Teen Therapy

Adolescence can feel fun, exciting, scary, and stressful....often all at once!

At Happy Hearts Counseling, we join tweens and teens on the journey into adulthood and provide support

while introducing new methods of coping during this tricky time of life.

Some of the primary themes we notice when working with teens are:

Friends

Friendships become extremely important during adolescence. Often times teens start to prioritize socializing over just about everything else, including family and school. While this is a normal stage of development, it can often be the cause of a great deal of stress - for both the parent and the teen. Some teens struggle to make friends or find meaningful social relationships, others struggle to balance the demands and pressures they feel from their wide circle of friends. From the wall flower to the social butterfly, navigating social dynamics can be stressful.

Therapy is a great place to develop a better sense of self, learn social skills, build self-esteem, and gain a better understanding of how to navigate the social stressors.

Identity

Identity development is a pillar of adolescence. During these years, teens are learning who they are and who they want to be. They're coming to terms with their own ideas and beliefs, some of which may be different from their parents' point of view. They start questioning their identity as it relates to race, politics, sexuality, etc. and wonder where they fit in in this world. No matter what stage of identity development a teen is in, it can feel like immense pressure to find the answers and have everything figured out.

Future

Planning and preparing for the future can be a daunting task, even for adults! From 8th grade, or even earlier, today's teens are receiving a message that goes something like this: "You need to be thinking about what you want to be when you grow up, because you need to be sure to sign up for this AP course and that Honors course so that you'll be able to get into the colleges that offer the program that you want to study. And you probably need to go ahead and sign up for clubs and a summer camp that is relevant to your college major because that will look good on your transcript." Sound familiar?

Some teens respond to this message by diving headfirst into school and spending most of high school feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Other teens simply shut down from the pressure. Therapy can help teens set realistic goals and find healthy ways to manage the accompanying stress.

Teen Anxiety

If you've read anything else on this page, you're probably gaining a sense of where some of your teen's Anxiety may be coming from. In addition, social media creates a world where it appears that all their peers have everything figured out and are living their best lives. That constant unrealistic comparison that teens are bombarded with is contributing to higher and higher rates of Adolescent Anxiety. If you are concerned about your teen's Anxiety, please don't hesitate to ask for help.

Teen Depression

Has your teen expressed feelings of irritability, worthlessness, self-blame or lack of interest in activities and events that he or she once enjoyed? Does he or she seem to have little to no motivation and often express a “what’s the point?” or “why bother?” attitude? Is your teen suddenly angry, or prone to frequent crying, among other drastic mood fluctuations? If you answered yes to any of those questions, your teen may be suffering from situational or clinical depression. Depression in adolescents should never be taken lightly. If you are concerned, please contact us today to learn how we can support you and your teen.

Happy Hearts Counseling

1905 Woodstock Rd. Suite 6200

Roswell, GA 30075

404-491-9163