The teenage years can be difficult, but they don’t have to be. Seeking counseling for teens can benefit all family members because teenagers can disrupt the family balance. A lot of brain development happens in the teenage years, and working with a counselor who is aware of these changes can help the teenager and the parents deal with these significant changes.

Understanding the Developing Teen Brain

The rational part of the teenage brain doesn’t develop fully until around age 25, and study has shown that teenage and adult brains work differently. Adults can use their prefrontal cortex, the brain’s rational thinking part. The prefrontal cortex provides good judgment and awareness of the long-term consequences of choices. Teenagers’ brains use more information from the amygdala, which is the brain’s emotional processing center.

Big Changes Happening

The amygdala and the decision-making centers are still developing in teenagers, but only sometimes at the same rate. This is one of the reasons teenagers have such overwhelming emotional input but can’t verbally and rationally later explain what their thinking was. At that point, they weren’t thinking as much as they were feeling, and they may not even realize this until much later.

Trauma Therapy for Teens

If a teenager has been through a traumatic situation, different forms of therapy are available to help them work through the situation. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy can benefit teenagers and be the best evidence-based intervention for children who have had traumatic events. Caregivers and children must partner to work through issues; proper communication and understanding can be vital in solving problems.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy can be very effective for many people because you look at the cognitions and how they influence your behaviors and emotions. Those links are made and then you often make sense of the things that happened to you and you realize it’s not because you were a bad person, deserved it, or you should have been able to stop it. You can then work through this trauma to resolve the issues so you can go on to lead a healthy life. Many teenagers benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy.

The Whole Family Can Benefit

Often, a parent will choose to do therapy with their teenager to help work through communication, family, or other issues. This can be very beneficial to the parent, child, and whole family unit. When in therapy together, they can work with a neutral party to listen to their issues and have an opinion that isn’t as emotionally invested. Whoever is involved in the therapy sessions depends on the individuals involved: sometimes teenagers feel more comfortable not having their parents in the room while they talk to the therapist, and other teenagers may feel more comfortable having their parents in the room.

Work With a Teenage Counselor

If your teenager has been struggling, a teenage counselor may be beneficial for many reasons. Counselors are specially trained to help; working with a neutral party can make all the difference. Call Calm Again Counseling today to schedule your first appointment. We look forward to helping you and your teenager!