Adolescence is a period marred by turmoil and uncertainty. With their high self-expectations, teens harbor doubts, fears, and pressures, which result in psychiatric disorders such as anxiety or depression. In fact, the cases of adolescent suicide dramatically escalate every year, making suicide the third-leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 24. Nonetheless, mental disorders are highly treatable through psychotherapy when diagnosed earlier.
As you undergo psychotherapy, you will learn what causes your mental illness and how to change unhealthy behavior or thoughts. This can help you build relationships and experiences, set realistic goals, reclaim a sense of happiness, and overcome crises. The trust between you and your therapist is an integral part of the therapy, and your therapist can determine which form of psychotherapy is best for you. The sessions can be conducted in an individual or group setting, depending on your condition and preference.
Milieu Therapy
The stigma of mental illness can stifle your urge to seek treatment, which is why the treatment is often community-integrated. Milieu therapy provides a home-like environment where you, the staff, and the other patients interact and build trust in each other. Teenage rehabilitation centers such as Eva Carlston Academy adopt this approach to promote open communication, encourage family interactions, and prepare the patients for the life outside. In addition, the flexibility of the therapy enables you to be productive toward your own goals, thus helping you grow in both practical and emotional aspects.
Art Therapy
It is a well-known fact that self-expression through art has therapeutic benefits. In art therapy, you interact with your therapist while exploring your creativity through painting, sculpting, or even puppetry. In each session, your trained therapist understands your perceived reality and emotions through the emotional characteristics of various art materials. This type of therapy is best for patients who are verbally inarticulate.
Dance Movement Therapy
There is a belief that the body and the mind work hand in hand for a person’s well-being, which means that your movement can mirror your thoughts and emotions. Exercise has countless benefits to your physical and mental health; it helps you sleep better and makes you less susceptible to emotional distress. In dance movement therapy, your therapist helps you develop your emotions through certain movement patterns that can help solve psychological issues. He or she evaluates the therapeutic intervention by assessing your body language and non-verbal behavior.
Cognitive Analytic Therapy
The first step to solving a problem is to address its underlying cause, and it is the essence of cognitive analytic therapy. In this type of therapy, your therapist delves into the events or beliefs that may have caused your psychological issues. He or she then explains how they currently affect you and why they may have gone awry in the past. This type of therapy enables you to objectively identify what needs to change and how to make better decisions in the future.
Existential Therapy
Unlike cognitive analytic therapy, existential psychotherapy does not dwell on past events. Instead, it puts emphasis on the search for meaning and the development of your full potential amidst uncertainty. This form of psychotherapy aims to develop self-awareness and stresses the importance of constant reinvention. At the end of the therapy, you are able to accept inevitable struggles and overcome them, thus breaking free of pressure and gaining control of your own path.
Due to the exceedingly high social standards today, adolescents are assailed by the fear of being unable to live up to expectations. In the long term, this can lead to mental health conditions. Nevertheless, with the proper therapy and the support of the community, they can overcome these conditions and view life from a positive standpoint.
