5 Methods to Treat Depression in Teens All Parents Should Know

Most people can probably think of a time during their teen years when they were sad or lonely or had low energy levels or low self-esteem. Although these are common issues with which adolescents struggle, it is important to recognize and treat any symptoms of depression in children and teens. Without the fully-developed brain of an adult, teens often turn to unsafe coping skills, such as drugs, alcohol, or risky behaviors, in order to numb their feelings of sadness. Professional help is not just for someone in crisis. Instead, counseling is a place for anyone with suicidal thoughts, persistent feelings of sadness, or even occasional depressive symptoms.

Teaching Your Teen to Reach Out for Help

Sometimes one of the best things you can do for your teen is to teach them when to reach out for help, which normalizes the process for future seasons of struggle or crisis. I remember that going to counseling for the first time felt very strange and foreign because it wasn’t something that was talked about in my home as I grew up, and I never saw my parents seeking professional help. But after engaging in the process of counseling, I realized that it can be one of the best choices when one feels overwhelmed, lost, anxious, or sad for an extended period of time.

If parents are considering sending their teenager to see a counselor, it might be helpful to know some of the common ways in which a therapist works with, helps, and makes change in the life of a depressed teen. In this article, I explain some of the common methods I use in my work with teens in the counseling setting.

Establishing a Therapeutic Alliance

To speak of the Therapeutic Alliance is a fancy way of saying “relationship.” Developing a trusting relationship with the client is key if you want to make any progress in therapy. Teens will learn to trust their counselor through safe conversation, consistency, and the normalizing of their experience. Normalizing is important for teens because they want to know they are not “the only one” to struggle with certain issues. Knowing that other teens have felt similarly lonely, depressed, or sad can bring a wave of relief and acceptance for their own struggles.

Understanding what is Bothering Them

In today’s fast paced society we rarely slow down enough to process the things that are weighing heavily on our hearts. Between soccer practice, piano lessons, volunteering, youth group, and homework, a teen may have little time to understand their feelings of depression and sadness. Counseling is a special time that is set aside to focus on what is bothering them and to enable them to put words to their emotions. This process of verbalizing their experience can be very therapeutic and is the first step towards healing.

Developing Coping Skills

Teens are experts at finding unhealthy coping skills in order to deal with their struggles. Drugs, alcohol, reckless behaviors, and “checking-out” with social media are all common ways in which teens cope with or avoid their feelings. In counseling, I work with teens to develop new ways for expressing and dealing with their emotions. Tools such as mindfulness, creative expression, and connecting with others are all ways to cope with seasons of anxiety and depression without worsening their symptoms.

Creating Healthy Habits

Often when working with teens, I notice generally unhealthy patterns in their daily life. I will work to explore ways to increase their physical activity, minimize negative self-talk, and cut back on social media. These three things alone can bring a huge change to the mental health of adolescents and decrease their symptoms of depression.

Empowering Teens for the Future

When working with teens, my hope is that our time together equips them for future challenging seasons and creates a positive association with the counseling process. The tools we develop in counseling are things they can use down the road in moments when they feel depressed or anxious.

Christian Counseling for the Depressed Teen

As a Christian counselor, I strongly believe that any teen can benefit from a positive counseling experience and a safe place in which to process the hurdles that they encounter during this stage of life. If you are noticing symptoms of depression in your teen and wonder whether counseling is the right step… the answer is yes. Although as parents we wish that we could fix everything for our children, there are times when we need to seek outside help and support in order to see positive changes. To find out more about how Christian counseling can help your depressed teen, please contact me here.

Photos
“Sad Teen,” courtesy of Paul De Los Reyes, Flickr CreativeCommons (CC BY 2.0); “Happy Guys,” courtesy of Jens Karlsson, Flickr CreativeCommons (CC BY 2.0)

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