» Adolescent Psychotherapy

Adolescence can be an extremely difficult time in a young person’s life for a number of reasons. The difficulties an adolescent faces can often result in depression, mood swings, and unpredictable or erratic behavior. Because of these consequences, adolescents often undergo adolescent psychotherapy to help them battle these issues and feel better about themselves as individuals.

Adolescent psychotherapy was developed after child and adult psychotherapy because it was realized that it is impossible to look at adolescents as children or adults. This seems obvious, because they are neither; they are right in the middle. Adolescence begins with the onset of puberty and ends when sexual and physical maturation is complete. This begins in girls around age ten and in boys around age twelve and ends at the end of the teenage years. Because of this, it is impossible for adolescent psychotherapy to use the same strategies and tactics that one would use to treat children or adults.  A whole new set of psychotherapy had to be developed in order to be effective for the adolescents, who, as a whole, might just be the age group of individuals who are in need of psychotherapy the most.

When developing adolescent psychotherapy, it was important to consider all of the different things adolescents are experiencing on a day to day basis. One of the biggest challenges all adolescents must face is puberty. Because of puberty alone, adolescent psychotherapy is needed. Although some adolescents get through puberty with flying colors, many are ashamed, embarrassed, or unsure about how they feel about their body changing. All adolescents go through puberty at different times, so there is also often nervousness and embarrassment about starting the puberty process late or early. The onset and timing of puberty is also linked to sexual activity, body image distortion, unhealthy behaviors, mood changes, and drug and alcohol abuse. Obviously, all of these things are addressed with adolescent psychotherapy for certain adolescents who are on the far end of the spectrum for any of these behaviors.

Another reason adolescent psychotherapy is so necessary is because adolescence is a big step towards discovering ones identity. In order to understand themselves as individuals, many adolescents feel the need to surround themselves with a particular group of their peers.

Oftentimes, friends begin to play a more important role and have more of an influence on an adolescent’s life than their family or parental figures. Because of this, peer pressure, whether it be positive or negative, plays a huge role in the lives of adolescents everywhere. If the peer pressure is negative, oftentimes adolescent psychotherapy is utilized in order to keep the adolescent on track for a healthy and successful path in life. Adolescent psychotherapy can play a very important role in helping the adolescent to understand their identity without needing to conform to a certain group of their peers. Also, because of all the physiological and cognitive changes adolescents are experiencing, adolescent psychotherapy can help them work through mood swings and irrational behaviors. Adolescent psychotherapy can teach adolescents strategies to keep their feelings in check and to think through their actions before performing them.

Adolescent psychotherapy can help adolescents get through one of the hardest times in their lives. However, in order for adolescent psychotherapy to be successful, the adolescent has to be willing to partake in the sessions with an open mind and the desire to become an individual who makes smart choices and wants to find their individuality.

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