Teens
Teenage years can be a turbulent time. It can seem like stress and anxiety are hiding behind every corner. Depression, anger, and acting out are common ways to deal with this stress, and can be made even worse if something else is going on like a learning disability, or something else such as Aspergers,Autism, or an Anxiety Disorder. Clinicians at Infinite Mindcare have specific training to not only discuss these things but conduct behavioral interventions and coping skill building to manage or prevent similar issues in the future
What to expect
The therapists of Infinite Mindcare spend the first few sessions getting to know the client so that all interventions can be individualized to meet the specific needs of that particular person or family. The First session is always conducted with the therapist and parent(s), without the adolescent/teen present.
The Second session is a getting to know you session with parent, adolescent/teen, and therapist. During this session the parent may or may not be asked to step outside the room. The adolescent/teen's comfort with the therapist is of the utmost importance for the therapeutic process. It is important for the parent to understand that if the adolescent/teen is over the age of 14, information regarding specifics of therapy sessions do not have to be shared with the parent, and can be kept at the same level of confidentiality as with adults. It is always encouraged by the therapist to client to have open communication with a parent(s) however it is not necessarily a part of treatment. Of course, this also depends of why someone is seeking treatment. If it's an adolescent/teen with fears, obsessions, and compulsions (OCD), and our sessions are structured with a lot of exposures and behavioral interventions parents are more likely to be involved than if the adolescent/teen wants to share about their depression, bullying, self esteem ,etc. With these kind of issues, we want the adolescent/teen to feel comfortable opening up, and it's often easier to do that in just the presence of the therapist.
The Third session continues the getting to know you phase, but treatment exercises will typically begin at this time. Things to do at home will be given at all sessions, whether it will be a book to read for the parents, something to implement in the home, and new behavioral/coping techniques for your adolescent/teen . Unlike conventional therapy, the parent/adolescent/teen will have access to the therapist throughout the week via email and phone to answer any questions or concerns that may come up. Even if parents are not a part of each session I will often to in touch with the parents via phone or email to get updates.