Teen Therapy Dallas
Is your teenager experiencing anxiety that gets in the way of living their life? Are they exploring their gender or sexual identity and need some support? Are you feeling like you are inadequately equipped to help your child—or yourself?
While there are many exciting changes that happen during adolescence, there are also many challenges. These challenges can be difficult for adolescents and parents alike.
If you are a caretaker of a teen who’s struggling, or a teen who's struggling yourself, know that many teenagers experience a difficult time and that you aren’t alone.
Therapy can help with navigating life transitions and developing healthy coping skills to support mental health now and into the future.
Why counseling for adolescents is important
Adolescence is a major period of growth and development. This makes it a crucial time to develop skills and habits important for long-term mental health.
Professional counseling can be helpful for anyone, but critical for a teenager who is struggling with their mental health. Teen counseling lets your child explore thoughts and feelings in a non-judgmental environment. By facilitating self-reflection, counseling helps teens figure out what works best for them. By learning coping, problem-solving, interpersonal, and emotion regulation skills now, your adolescent can be more prepared as they become young adults.
Understanding teen mental health
Some teens just need some extra support for developmentally normal concerns. But counseling also addresses any childhood trauma and underlying mental health issues.
At least 1 in 5 children aged 9–17 years currently has a diagnosable mental health disorder. Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14 and 75% by age 24.
It is normal for teens to experience a wide range of emotions, but some common concerns for adolescent mental health include:
Teenage Anxiety
Anxiety disorders occur in approximately 8% of youth. Frequent or uncontrollable worry or fears is a common symptom of anxiety. These fears get in the way of daily activities like hanging out with friends or going to classes. Many children and adolescents also have difficulty describing anxiety. They may complain about stomachaches or headaches instead.
One of the most common forms of anxiety in adolescents is social anxiety. Social anxiety is a specific form of anxiety where someone feels intense fear of peers looking at them or talking to them. Your adolescent may be afraid to take part in conversations and avoid social situations because of social anxiety.
Teenage Depression
A depressive disorder occurs in approximately 11% of 12- to 17-year-olds. Like adults, teenagers who are depressed don't just feel down. Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities is one of the most common symptoms in depressive disorders. Depressed teens also experience sleep problems and have difficulty concentrating and making decisions. Compared to adults, teenagers are more likely to experience irritability. Depression can have serious consequences if left untreated, including suicide.
Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI)
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is particularly present in adolescence and it is estimated that up to 60% of adolescents engage in self-harm behaviors. NSSI is the intentional, self-inflicted damage to the surface of the body. Examples include cutting, scratching, hitting, or burning. People who engage in NSSI do not hurt themselves with the intent to die. The self-harm is usually an attempt to cope with difficult feelings they don't know how to manage.
There are significant consequences for not addressing teen mental health. Counseling can treat a mental health disorder or help prevent future concerns by addressing them early.
Meet Lindsey Bass, therapist for teens in Dallas
You want to do everything that you can for your child, and I am here to help you help them. I am Lindsey Bass, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas specializing in child and adolescent therapy. I love working with young people to help them navigate all of their many life transitions. Changing schools, friendships, relationships, and family dynamics can bring academic and social challenges. I use individual therapy to help your child learn how to manage these challenges in a way that works best for them.
I am trained in different modalities to meet my adolescent clients where they are developmentally. My different approaches include:
Traditional Talk Therapy
Some teens are ready to engage in talk therapy, which is what most people think of when picturing therapy. When working with teen clients, this usually means discussing specific situations and concerns. Together your child and I figure out how they can more effectively manage school, friendships, and relationships.
Activity Therapy
Many teenagers still find direct talking to be "too much" and become self-conscious. To engage teens, I use different therapeutic games and activities. These are more guided than play therapy, which children may grow out of anywhere between 8 to 16 years of age, but most commonly around the age of 10 to 12. By having something to focus on, these activities reduce the pressure and allow teens to start processing in a way that feels appropriate for them.
Expressive Arts in Therapy
Sometimes there aren't words for what someone is experiencing. When words aren't enough, using art, sand tray, or music can allow people to figure out what they need. With training in utilizing expressive arts in therapy, I can help teen clients when more traditional methods may not work.
