adolescents counseling

Adolescent Issues

As children and adolescents grow, they are constantly in the process of developing the social skills and emotional intelligence necessary to lead healthy, happy lives. When children experience emotions or engage in behaviors that interfere with their happiness and ability to thrive, they may benefit from meeting with a mental health professional such as a therapist or counselor. Parents and children often attend therapy sessions together, as therapy can be a safe space in which to address the thoughts, feelings, and emotions experienced by all members.

Risk Factors & Mental Health Issues

Triggers and Risk Factors

Each developmental phase teens go through presents specific challenges for children that they tend to work through as normal parts of growing up. Mental health problems can exacerbate these challenges, though, and in many cases, mental health issues arise as a direct result of events in a child’s life, whether those events are traumatic experiences such as being bullied or ordinary experiences such as moving to a new home.

Every child will respond differently to changes in life, but some of the events that may impact a child’s mental health include:

Parental divorce or separation.
The birth of a sibling.
The death of a loved one, such as a family member or a pet.
Physical or sexual abuse.
Poverty or homelessness.
Natural disaster.
Domestic violence.
Moving to a new place or attending a new school.
Being physically or emotionally bullied.
Taking on more responsibility than is age-appropriate.

A child’s age, gender, and other factors will influence his or her resilience to changes and challenges in life. Younger children and boys, for example, often have an easier time adjusting to divorce than do girls or older children. Genetics play a role, too, as some mental health issues, such as bipolar, tend to run in families.

Adolescent Mental Health Issues

According to the National Institute on Mental Illness (NAMI) about 4 million children and adolescents experience a mental health issue that significantly impairs them at home, school, or in their social groups. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates prevalence rates for the following diagnosable mental health conditions among children ages 3 to 17:

Attention-deficit hyperactivity (ADHD): 6.8%
Behavioral conditions: 3.5%
Anxiety: 3%
Depression: 2%
Autism: 1.1%
Tourette syndrome: 0.2%

These mental health conditions represent a portion of those experienced by children and adolescents, but they are certainly not inclusive of all conditions experienced.

Child abuse and neglect are also prevalent concerns among the various stressful life events that can lead to mental health challenges. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recorded 686,000 cases of child maltreatment in the year 2012 alone. Children who are abused or neglected may be unable to share what they have experienced due to overwhelming fear or shame. However, most professionals who work with children—including therapists—are mandated by law to report child maltreatment to appropriate authorities, regardless of any agreements about confidentiality.

When children reach adolescence, relationships, romantic or otherwise, can be a point of significant strife. Relationships between parents and children are crucial to healthy development, but may become strained by the many ups and downs of adolescent life. For example, most teenagers worry about romantic relationships. However, for some teenagers, worrying about relationships may excessively drain their energy and make it difficult to enjoy life.

Disordered eating, a condition that, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, affects about 10% of young women in the United States, may be attributed in part to the social pressures and stress of adolescent life. Two common forms of this condition, anorexia nervosa and bulimia, are more common in the female population but also occur in the adolescent male population. According to Dr. Kim Dennis, CEO and medical director for residential treatment center Timberline Knolls, disordered eating also frequently co-occurs with substance abuse.

Therapy and Counseling for Youth

Youth of any age may feel uncomfortable, afraid, or ashamed about communicating what they are experiencing to an adult they do not know. If you are a parent or caregiver, these tips can help when talking to children about therapy and mental health treatment:

Find a good time to talk and assure them that they are not in trouble.
Listen actively.
Take your child’s concerns, experiences, and emotions seriously.
Try to be open, authentic, and relaxed.
Talk about how common the issues they are experiencing may be.
Explain that the role of a therapist is to provide help and support.
Explain that a confidentiality agreement can be negotiated so children—especially adolescents—have a safe space to share details privately, while acknowledging that you will be alerted if there are any threats to their safety.

Treatments that focus on the family can also be useful in helping adults develop their parenting skills, deal with stress, and work on marital relationships. Many parent aids have demonstrated promising positive results. Professionals, such as family therapists, are there to help the adolescent and family gain understanding of the relationship dynamics and background issues that may be influencing the problem, and come up with solutions.

References:

http://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/child-and-adolescent-issues