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    Teen Therapy in Denver

    We have all heard it before: “It’s hard being a teenager”; but have you ever stopped to think why?

     

     

    As an almost adult, you feel like the adult world does not understand you, but you know too much to go back to being a kid. You might struggle to sleep, so you check out countless Tick-tock and YouTube videos to try and connect with the world. You experience feelings of hopelessness about the future, and uncertainty about the present. Your friends have changed and it can make you feel so lonely that you turn to social media to try and squash the feeling. Your own interests and motivation may have changed as well, making you feel like you don’t know yourself anymore. Maybe you turn to different substances to try and cope with your feelings and find you like the feeling of numbness that alcohol can give or the carefree attitude that you get after smoking. But just like your friends, these substances change on you and they turn into an enemy that you cannot escape instead of the friend that offered a break from life.

    What every teen needs, what every person needs really, is a safe place where they can process through all those emotions. That is what we strive to offer with therapy: a safe place, free of judgement, but full of caring and hope. Therapy offers more though. Emotional literacy is the process of learning your emotions and how to identify them. Mindfulness and coping skills can give you the tools you need to cope with those feelings in a healthy way – a way that you can feel proud of.

    As a teen or early 20 something, you’re neither a child nor an adult, you’re stuck in this grey area! Your brain is going through another pivotal growth period where the part of your brain that seeks reward (Limbic system) is more mature that the part of your brain that weighs the costs and benefits of any action (prefrontal cortex) which can lead to more adventurous aka: risky, behavior. You have the world of advertising and social media targeting your emotions and decisions, and let’s not forget that a teen’s developmental job is differentiating from their parents and seeking support from their peers and others.

    So, yes, it IS hard being a teenager.

    According to the World Health Organization, half of all mental health conditions emerge by age 14; and 8% of our youth ages 10-19 will experience depression and anxiety. You are not alone, your teenager is not alone!

    This may not be the first time you are seeking help for how you or your teen is feeling, and we know it can feel exhausting to try again. Or you might feel hopeless that anything will ever change. We believe though, that you are worth the risk of trying again. You may be afraid it will never be more than a dream, but you have the innate right to learn to live the way you have been dreaming of.

    Therapists at UpliftME Attachment-Based Therapy are experienced in working with teens and young adults.  Interventions are used to support attachment and relationship with caregivers, with behaviors and negative thinking/beliefs about oneself, as well as challenges at school or with peers.  Call today to learn more about our therapists and who would be a great fit for you or your child.