Is Therapy Right For Your Teenager?

Does every day feel like a battle between you and your teen?  Are you noticing risky or impulsive behaviors that are not just worrisome, but downright scary?  Is your child dealing with intense fears or social anxiety on a regular basis? Are you getting calls from your child’s school regarding behavior issues or inattention?  Are you worried about drastic shifts in appetite or weight?  Has your teen become withdrawn and isolated?  These are just a few of the concerns that we hear at WHCC from parents on a regular basis.

Parents tell us that they are exhausted with the high emotions in their homes and frustrated with strategies that aren’t working.   With so much different information available on the internet, parents are confused about knowing which approach to use with their teenager. 

Teen Therapy Can Help Your Adolescent Handle Their Thoughts And Emotions 

Teen counseling can help your child learn strategies to deal with negative emotions, as well as skills to handle negative thought patterns.  Therapy can help parents learn how to handle the heightened emotions in the home, as well as what to do during difficult times. Families will have knowledge of the best approaches for guidance and motivation techniques. Your teenager can develop confidence in handling school, their extracurricular activities, and social pressures.

At WHCC we believe in creating a tailor-made plan created just for you, with your teen’s temperament and your family’s structure in mind. Our teen therapists follow a 4 phase plan, so you will know where you are in the treatment plan, understand the strategies being used, and leave therapy with concrete tools to help both you and your teen navigate all the pressures of the adolescent years.

Common Reasons Teens Begin Counseling 

*Behavioral issues 

*Problems with emotional regulation  

*ADHD 

*Self-harm/At-risk behaviors

*Suicidal ideation

*Generalized anxiety  

*Social anxiety  

*Fears and phobias 

*Sadness and depression  

*Post-divorce issues 

*Grief and loss 

*School or extracurricular stress

*Screen addiction 

*Substance abuse issues

*Traumatic events 

*Low self-esteem 

*Problems with friend groups

*Body image issues

*Intense mood swings

* Problems with dating and boundary issues

Our Teen Therapists in Katy, TX Can Help 

Our clinicians know how difficult it can be to start the process of therapy for your teenager. Many parents tell us that it’s hard to know where to begin, and lots of our clients struggle with parent guilt or “mom shame.”  Our counselors are highly trained to work with your adolescent and have lots of empathy for how difficult parenting can be. We have been helping families since we opened WHCC in 2013 and have worked with thousands of teenagers in Katy and the greater west Houston area.  

The WHCC Approach to Teen Therapy 

At WHCC, we believe in taking a systematic approach to therapy.  We want our clients to know what the treatment plan includes, where the client is in the treatment plan, and for parents and teens to leave with skills to make their lives better. We don’t think therapy should be a mystery, but rather a collaboration between the family and the therapist to create a system that actually helps adolescents. 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Teenagers 

CBT helps identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors.  It is particularly effective for anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues.  CBT gives teens coping strategies to manage their emotions and behaviors, helping them build resilience and self-regulation skills. 

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) for Teenagers

DBT is particularly effective for teenagers as a proven method for managing intense emotions and developing healthy coping mechanisms. A therapist trained in DBT will help your teen build resilience, manage impulsivity, and find ways to handle emotional stress.  DBT is an evidence-based therapy that helps clients learn mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Family Therapy 

Family therapy involves the entire family in the therapeutic process, focusing on improving communication, resolving conflicts, and strengthening family bonds.  It helps address issues that may be rooted in family dynamics and ensures that the entire family supports the teen’s healing process. 

Sand Tray Therapy 

Sand tray therapy utilizes sand trays to help the teen choose figures that represent different emotions or create an image that helps them externalize the emotions that they feel in a safe, non-threatening way.  It is particularly useful for teens who find it challenging to verbalize their feelings or have a more concrete lens of the world.  At WHCC we have a sand tray especially designed to for our teen clients.

EMDR

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based, transformative therapy that offers a unique avenue for healing for teens.  Research shows EMDR to be effective for processing traumatic events, reducing anxiety, improving emotional reactivity, increasing resilience, and developing new cognitive insights.  At WHCC we have therapists specifically trained in using EMDR with our teenage clients.

LENS Neurofeedback 

LENS neurofeedback is a safe, non-invasive treatment that uses low-grade energy (600 times lower than a cell phone) to apply feedback to the brain to soothe the nervous system.  LENS is a short therapy (can take up to only 10 minutes for 10-12 sessions) in which we look at your child’s specific brain map and apply feedback to the areas of the brain that would be most helpful to regulate your teenager.  This therapy is great for anxiety, ADHD, trauma, and other stress responses. 

Trouble Finding Time for Teen Therapy? 

At WHCC, we have therapists available 7 days a week, starting first sessions as early as 8 am and as late as 8 pm.  Weekend appointments make it easy for parents to bring their teenager in for therapy.  We understand having a busy schedule and we work with you to find times that can work for your family.