Who my teenager therapy services are for
Not all teenagers are the same, and not all teen therapists are the same. I work particularly well with teens exploring their gender or sexuality, struggling with anxiety or depression, or experiencing bullying.
LGBTQIA+ Teens
Part of identity development includes gender and sexual identity. As part of the teen years, your adolescent may become interested in dating. This is often when people begin determining what they want in a romantic partnership, if any. As your child explores what their gender and sexuality means to them, they may want to talk to an adult. But if you've ever had "The Talk" with your kids, you know that they probably don't want to talk to parents. I enjoy working with teens as they discover who they are and who they want to be. I provide a safe space for them to become their most authentic selves, whoever that may be.
Teens Dealing with Anxiety
With so many changing relationships and increasing pressure to determine what they want to do in the future, anxiety is a common experience for teens. Anxiety can impact social life, academic performance, and self esteem. Working with adolescents to develop skills and strategies to manage stress and anxiety and accomplish goals is a key part of my practice.
Teens Dealing with Depression
With adolescence comes a lot of changes in how the brain and body processes feelings. Feelings often become more complex and intense during the teenage years. But some teens experience more than typical sadness related to these changes. I enjoy working with teens to help them understand how to manage increasingly complex emotions while working to reduce the root causes of depression.
Teens Experiencing Bullying
Unfortunately, nearly 1 in 5 teenagers reported being bullied at school. And bullying can be difficult to escape as many teens also have access to social media. Research indicates that over half of teens have experienced at least one form of cyberbullying. Kids who are targets of bullying can experience low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and difficulty focusing at school. I have worked with many teenagers who are struggling with bullying. My focus is to help protect their sense of self-worth and determine what strategies can be used to address their specific situation.
Regardless of what brings them to therapy, counseling can help your teenager develop more self compassion, increase distress tolerance, and learn the coping and communication skills they need for overall emotional well being.
FAQs about counseling for adolescents in Dallas
What is the most effective psychotherapy for high schoolers?
Oftentimes, people think that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the "gold standard" in therapy. However, it requires parts of the brain and skills that adolescents are still developing, so it can be difficult for teens to use and apply. Research finds that the specific treatment modality actually doesn't make that much of a difference; rather, it is the therapeutic relationship itself that generates the most improvement. Collaboration between the client and therapist, alliance, and empathy are generally regarded as the most important things for therapeutic progress, so I have made them the cornerstones of my practice.
Is teen therapy confidential?
Most things in therapy will be kept confidential. While you as a parent may be concerned about your child, imagine how you would feel if you went to counseling and your parents showed up. You probably would be pretty upset with the counselor if they told your parents what you talked about. It does not mean that you do not trust and love them, just that people in general value their privacy.
I collaborate with parents about what they can do to support their child, but these meetings are focused on the parents. Most of the time, I am not going to discuss a teenager's therapy with their parents. There are specific situations where I may have to talk to a parent or other entity such as:
A client states that they have a plan to complete suicide.
A client indicates that they are engaging in risky behavior that could result in significant harm.
A client seriously threatens to harm another specific person.
A client discloses that they are being abused or know of another minor who is being abused.
How do you help a teen who doesn’t want help?
There are several different reasons that a person, regardless of age, may not want to go to counseling. Figuring out the underlying reason helps determine how to engage a teenager who doesn't want help. Give your child an opportunity to explain their concerns and then try to respond without dismissing them. While you may have a specific goal for what your child needs, they may have different priorities. Encouraging them that counseling can benefit their goals, not just others, can help them to try it.
A big concern for many teens is confidentiality, so letting them know that I as their counselor will not reveal what they have said without their explicit permission or to keep them safe can help reduce the anxiety that their private thoughts are going to be shared elsewhere. If there is a case where I do need to notify someone of a safety concern, I will always attempt to speak to them first and prepare them beforehand.
Teen therapy in Dallas can help your adolescent live a full, meaningful life
While there are many exciting changes that happen during adolescence, it can also be an intense, stressful time in life. This is a time for your teen to learn the social and emotional skills that will support your child's mental health now and into the future. Whether it is through talk, activity, or expressive arts therapy, as a professional counselor, I can help your teen develop and practice these skills in counseling.
Reach out today for a free consultation to learn more and get started.