaging in high-risk behaviors
Therapy with adolescence can be more challenging than therapy with adults. Many teenagers will initially resist therapy and sometimes the parents/guardians may have to set rules about attending sessions just to get the teen started. It is important that during the first several sessions the therapist can demonstrate to the teen that they can relate to their age, cognitive, and emotional level so that a rapport and connection begins and the teen starts to build trust in the therapeutic relationship. If the therapist cannot make a connection within several sessions, then that therapist may not be the right fit for your teenager and no treatment plan or treatment approach is going to be effective.There are many ongoing variables when treating teenagers and therapists have to be adaptable to each individual teen and their therapeutic needs.
Our staff strives to connect with each teen on their level and provide a non-judgmental therapeutic environment that builds trust and feeling safe during sessions. There are many ongoing variables when treating teenagers and therapists have to be adaptable to each individual teen and their therapeutic needs. It is only with this framework the therapist can get to the core issues that are truly affecting the teen that they were most likely resistant to discuss openly.
The therapist will explain to the teen and parents during the first session that therapy is confidential between the therapist and teen, but there are sometimes that confidentiality must be broken if high-risk self-harming behaviors or harming behaviors toward others are present. If those types of behavior are reported, if possible, we will first encourage and stress the importance to the teen to permit a parent/guardian into a session to disclose the information to them together. Additionally, issues such as conflicts with a parent/guardian or other circumstances that impact the functioning of the home environment, we may encourage the teen to permit the family member they have a conflict with to attend a session to reach a positive and healthy resolution.
Our staff also provides special adolescent group therapy where a teen is placed with peers within one year of their age. Group therapy can be very beneficial so that your teen realizes they are not alone and others their age also have struggles. If joining a group, attendance is important for group cohesiveness.
In-person and telehealth sessions are available. It is encouraged that in-person sessions occur for the first several sessions until your teen feels comfortable with the therapist and is building a trusting relationship.
Most commercial insurances are accepted. Prior to the first session the insurance coverage is verified by the office manager so that there are no surprises with coverage, co-payments, or possible deductibles. Group sessions are not covered by insurance and are $50.00 per group. If you are interested in services for your teen or want further information, please contact us.
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Address
517 Route 111 (Hauppauge Rd),
Suite 3A Hauppauge, New York 11788