Has your teen repeatedly expressed feelings of sadness, hopelessness or worry? Is your teenager isolating him or herself more and more often, avoiding activities he or she once enjoyed? Does your teen seem especially moody, have frequent emotional outbursts or express anger toward you or your family? Perhaps your teen has started to struggle in school or with maintaining friendships. Or maybe your teen is refusing to attend school at all. Is your teen experiencing difficulty concentrating, fatigue, aches or a fluctuating appetite? Are you starting to question yourself as a parent, wondering if your parenting methods are contributing to your teen’s pain. Do you wish you could help your teen feel happy again, connect with your family and create healthy friendships at school?

 

Teenage depression can be frustrating, heavy and even debilitating for your teen, you and your family. Each day may begin with a struggle to get your teen out of bed and ready for school. When you try to reach out and talk to your teenager, he or she may immediately shut down and isolate. At school, your teen may have trouble focusing in class and maintaining friendships. You may have noticed that your teenager has lost interest or joy in his or her favorite activities. You may be worried about your teen’s safety, especially if you have observed signs of alcohol consumption, drug use or self-harm. And, you may miss your teen and want to connect with him or her, but don’t know how, particularly if your teenager is completely avoiding interaction with you and your family.

 

Depression Is Very Common During Adolescence

 

If your teen is experiencing depression, he or she is not alone. About one in eight adolescents suffer from depression. And, it’s no surprise that teenagers are susceptible to depression. Hormonal changes, a struggle for independence and pressures to perform well in school and maintain a large group of friends contribute to why so many teens struggle with a low self-esteem, loneliness and sadness. Teenagers are often faced with the frustrating task of balancing their families’ expectations with peer acceptance, all while trying to understand who they are and who they want to be. Furthermore, with the rise of social media, teens are more likely to compare themselves to many of their friends online. When teenagers do not meet internal and external expectations, many withdraw and start negative thinking patterns.

 

Help Your Teenager Overcome Hopelessness With Depression Treatment

 

Teen depression treatment sessions offer a safe, fun and engaging space for your teen to feel comfortable expressing his or her thoughts and feelings. Your teen will play an active role in therapy by using his or her strengths to overcome feelings of sadness, lethargy and confusion. By focusing on and utilizing strengths in sessions, your teen can feel more resilient outside sessions, knowing he or she has the power to be happier and more connected at all times. In addition, for your teen’s comfort and convenience, we can complete teen depression treatment sessions in person or online.

I will tailor-create an individualized therapy plan based on your teen’s needs and interests. We may incorporate art, journaling or games into our sessions in order to foster a fun and relaxed environment. These hands-on approaches can help your teen enjoy the therapy process, instead of feeling bored or uninterested. At the same time, these creative therapy techniques can also help your teen learn to positively express thoughts, build self-esteem and improve his or her relationships with family and friends.

 

Teen depression treatment can also help your teen reframe his or her thought process. When your teen is faced with a difficult or disappointing situation, he or she may automatically start to think negative thoughts about him or herself. By highlighting his or her strengths and suggesting more positive thoughts, your teen can form thinking patterns that help to build lifelong self-esteem.

 

Your teen and I may also choose to use hypnotherapy to dig deep into his or her mind and clear away some of the overwhelming negative thoughts that are contributing to pain or frustration. Hypnotherapy can help your teen form new connections in his or her mind, ultimately helping him or her make positive changes in life. If your teen struggles with high stress or anger, we may also use mindfulness practices, such as breathing exercises and relaxation techniques, to help your teen feel more present and grounded inside and outside of sessions.

 

Going through hormonal changes greatly affects your teen’s emotional state. During our sessions, I can educate your teen on how hormones may be affecting the way he or she feels and how to balance them with a healthy diet, proper sleep and exercise.

 

For five years, I have helped countless children and teens overcome feelings of hopelessness. I have worked to improve the lives of children in group homes, young burn survivors, teens in a juvenile detention center and teens in the Native American community. Regardless of how severe your teen’s depression is or how long he or she has been struggling, there is help and hope. With teen depression treatment, your teen can use his or her strengths to find joy in life and develop the healthy self-esteem and coping methods needed to feel successful now and in the future.

 

I believe my teenager could benefit from teen depression treatment, but I still have a few questions and concerns…

 

How can a therapist understand my son or daughter as well as I can?

 

You have more than a decade of experience raising your teenager so you know him or her better than anyone could. However, adolescence is a tricky time and your long history with your teen may make it more difficult for him or her to open up to you. With my experience treating many different teens from a variety of backgrounds, I know that I can create a safe and unbiased environment in which your teen can express anything on his or her mind.

 

I am worried that my teen cannot change.

 

In my experience, I have learned that no one is a lost cause. Simply taking the first step to help your teen through depression treatment shows that you know he or she can start to feel more connected and happy in life. In fact, the earlier you seek treatment for your teen, the better his or her chances are for faster and more effective relief.

 

What will others think if my son or daughter attends teen depression treatment?

 

It is very common for individuals to experience depression during the teenage years. Your teen is not abnormal or alone. That said, regardless of whether your teen completes sessions online or in person, teen depression treatment is always 100 percent confidential so you and your teen do not need to worry about your privacy. By taking the step to help your teen find relief from negative emotions, he or she has the opportunity to improve his or her self-esteem and maintain meaningful relationships with family and friends.

 

Your Teen Can Feel Happy, Connected And Confident

 

If you are ready to help your teenager find more joy in life and build strong connections with family members and friends, I invite you to call me for a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss your teen’s needs and how teenage depression treatment can help. We can also discuss whether your teen may benefit from the comfort and convenience of online teen depression treatment.

 

Call (619) 567-7399 for a free 15-minute phone consultation.