Therapists who “get” what North Shore kids are dealing with in High School
You’re worried about your High Schooler. In today’s world, there is so much pressure and stress for these High Schoolers. They have to balance academics, social life, and sports, music, etc.–all with very little sleep. It’s no wonder so many adolescents are struggling to balance their emotions and moods.
You can see all this stress and anxiety is taking a toll on your High Schooler. You’ve done all you can, but you’re not sure what to do next.
You just want to make sure they have a safe person to talk to and help give them tools to make good choices for their life today, and for their future.
We get it. That’s why we’re here!
The benefits your High Schooler will see from doing therapy at Inspire:
– Your High Schooler will learn about their feelings
– Your High Schooler will have strategies for dealing with unpleasant feelings, anxiety & stress
– Your High Schooler will understand what “triggers” some of their feelings and have different tools for those situations
– Your High Schooler will learn how to calm themselves in arguments
– Your High Schooler will learn how to advocate for themselves, with confidence and kindness
– Your High Schooler will learn healthy and positive relationships with friends, siblings, parents
– Your High Schooler will start to feel control of their impulses and behavior
– Your High Schooler will be able to be more present and focused
– Your High Schooler will learn healthy ways to communicate their feelings
– Your High Schooler will start to feel more confident
– Your High Schooler will feel happier
– Your child’s relationships with you & your family will improve
Our therapists work closely with parents, families, Social Workers, psychiatrists, or whoever is in each child’s life to ensure therapy is most effective.
Inspire also offers support for everyone in the family (parenting, families, couples, etc.) to provide the best outcome for each child and their family system.
We love seeing our clients gain confidence, manage the obstacles their facing and begin to live their best life — even during the challenges of adolescents.
What does the adolescent counseling process look like?
The counseling process is designed to help empower you as a parent and support your teen to live their best life. Together, with your support at home and the therapist’s support in sessions, your child will learn tools to help them thrive at home, with friends, and in school.
The first session will be approximately 60 minutes. Ideally, one or both parents/caregivers attend the first session with your child. Depending on their age, they are welcome to come along (as long as they bring a signed consent form for minors under 18). Prior to this appointment, you will have the opportunity to talk with the therapist to voice your concerns and address what you’d like to see improved with your High Schooler.
In the first session, the therapist will introduce themselves, explain the counseling process and then ask you, the parent, a couple of questions. First, why is your child amazing? Second, what do you hope to see for your child as a result of counseling? These questions are designed to create a positive experience for your child. If you have negative feelings or concerns, you will have the opportunity to discuss those on the phone with the therapist prior to the session. We find counseling is more effective if kids feel good about themselves and focus on the positive results of the therapy process. This lasts about 10-15 minutes.
Then the parent is asked to have a seat in the waiting room, while the therapist continues with the child. If the child or parent is not comfortable with that, the parent is welcome to stay the entire session.
The therapist will go through new client questions with your child to get to know them, their history, and present situation. The second session is our unique formula for goal-setting. In this session, your child will connect the desires of your goals with their heart and deeper desires in life.
The remainder of the sessions will then be primarily just your teen and their therapist. They will work on skills and tools to address challenges and live their best life.
As the parent/caregiver, you can talk with your teen’s therapist to learn ways you can be supporting your teen at home. You will also have the opportunity to attend sessions with your teen or attend sessions individually with the therapist to focus on parenting support.
![Did you catch my last post on how to make new friends as an adult woman?
I’ll be the first to admit, talking to new people can be nerve-wracking, so I came up with a few easy icebreakers to get the conversation started:
🧊"I noticed your [bag/shirt/shoes, etc.]. That's really cute! Where did you get it?"
🧊"My child is starting at this school/daycare next week. Where does your child go?"
🧊"I've been looking for something new to read. Do you have any recommendations?"
🧊"Have you tried any new restaurants or coffee shops in the area lately? I'm always looking for new places to check out."
🧊“I’m prioritizing staying healthy right now. What kind of exercise do you do?”
🧊“What shows are you loving right now? Mine are [tell them your favorite shows].”
🧊“Do you listen to podcasts? Which ones are your favorite?”
🧊“Do you have any interesting hobbies?”
“Where are you vacationing this summer?”
🧊“I’m interested in volunteering, do you have any organizations you can recommend?”
Remember, icebreakers are meant to be light conversation starters - a good place to start is to simply introduce yourself, shake hands, and smile. For best results, always try to choose an icebreaker that has some context to the situations you’re in.
Finally, it’s 100% normal to feel awkward and you can rest assured that most people feel the same when they’re meeting someone new. Embrace whatever feelings you’re having and just be yourself.
#mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #therapist #relationshippodcast #icebreakers](https://inspirecounselingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)