Adolescents/Teens
Do you have a difficult teen in your home? She may be in a good mood one minute and the next is cranky and unreasonable? Do you argue with your teen most of the time? We were all once teenagers. I remember myself being rebellious and unpleasant to my parents when I was a teen. It is difficult to be a teen, and difficult to parent a teen. They almost look like young adults but they are still kids in many of their thoughts and actions.
It may be a little difficult to bring your teen to art therapy/counseling. They might feel like they are being told they are crazy and need to see a shrink. If your teen agrees to come to do art and talk some, after creating and feeling less intimidated, I will explain what we can do together to your teen. Once they understand what we do together, many of them are more open to talk about themselves with a neutral and non-judgmental person.
When I work with this age group, I take time to know the teenager and work hard to understand their point of view. I listen and help them to recognize their reasons for acting hostile, defiant, withdrawn, or out of control. I try to help them identify what they can do to solve their identified problems.
Sometimes, rather than an individual session, group therapy activities for teenagers may be more appropriate. Your (parent) involvement is crucial but your child may need his/her own space apart. Efficacy in treatments for adolescents is vital; therefore I try to be flexible in the types of treatment administered to best meet their needs.
The followings are the areas of concern for teens worked through in art therapy:
- Depression and Anxiety
- Peer Relationships
- Academic Struggles, Time Management, Internet Use
- Future Goals (College or career?)
- Parent-Teen Relational Problems
- Hostility and Defiance
- Anger Management
- Alcohol and Drug Use
- Early Onset of Mental Illness
