Services Teen Counseling And Therapy
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The E.D.G.E. Program
Exploring — Discovering — Goal-setting — Excelling
Life can be difficult at times–especially during adolescence when physical, emotional, and moral development is at its peak. Some teens are confused and have minimal direction; most deal with peer pressure and identity crisis; many are consumed with emotional distress. These are a few of the reasons the E.D.G.E Program was developed.
We care about teens who struggle and those who struggle with them.
At Perspectives Counseling Centers, we specialize in a wide range of adolescent issues including:
- ADHD
- Alcohol/Drug Use
- Anger/Defiance/Lying
- Anxiety
- Fears
- Depression
- Eating Disorders
- Grief & Loss
- Identity Issues
- Low Self-Esteem
- Medication Management
- Parent/Teen Conflict
- Psychological Testing
- Motivation/ Poor Grades
- Relationship Issues
- Self-Injury
- Separation & Divorce
- Sexual Abuse
- Spiritual Confusion
- Truancy
If you recognize an adolescent with one or more of the above issues, the E.D.G.E. Program at Perspectives of Troy Counseling Centers can help.
For more information, contact Leslie R. Johnsen, MA, LLP, Executive Clinical Director, Director of Adolescent Services at (248) 244-8644.
New E.D.G.E. groups starting soon!
How Is Teen Counseling Different?
Parents of a teenager often have a terrible time coping with the unruly and disturbed individual. The changes in the body and the mind often make an adolescent unsure about life and suspicious of everyone else. Peer pressure also has a huge role in shaping the behavior of a teenager and getting into the company of unsuitable individuals at this stage leads to all kinds of behavioral problems that can turn into serious psychological problems in the long run. Teen counseling is the best way to avoid these serious problems.
Who Can Be A Teen Counselor
A professional counselor having experience in handling teenage issue particularly sexual conflict, feeling of rebellion and parental issues is considered to be fit to be a teen counselor. Practitioners dealing with kids or adults may not always have the requisite skills necessary to handle young adults and adolescents.
Who Needs Teen Counseling
Teenagers having difficulties in handling life problems and experiencing conflicting emotions that leave them disturbed can certainly benefit from the advice of a teen counselor.
Adolescents who have to deal with issues that are not considered to be teen problems strictly can also hope to cope with them effectively once they go for teen counseling sessions. Such problems may include:
- Death of a family member/friend
- Substance or alcohol abuse
- Sexual problems (both heterosexual & homosexual)
- Excessive rage
- Attention deficit issues
- Depression
- Phobias
- Peer pressure
Teenagers often tend to avoid counseling as they do not want to be laughed at by their friends. It is the responsibility of their parents to explain the entire process to them and convince them that opting for teen counseling is not akin to ‘being crazy,’ on the contrary, it is a useful method of helping them to cope with the world.
Duration
The teen counseling sessions do not have a pre-fixed time or duration. The actual time may vary from weeks to months or even up to a year depending on the complexity of the problems that the teenager is facing.
The Process
A counselor may decide to go in for individual, family or group therapy depending on the problems that the adolescent is facing. A combination of both individual and group therapy is usually recommended for most teens. The family members especially the parents are almost always included in select sessions so that the parents get an insight into the psyche of their teenage son / daughter.
Knowing and liking the counselor is important too. While most teenagers take some time to open up, a few may not like their counselors at all. It is advisable to try a different counselor in order to solve the problem effectively.
