Counseling and Therapy
Sometimes it can be hard to cope with
all of the changes that happen during your teenage years. If you
are having trouble dealing with certain situations or emotions,
you might find counseling to be a helpful way of sorting things
out.
Why should I go to counseling?
If you are thinking about whether
counseling could be helpful to you, here are some questions to ask
yourself:
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Do you ever
feel really sad,
frustrated, or
lonely?
-
Do you feel
especially angry,
annoyed, or
out-of-control?
-
Do you feel
very anxious,
worried, or
guilty?
-
Have you
experienced some major problems at home, at school, or in your
neighborhood?
-
Have you
noticed some changes in the way you sleep, eat, or think and feel
about life?
-
Is it hard
for you to talk about these feelings with your family or friends?
-
Are these
feelings having a bad effect on your life-are they making your
schoolwork and your relationships with family and friends
difficult?
If you answered YES to any of these
questions, then it may be a good idea for you to talk with a
therapist (also known as a counselor). A therapist is an adult
specially trained to help you sort through the different feelings
and problems you are having. Teenagers and young adults go to
counseling for many reasons.
Counseling can help you to understand
your feelings and problems and learn how to deal with these
feelings and problems in your everyday life. Counseling takes
place in a completely confidential setting. Confidential means
that the therapist cannot tell anyone, not even your parents,
about what the two of you talk about together, unless you are a
danger to yourself or others.
How do I find a therapist?
Many professionals can help you find
a therapist. You can ask your health care provider (doctor or
nurse) for a referral to a therapist in your clinic or
neighborhood. You can also ask your guidance counselor at school
to refer you to a therapist. Sometimes there are therapists that
will meet with you in school during the day. You can also ask a
teacher, youth advisor, or parent or guardian to help you find a
therapist.
What types of therapists are there?
When you are referred for counseling,
you may be referred to a psychiatrist, psychologist, social
worker, or mental health worker. All therapists are trained in
understanding feelings and behaviors and know ways to help people
through difficult times.
-
A
psychiatrist is a medical doctor (M.D.) who has graduated from
medical school, with extra training in psychiatry. A psychiatrist
provides counseling and also can prescribe medications that can
help depression or other mood changes.
-
A
psychologist provides counseling and can also do special testing
to understand certain problems such as learning disabilities.
-
A mental
health counselor has graduated from college and is a licensed
therapist who has special advanced training in counseling. Mental
health counselors are often individual therapists or marriage and
family counselors.
What will happen when I talk to a
therapist?
When you talk with a therapist, you
get a chance to talk about anything that is on your mind. A
therapist will listen to you and not judge you. You can talk about
more serious things some of the time and you can talk about less
serious things at other times.
What should I expect from counseling?
When you decide to start talking with
a therapist you should expect to meet with one person who will get
to know you pretty well. You will build a relationship with your
therapist during your meetings. Most therapists understand that it
takes time to get used to someone before you will feel like
talking about the more serious things on your mind. It's hard to
tell on the first session if you feel comfortable enough with your
counselor to talk about things that are important to you. Try to
give the counselor a chance. If after a few visits you still don't
feel okay about talking with the counselor, you should tell the
person who referred you to your therapist. Most likely you will
have a chance to choose another therapist. It might take a few
tries to find a counselor that you like, but don't give up! Since
you will be talking about sensitive issues, you deserve to have a
therapist who you feel totally safe and comfortable with.
What kinds of questions will the
therapist/counselor ask me?
At the first visit, the therapist
will ask you many questions about your life and how you've been
feeling during the past year. The therapist may want you to bring
your parent(s) or guardian(s) with you on the first visit. The
type of help you are offered by your therapist will depend on what
you tell your therapist and the kind of relationship you have with
him or her. Teenagers often bring their family members to some of
their counseling sessions to help improve their family
relationships.
What else can I do?
In addition to going to counseling,
there are many activities you can do on your own to try to work
through difficult feelings and solve problems. You might want to
try talking with a parent, good friend, or another adult in your
life. You might try to write down your feelings in a journal or
diary. Other things to try are relaxation exercises, listening to
music, watching a good movie, or exercising. Also try getting
involved in an activity that you are good at such as a sport, the
arts, or hobbies (like writing or reading). The combination of
doing activities you like to do and talking with a therapist will
help to improve how you are feeling and make your everyday life
much easier. |