Many parents wonder when their teenager needs therapy, and they also often aren’t sure what type of therapist a teenager should see.
Parenting a teen isn’t easy, and these are common questions for a parent to have, especially when a parent has never seen a therapist themselves. Even if a parent has experience with therapy, they still might not be sure what makes a therapist a good teen therapist.
Today, with nearly one in three American teenagers reporting symptoms of depression, and all of the pressures that come with being a teenager in the 21st century, more teens than ever are seeking help from a therapist. We’re here to help you find the right type of therapist for your teen.
What therapy works best for teenagers?
There are many different types of therapy that can help your teen, but here are some common types of therapy used for teens. When you’re looking for a teen therapist in Denver, you might look for a therapist who uses one of the following therapy methods:
- Family therapy: Improves awareness and communication skills with family members.
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): Teaches teens how to address challenges and develop skills for dealing with situations in their daily lives.
- Internal Family Systems (IFS): Creates a deeper understanding of identity for people with shame, frustration, and trauma.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Uses one of the most effective therapy modalities to help teens heal from trauma.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps teens understand their environment in different ways and modify distorted core beliefs about themselves.
Type of therapist your teenager should see
One of the strongest indicators of success for therapy is the relationship that a client has with their therapist. The importance of trust and comfort in the relationship combined with experience working with teens can even be more important than the number of degrees or years of experience a therapist has.
For most teens, they want to see a therapist who they can relate to and feel like they can be themselves with. This often means that they might want to see a therapist who might be closer to their age than a therapist who is closer to their parents’ age. The world has changed a lot in the past few decades, with technology, social media, trends, and social pressures, and it can be more difficult to relate to what’s happening in a teenager’s everyday life today when it’s been decades since they’ve also been a teen.
We have experienced therapists for teenagers in our Denver, Lone Tree, and Greenwood Village offices who specialize in working with teens and helping them through what’s happening in their lives. Over the years and in all three of our offices, we’ve seen students from nearly every high school in the Denver Metro area. We have therapists who are trained to build a strong therapeutic relationship with your teen to help them find success with therapy in ways that feel comfortable for them.
We help your teen process the emotions and feelings that shape how they think about themselves and see their place in the world. We help them build skills to better communicate what’s happening and share how they’re feeling. We create a safe space for them to share, process, and learn during this critical period of their lives where a trusted adult who listens to them can make all the difference.
