In the developmental stage of adolescence, teenagers continue to develop emotional intelligence and social skills as they get older. These skills often play a vital role in guiding a person’s confidence and view of oneself, ability to form relationships and participate in their community, and how they regulate change in their lives. While many individuals learn to manage their feelings and form adequate interpersonal skills, some teenagers may have difficulties in dealing with challenging emotions or behave in ways that disturb their general welfare and development.
In adolescents who have struggles with dealing with confronting thoughts and feelings, or managing changes in their lives, a professional such as a psychologist may be able help the person deal with these issues. Psychologists are health professionals who assist people to better cope with their personal hardships, and often work with people with mental health conditions and developmental disorders. Adolescence is a time of immense change for an individual psychologically, emotionally and physically, and people respond to changes or disruptions in their lives differently.
A psychologist can help a teenager work through their difficulties, and the crux of therapy is to develop a rapport and connection with the individual, providing them with support, and helping them to gain a better understanding of themselves, the people around them and their environment. As is the case with most treatments and therapy, early intervention often yields greater results in cultivating resilience as they transition into adulthood.
2. Psychotherapy seeks to improve the teenager’s understanding of their problems and issues, usually by talking through his/her feelings and thoughts to help them to change thinking processes. This aims to help the person think about different ways to manage their issues.
3. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is based on the premise that how a person thinks directly influences their actions. CBT endeavours to help the teenager identify unhealthy or maladaptive behaviours and habits.
4. Behaviour therapy often forms a large part of CBT but can be used as a separate treatment that targets the person’s behaviour. This can also involve parents and carers, who can be educated about how to better manage their child’s challenging behaviours.
5.Family therapy involves parents, carers and other close family members. Often, a teenager’s support networks and relationships play pivotal roles in how they deal with and recover from change and hardships. Family therapy centres around getting each individual to consider other people’s perspective and opinions, to develop positive and practical ways of working together to deal with issues and conflict.