You’re concerned about your teen’s mental health. Perhaps you’ve noticed that they’re dealing with symptoms of a condition like anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Maybe you’re worried that your teen is struggling with substance abuse.
Naturally, you suggested counseling and tried talking to your teen about the benefits of therapy. You were hopeful that your teen would be open to the idea, but unfortunately, they’ve been resistant so far.
Every time you encourage your teen to try therapy, they resist. Furthermore, you feel that if you force them to go, it will only hurt your relationship, and they will simply shut down during sessions. Now, you’re wondering how you can gently persuade them to give therapy a shot. Here are a few potential strategies.
Suggest Alternate Forms of Therapy
Your teen might not want to try talk therapy. Perhaps the idea of sitting down and opening up to a therapist feels nerve-wracking, or they don’t see how it would be helpful. However, traditional talk therapy in an office isn’t the only form of counseling available.
Find out if any therapists in your area offer outdoor sessions, which your teen might find more relaxing and comfortable. Alternatively, you could look into art therapy for teens. If your teen enjoys creative hobbies, this type of therapy might be a better fit.
Offer Online Counseling
Teens today are busy. Between school, extracurriculars, hanging out with friends, attending family obligations, and keeping up with a part-time job or chores at home, your teen might feel like they just don’t have time for therapy.
Talk to your teen about trying virtual sessions. By choosing online therapy, they will have access to a wider selection of therapists, so they can find someone who they truly click with. Plus, they’ll be able to talk to their therapist from the comfort of their own room.
Connect With Your Teen’s Guidance Counselor
If you feel like you’re at a loss as to how to help your teen when they won’t go to therapy, you don’t have to navigate this process alone. Reach out to your teen’s guidance counselor and find out if they have any suggestions. They have expertise in this area, and they will be able to help you make smart decisions in support of your teen.
Seek Therapy on Your Own
Perhaps you’ve never spoken to a therapist on your own, but trying to help your teen throughout this rough patch has left you feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Sometimes, working with your own therapist can actually help you better support your teen. This is effective for two reasons.
First, you’ll learn how to manage your own stress and anxiety, which can improve your relationship with your teen. Additionally, your therapist will teach you strategies to assist your teen in managing their own symptoms. This is sometimes known as “parent-training.”
Consider a “Contract”
You might need to come up with different methods for motivating your teen. For instance, you could try setting up an informal “contract” and ask your teen to attend a specific number of therapy sessions before they’re allowed to have another privilege, like a fun weekend excursion or use of the family car.
Your teen can feel like they’re being rewarded. Whether or not a technique like this would be effective depends largely on your teen’s personality, your relationship with them, and the severity of their issues. Therefore, consider all of these factors before trying it out.
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Are you struggling to motivate your teen to pursue counseling? Working with a therapist on your own can help. Reach out to us to discuss your options for scheduling your first session for parent therapy.