No longer children but not yet adults, many teens and pre-teens may find themselves still navigating their identities with uncertainty of who they are and will fully become.
All the while, they can feel intense pressure to compete, succeed and be perfect. Beyond that strain, they might be dealing with other personal factors such as:
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This in turn can lead to mental-health challenges such as depression and anxiety.
Empowered Life Therapy helps teens and pre-teens develop the insight and skills to recognize and manage stressors in constructive, healthy ways. Working one-on-one with young people, we listen, learn and support according to what matters to them.
Current CDC information suggests that as the pandemic period continues receding, teen mental health is showing slight signs of progress.
At the same time, a United Hospital Fund (UHF) report reveals a remaining gap between the number of teens with mental-health problems and those receiving proper treatment.
For example, for every 20 adolescents reporting depression symptoms, only 10 were clinically diagnosed for the condition. Of every 20 adolescents showing signs of anxiety, only nine were diagnosed.
The UHF report also pointed out that students were more likely to complete treatment at school than in other settings. However, because of schools’ lack of available mental-health resources, 80% of the youths with a mental-health diagnosis did not receive care.
Having access to compassionate, safe, adaptive youth counseling is vital for our young people, many of whom may not be able to seek treatment on their own.
Empowered Life Therapy supports teens and pre-teens in a confidential, non-judgmental space for exploring their feelings and deepening their self-compassion and -awareness.
In working with each teen or pre-teen to determine the best approach to treatment, we help young people better understand what they feel and how they can heal and grow in their own time. Many young people partner with us to improve relationships, build self-trust, tap into their inner wisdom and find true purpose and meaning within their lives.
We can achieve positive and sustaining mental health when we are more compassionate with ourselves.
As influential research psychologist Kristin Neff brings to light, self-compassion is simply the process of turning compassion inward. Rather than harshly judge and criticize ourselves for our mistakes and perceived imperfections as we might often do, we can learn to be kind and understanding toward ourselves.
For young people establishing the foundation for who they will be in the world, self-compassion is a powerful way to cope through life with peace and resilience. It motivates them to self-adjust and to aim for goals not because of inadequacies, but because of a sincere, healthy love for the self and the desire to be fulfilled.
Self-awareness involves being intimately connected to our thoughts, feelings and view of the world. The more self-aware we are, the more our true selves and core values can serve as our guides. As they lead us, we can we live our lives with honesty and intent.
Self-awareness may include a greater understanding of our inner and outer boundaries. What limits do we set to protect ourselves from the outer world in a positive way? Conversely, what boundaries do we establish to protect and respect others concerning our own words and behaviors?
Self-awareness develops a balanced acceptance of our emotions so that we neither push them down nor let them fly. Maintaining mental balance clarifies our emotional vision so that we are not always at the mercy of our reactions.
Another key self-realization is that while they can at times be intense or overwhelming, our struggles and pain are not what happen to "me" alone. We all will suffer along life’s journey, and that truth ultimately makes us common and united.
Cultivating self-compassion and -awareness is much like gaining proficiency with an instrument. When we practice it regularly, we become increasingly comfortable and familiar with the habit until it can become part of our daily routine.
These self-sustaining assets involve more than generating good feelings. Because so much is beyond our control, positive emotions will not always be able to stay on auto-pilot. In helping us maintain emotional balance, self-compassion and -awareness develop into loving, loyal agents of good will for ourselves.
Self-compassion and -awareness allow us to accept when moments are painful and when we are not perfect. By keeping us tuned into the infinite connections with ourselves that we have as spirit-filled beings, we can move through even the most difficult life passages without losing ourselves and the beautiful wisdom and strength that we carry.
At Empowered Life Therapy, just a few ways we might support teens and pre-teens in reinforcing inner connections can be practices such meditation, breathing and writing exercises.
In other cases, sensory activities such as awareness of touch and smell can restore a calming focus on the inner self’s beauty and strength. Referred to as person-centered therapy, this approach looks to join the mind, body and spirit through body-based psychotherapy.
By blending talk therapy with activities such as dancing, breathing and meditating, teens and pre-teens can train the body to release stored tension and stress. With more awareness of their inner sensations, they can achieve greater mindfulness in the moment while breaking away from the nonstop loop of anxiety.
Empowered Life Therapy’s diverse and versatile approaches to peace, healing and growth also include researched-based therapies such as the following.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) ׀ Focusing on the relationship among thoughts, feelings and behaviors and how changes in one domain can improve functioning in the other two
Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) ׀ Evaluating thoughts and feelings related to trauma – especially those that might be self-blaming or maladaptive – and learning to challenge them in developing a healthy, new perspective
Dialectical behavioral disorder (DBT) ׀ Engaging in talk therapy that allows teens and pre-teens to combine and process opposing ideas to gain greater insight into accepting their life’s realities and shaping their reactions to them
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) ׀ Combining traditional and cognitive behavioral therapy to help empower young people to adjust and move forward in their lives by identifying and accepting deeper feelings as normal responses to certain situations
At Empowered Life Therapy, we understand what young people wrestle with as they try to adapt to shifting environments and senses of self. We also recognize that each is a unique person with a lot to look forward to, and sometimes all they need is the support of those with the experience, training and insight to assist them.
To find out more about our "youth counseling near me" for teens and pre-teens, call us today at (630) 842-6585 or complete our contact form.
