At the MFT Clinic, our therapists recognize that your adolescents’ well-being is important to you. To that end, we believe that therapy is most effective when you are a part of the healing journey.
Therapy looks different depending on the age of your child:
- For children ages 6 to 11 years old, we often recommend at least one parent or caregiver join in the therapy process. For some families we recommend both parents (and possibly siblings), depending on the needs of your child. We want you to be informed about treatment interventions and assist your child with learning new skills. We have found that children often need parents to help them recall and use new skills in the “heat of the moment.”
- For adolescents and teens age 12 years old and above, we may recommend family or individual therapy, depending on the needs of your adolescent. In many families, intervention is most effective when the whole family system is involved. However, in some cases, individual therapy may be the best place to start, so that your teen can talk about their struggles at their own pace. Even in individual therapy, we recommend that parents are involved periodically so that we can support your relationship with your adolescent as they learn and grow.
First, you can expect your therapist to provide a safe, non-judgmental space for you to talk through anything that is on your mind. We want you to feel seen, heard, and understood.
Next, your therapist will work with you to create a goal for your time together. If you don’t have a goal in mind, don’t worry. Your therapist will help you create one. Here are some examples: Finding out if you are struggling with a mental illness, finding ways to cope, or figuring out how to work through conflicts with friends and family.
Your therapist will talk with you about whether family or individual therapy would best meet your goals. We will also talk through how confidentiality works so that you and your parents and/or caregivers know what to expect.
Once you and your therapist determine your goals and best approach, you can begin the process of therapy!
At The MFT Clinic, we recognize that every adolescent and teen and their family is unique; and therefore, our clinicians are trained in a variety of therapeutic theories and evidence-based interventions so that we can use the approach that works best for you.
Methods include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), multigenerational family therapy, structural family therapy, trauma-informed therapy, faith-integrated therapy, narrative therapy, psychodynamic approaches and many more.
