Should Teens Try Therapy?
By Isayah Alman, MSW, RSW
While preparing to write this blog, I asked my 16-year-old cousin, “Would you try therapy?” He answered with one dry and simple line, “Why would I try therapy?” I laughed; but then I started to think, wow, what a great insight. Why would any teenager willingly go to therapy?
I grew up in the 90s, the era of CD mixtapes, romantic comedies, and late night drive-thrus. Back then, time seemed to move slower. Teens today live in a different world. They were born with technology, grew up during a pandemic, and are being launched into a world dominated by social media influencers, AI, and uncertainty. They learn from Google, talk through Snapchat, and have UberEats delivered straight to their bedrooms. So where does therapy fit in?
The answer I’ve found is that in the therapy space, time moves slower. And for many of the teens I’ve worked with, that’s exactly what they need. A safe space where they can put down the phone and talk about things they wouldn’t tell a parent or a friend. Real life struggles like slipping grades, relationship fallouts, or the existential stress of trying to figure out who they are. For the things in life that they don’t know how to say out loud, therapy offers a time capsule where teens can drop the act and talk about their problems at a pace that’s right for them.
Therapy gives teens an opportunity to speak freely and honestly, with a professional who listens and doesn’t judge, and isn’t in their life 24/7. A steady support who can help them reset, build skills, and help them wake up the next day with lighter thoughts and clearer emotions, so they can get back to doing what teens do best: learning and growing.
Teens today are often straight to the point. They tell it like it is, which is why I take the same approach when working with teens. Honest, genuine, and no nonsense.
So that they can get back to living their life with a set of tools in their back pocket to help them navigate whatever the world throws their way.
Still not sure if Teen Therapy is right for you or your teen? The best way to find out is to hop on a call with Isayah or any of the therapists on our team that feel like they might be a good fit. Read their profiles and schedule a consult call - it’s FREE and you can absolutely speak to more than one of our team members (or all of them!) to find the one that feels like someone you could maybe talk to.
