We all remember being teenagers, right? If any of you were like me then you’re thinking “I would never go back to being that age if someone paid me!” I remember having thoughts like “everyone hates me”, “my parents will never understand me”, and if you had a puppy love something like, “I’ll never find someone I can love again.” If I triggered you by reminding you of these thoughts, I apologize. My thoughts sure did have a significant impact on my view of the world and my future, I bet you as well. Now that I’ve opened that can of worms, let’s discuss more about the power of these thoughts.
As teenagers do their best to navigate their way through adolescence, they often encounter a range of challenging emotions and thoughts. From stress and anxiety to depression or anger, the teenage years can be tough for even the most balanced individuals. As a concerned parent or healthcare provider, it can be challenging to know what to do when your teenager experiences emotional difficulties.
With teens that struggle in these areas I utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT. CBT is an incredibly valuable tool for treating these challenges. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a widely-recognized, evidence-based treatment modality that has become increasingly popular in recent years. CBT helps teens develop skills to identify, challenge, and change negative thoughts and behaviors to improve emotional wellbeing.
Let’s dive on into the benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for teens. CBT helps teens manage anxiety.
Anxiety can be a debilitating condition that can interfere with a teenager’s daily life. It can cause a range of symptoms, including restlessness, trouble concentrating, insomnia, excessive sweating, and gastrointestinal problems. CBT helps teenagers learn how to identify the thoughts that are causing anxiety and determine whether they are realistic or irrational. It teaches techniques like mindfulness, breathing exercises, and progressive muscle relaxation to reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety. With the aid of CBT, teens can effectively manage their anxiety, so they don’t get in the way of living a full life.
CBT teaches coping strategies for depression
Depression is another common condition that affects many teenagers. During this time in their development, hormonal changes and external stressors can cause teenagers to feel an intense feeling of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities they once enjoyed. CBT teaches teens how to identify and challenge negative or distorted thoughts that can exacerbate symptoms of depression. They also learn new ways to engage in pleasurable activities and build their resilience to better manage the effects of depression. Reflecting on the examples I stated in the beginning of this blog, I am thinking very distorted. Those words such as “never” and “everyone” is a distortion called polarized thinking. This distortion believes in the all or nothing mentality and doesn’t allow for gray area, which in most situations there is gray. Without that gray area being acknowledged your teen’s negative emotions are likely to be high!
CBT promotes healthy self-esteem
One of the critical components of CBT is helping teens recognize and adjust negative self-talk. This means learning how to confront beliefs that may be holding them back, promoting negative emotions, and causing them to behave in ways counterproductive to their goals. CBT helps teens learn about the connection between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, which enables them to replace unsupportive beliefs and self-talk with more positive or neutral ones. Over time, this shift can lead to a more positive self-image and an improved sense of self-esteem.
With my work with teens, I really support the idea of more balanced and neutral thoughts. My rationale with this in CBT is that if we move to positive only thoughts we fall into the “all or nothing, black or white” mentality. As previously stated, we want to look for the gray area! For example, if your teen got into an argument with a friend and started to have thoughts that “everyone hates me”, you can support your teen with CBT by challenging that thought with something more neutral. This would be the neutral thought, “Taylor and I got in an argument today AND that doesn’t mean that everyone hates me.”
CBT builds problem-solving skills
Teens face frequent challenges in their everyday lives. From issues with peers to academic stressors, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and struggle to find ways to address the problems effectively. CBT teaches teens how to break down complex problems into manageable steps, evaluate their options, and choose the right course of action. This helps teenagers develop problem-solving skills that they can use throughout their lives to overcome obstacles. Keep in mind that we are in a much better place to engage in problem-solving as well when we are more balanced in our thoughts and perspectives.
CBT improves communication skills
Effective communication skills are crucial for teens as they navigate their relationships with peers and family members. CBT helps teens learn how to communicate their thoughts and feelings effectively without getting caught up in negative emotional patterns. They learn how to articulate their needs while remaining respectful and assertive in their communication.
CBT helps prevent future mental health problems
By empowering teens with tools to manage their emotions and develop healthy coping strategies, CBT can help prevent the onset of future mental health issues. Teens who have participated in CBT often report a greater sense of resilience and the ability to cope with stressors in a more effective and positive way than those who have not.
Let’s wrap this up! Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a powerful tool for helping teens navigate the challenges they may encounter as they navigate adolescence. I hope my examples from my teenage brain helped you remember your own teenage brain. This modality has a proven track record of effectiveness in treating a wide range of emotional and behavioral problems. By teaching teens how to identify and challenge negative thoughts and behaviors, CBT empowers them with the skills they need to lead a fulfilling life. So if you’re concerned about your teen who may be struggling with emotional difficulties, consider reaching out to us today! The benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for teens can be far-reaching and long-lasting, ultimately giving them the tools to thrive throughout their lives.
