Does your teen have depression?
As a teen counselor, I help teens express difficult feelings and build healthy coping skills. Counseling, provides a supportive resource aimed to allow your teen to feel happy, overcome emotional challenges, and make healthy choices in life.
Teens with depression, may show:
- Sadness. This emotion is often seen by isolation from peers, withdrawal from previously enjoyable activities or pleasures, and/or numbness.
- Low self-esteem. Teens struggling with depression may experience low self-worth or value.
- Social withdrawal. This can be seen when your teen avoids recreational activities like sports practice or enters social seen in a state of isolation.
Teen Counseling is a great way to allow your teen to discuss the issues they are experiencing. Through counseling, your teen will gain the education and self-awareness that can help him/her understand how depression impacts their life.
Ways Teens Can Manage Depression
- Meditation can help with depression.
Teens have the option to engage in various activities that incorporate meditation and reduce depressive symptoms. Options include: joining a local yoga class, following along to a meditation YouTube Video or simply giving yourself 10 minutes to breathe, relax and gather yourself before engaging in an activity. For instance, before school or work, stay in your car for 10 minutes breathing and visualizing emotional balance.
- Capturing and Releasing Your Thoughts Can Help With Depression
Journaling allows the mind the slow down. I’m not sure about you, but my brain sometimes runs a little too fast. Journaling allows the brain to slow down. This therapy strategy helps teens struggling with difficult emotional thoughts.
The act of writing can be approached with several options. Typing, texting, audio recording and/or video recording are all great options to journal.
Time and place to journal is key. I encourage my clients to seek periods that are free of noise and distraction. For instance, prior to bed, early in the morning, or in the car prior to work.
This strategy can help teens:
- Reduce tension or stress brought on by the day.
- Focus and concentrate on what’s important.
- Reduce worry and sadness.
- Gain perspective on how he/she is feeling.
- Having A Voice Can Help With Depression
Teens should have a voice that can say “YES” or “NO”. Often social relationships, peer pressure and/or personal thoughts lead us to feeling insecure and unable to say “NO” or “YES” to others. As a supportive therapeutic strategy, I encourage teens to focus on creating a voice. A powerful, confident, and empathetic voice that allows him/her to say “YES” or “NO” without feeling insecure in their decision or discomfort.
This strategy helps teens with build self-esteem, create healthy boundaries, and gain security.
