In Leonardtown, Dunkirk, & Bethesda, MD
Do You Feel Like You’ve Hit A Wall Trying To Help Your Teenager?
Is your teenager struggling with anxiety, depression, or another mental health issue?
Have they been eating less, sleeping more, and refusing to go to school or do their homework?
Deep down, do you wonder if it’s time for your teenager to get more support outside the home?
Maybe you’ve noticed changes in your teen’s behavior that are starting to concern you. Perhaps they seem less interested in doing fun things and have been isolating more than usual. While they used to love going out with friends, now they spend most of their time alone in their room, avoiding homework or neglecting self-care. Although you’ve tried to help them, maybe you feel like you’ve hit a wall and your efforts have gone nowhere. As a result, you may be thinking that it’s time for them to see a mental health professional.
Parenting A Struggling Teen Is Incredibly Stressful
It’s especially hard when your teen is making decisions that worry you. Perhaps your teenager is hanging out with a crowd that’s not good for them or ignoring red flags when it comes to relationships. Or maybe they’re struggling with self-harming and turning to destructive behaviors to cope with their pain. You’ve probably been running in circles trying to get them the help they need, going from therapist to therapist and treatment to treatment without success.
If this is how you feel, we encourage you not to lose hope. Here at Empowered Connections, we have a staff full of therapists who are passionate about helping teen girls and LGBTQ+ youth increase their confidence and live with more pep in their step. Our mission is to give your teenager a toolbox of skills that they can use as they journey through adolescence and beyond!
Questions About Therapy For Teens? Contact Us
In The Social Media Age, Many Teen Girls Struggle With Low Self-Worth
Let’s face it: teen girls in today’s world have it tough. On top of all the usual emotional and hormonal changes, they have to deal with the pressures and complications of social media. Instagram, Tik Tok, and other platforms are filled with unrealistic standards of thinness, beauty, and popularity. This creates a culture of “compare-and-despair” among teen girls—they see other girls looking skinny, gorgeous, and happy and feel like they’re not good enough in comparison.
What’s more, having access to so many people’s lives on social media often leads to FOMO—Fear Of Missing Out. Unlike previous generations, today’s teens can see when all their friends are hanging out at parties and events without them. So it’s no wonder that there is often a correlation between excessive social media use and low self-esteem. Now more than ever, teenagers need compassionate mental health support from therapists who truly get what it’s like to be in their shoes.
As A Parent, You Shouldn’t Feel Pressure To Do It All Yourself
Many parents worry that their teenager’s struggles are a reflection of their parenting. They fear that they aren’t doing enough to help their kids and think that the answer is just to try harder. As a result, they often end up running themselves into the ground trying to find new ways to help their teens.
Yet the truth is that one person can only do so much. The world is an incredibly stressful place right now, and many of the issues teens face are outside of their parents’ control. This is why it’s important to be kind to yourself and understand that you’re doing the best you can. You don’t have to do all the heavy lifting by yourself—at Empowered Connections, we’re here to provide the support that your teenager needs to manage the ups and downs of adolescence.
Therapy Can Empower Teen Girls To Improve Their Confidence And Live Their Best Lives
Many teenagers are used to viewing adults as authority figures who look down on them or tell them how to behave. Thankfully, that isn’t the case at Empowered Connections. We choose therapists who are sparkly, outgoing, and deeply understanding of the challenges facing teen girls. We are girl experts and we use art therapy and many different activities to help teenagers feel relaxed, encouraged, and empowered to be their authentic selves. Our staff has behavioral specialists, DBT practitioners, and certified art therapists who are trained to provide counseling for teenage girls.
What’s more, Empowered Connections is deeply inclusive and accepting of teenagers from all walks of life. We work with LGBTQ+ teens and are trained and equipped to help them navigate challenges related to their gender and sexuality. We know that adolescence is a time of deep self-exploration and we want to assist teens in developing their identities.
What To Expect In Teen Counseling Sessions
How we approach therapy differs depending on each teen’s situation. In the intake session, we will generally meet one-on-one with you for the first 15 to 20 minutes to discuss your concerns and go over what you’d like to see happen in treatment. Then we’ll bring your teenager into the session so that they can share their needs and goals for therapy.
Although we’ll continue working with your teenager individually, our practice understands the value of cross-collaboration. We believe in taking a family approach. We will meet with you every three sessions to check in, see how things are going at home, and give you new parenting skills to use with your teen outside of therapy. After all, what happens in the home is pivotal, and that’s why we want you to play a vital role in your teenager’s healing journey.
In sessions with your teenager, we will use a solution-focused approach to help them build their confidence, improve their social skills, and implement healthy and effective coping strategies. Depending on what your teen’s needs are, we can use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help them challenge negative beliefs, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) to help them regulate their emotions and tolerate distress, and art therapy techniques to help them express themselves and tap into their creativity.
By drawing from an eclectic range of approaches and tailoring therapy to suit your teenager’s uniqueness, we are confident that we can empower them to reduce their anxiety and feel more hopeful about the future. We want to let them know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and with the right concentration and effort, we can help them start enjoying their life again.
You May Have Some Questions About Teenage Therapy…
What if I don’t have the time and money to send my teen to therapy?
This is an investment in your teenager and their future, a chance to equip them with lifelong skills that can serve them in adolescence and adulthood. What’s more, therapy is not a forever venture—because of our solution-focused approach, we are generally able to help teens accomplish their goals within a few months. Although we don’t accept insurance, we can provide you with a superbill so that your insurance company can reimburse you. You are also welcome to use your HSA/FSA card to pay for sessions.
What if my teen doesn’t want to talk about their issues?
For us, connecting with teen girls on a personal level is always the number-one goal. Our therapists have lots of experience working with teens and know how to make therapy chill, fun, and nonjudgmental. We give them a safe space to let it all out and then leave it all behind when sessions end, ensuring that they don’t feel worse when they leave.
What if my teen had a bad experience with therapy in the past?
Many of the teen girls we see have had negative experiences in therapy before. That’s why we seek to do things differently. We work really hard on the relationship between therapist and client and do continuous check-ins to make sure your teen feels comfortable and safe. And in the rare event that teens want to switch therapists, they can talk to our admin team and be reassigned to a different one!
Your Teenager Deserves A Space Where They Can Relax And Be Themselves
Our practice specializes in making teen girls feel seen, heard, understood, and accepted for who they are. If you want your teenager to experience the same thing, we encourage you to contact us and book an appointment. We look forward to working with you!
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Teen Therapy In Leonardtown, MD
25482 Point Lookout Rd #202,
Leonardtown, MD 20650
Teen Therapy In Dunkirk, MD
2972 Penwick Ln Suite 101,
Dunkirk, MD 20754
