Teen Counseling

Little Kids grow up discovering the world that’s shown to them & then when you become a teenager, it kind of shrinks a little bit. I think when you get past that point, one of the important things is that you see there is more to the world than yourself

The Counseling Place at Lone Tree
offers an array of services to meet the needs of teenagers

As teens begin to experience both increased responsibility and freedom outside of the home, most adolescents experience difficulty – and that’s when a supportive and honest relationship with a counselor can make the difference. While many parents feel frustrated when their children don’t respond to sound advice, many times a counselor is able to connect with a similar message because they’re outside of the family unit. If your teenager struggles with something similar to what’s listed below, we would love to work with your teen as they navigate through their adolescent years and step successfully into adulthood

Difficult School Adjustment

Between 6th and 9th grade, most teenagers move from a school they’ve become comfortable with, move quickly through middle school, and enter an intimidating high school environment. With three different environments in such a short period of time, it’s not surprising that teenagers struggle to feel confident and a sense of belonging. During this time, friendships change, gossip begins, and teens increasingly compare themselves to one another. Working with a therapist can help your teenager move through these multiple transitions with a greater sense of ease, increasing their level of confidence, and it provides a stable support system in the face of changing environments and friendships.

Drugs and Alcohol

As teenagers explore the limits of their increased freedom, it’s not uncommon for teenagers to begin experimenting with drugs and alcohol. With the legalization of marijuana, some parents have found that encouraging abstinence or moderation has become increasingly difficult. Current research regarding teenage drug and alcohol use suggests that teenagers are at an increased risk for diminished brain development because the teenage brain is more pliable during these formative years. Working with a counselor, your teen will have the opportunity to hear about the impact of drugs and alcohol from a third party, explore underlying reasons for why they have chosen to use substances, and find their own motivations to make positive choices regarding drugs and alcohol.

Social Media

While social media can create problems for a number of reasons, chief among them is that Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Vine, and Tumblr all create unsupervised digital spaces that can be entered from the privacy of a teenager’s bedroom. In the past, teens had to sneak out at night to meet up with their peers, but now they only need to close their bedroom door. Whether your teenager is struggling with social media because it has led to a pornography addiction, cyber bullying, or if their device has become an escape from daily life, working with a therapist can help your child recreate healthy habits with social media. The therapist’s at The Counseling Place at Lone Tree can help educate your teen regarding the risks surrounding social media, and further help your teen find their own reasons for engaging with social media responsibly.

Dealing with Bullying

In recent years there has been an increased level of awareness regarding bullying, and while school programs can be helpful, many teens feel unequipped to deal with being bullied and may go silent regarding the issue. While involving adults is an important step in addressing bullying, it’s equally important that teenagers learn skills to manage their difficult peers – skills they can use throughout the course of their lives. Working with a therapist at The Counseling Place at Lone Tree, your teen can learn skills to avoid being target of bullying, learn social skills that lead to empowerment and safety, and learn skills to choose which peer-messages to internalize.

Mood Regulation

The teenage years already consist of hormonal changes that can lead to moodiness and irritability, but it’s also common for teenagers to experience symptoms of both depression and anxiety. Whether there’s a history of depression and anxiety in the family, or if your teen is struggling to adjust to the demands of school and friends, working with a therapist can help your teenager learn about their symptoms – and more importantly – learn skills that can help elevate their mood and diminish their stress. While The Counseling Place at Lone Tree isn’t opposed to psychiatric medication when appropriate, our therapist’s use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Solution Focused Interventions to address your teenagers needs.

Recovering from Traumatic Experiences

If your teenager has survived a school shooting, been through a difficult divorce, or suffered physical or sexual abuse, you’ve probably witnessed your teen experience unexplainable anxiety, difficulty sleeping, a change in mood, and a general sense of being unsafe. The therapist’s at The Counseling Place at Lone Tree are trained in the most current trauma therapies. Using EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing), a therapist can help your teen reduce invasive thoughts, diminish feelings of discomfort, and help your teen challenge internalized beliefs about themselves that have resulted from their traumatic experiences. Teenagers who have been through EMDR have reported an increased level of calmness, increased feelings of safety, and increased confidence in their ability to engage in life.

We Specialize In Treating:

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Life Transitions
Feelings of Being Lost and /or Stuck
Anxiety
Self-Awareness
Self-Esteem
Depression
Trauma
Addictions

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Anger Management
Grief and Loss
Relationship Struggles
Communication
Boundary Setting
Assertiveness Training
Mindfulness and Meditative approaches to these struggles are offered by our therapist

Get In Touch With Us

Amanda Gallagher

Kara Marshall

LPC, LAC

Mike Garrison

MA, LPCC