Adolescent Counselling

The Adolescence stage usually starts at the age of 10 and ends at the age of 19. It is considered a transition from childhood to adulthood and thus is a crucial time of life as a lot of changes happen. Adolescents face various mental changes like they become mature and smart and physical changes like bodily changes and hormonal changes when puberty hits them. It is a period of rapid physical and mental changes which can cause frustration, insecurity, confusion and tension. During Adolescence stage, stress and strain are very common among adolescents.

Adolescents while going through these changes become sensitive and develop low self-esteem. If they are not guided or counseled properly by someone then they are likely to feel lost and develop various mental health problems. Also, they could take advice from their friends who are adolescents as well and they could fall on the wrong path in their life. Thus, adolescent counselling will really help the adolescents during the most important phase of their life. So, let’s understand what exactly an adolescent counselling is?

What is Adolescent Counselling?

Adolescent Counselling is a type of counselling targeted at young people who are teenagers to help them deal with their feelings, thoughts and behaviors. In the counselling sessions, adolescents are given an opportunity to express themselves through various techniques used by adolescent counsellors. When children transition from childhood to adolescence which is difficult so they face a variety of issues in their life related to friendships, parental relationships, studies, relationships, etc. And to make further transition towards adulthood an easy and a smooth one, adolescent counselling really helps.

Adolescent Counsellors know what basic issues adolescent face and how to help them in it. They understand adolescent’s situation and deal with them efficiently as they can be stubborn, aggressive and non-cooperative sometimes.

Signs that an adolescent needs counselling

Sometimes, it is not clearly visible that an adolescent needs counselling but with the help of following signs that we can look out for can assist in helping the adolescent when needed. An adolescent needs counselling when he/she:

• Feels Hopelessness and helplessness
• Has lack of motivation
• Can’t focus on studies
• Engages in self-harm or talks about suicide
• Has been feeling sad, angry and anxious for a long time
• Showing changes in behavior of appetite and sleep
• Doesn’t like to socialize anymore
• Experiencing academic failures
• Has isolated themselves
• Showing extreme mood swings

Types of Adolescent Counselling

There are types of Adolescent Counselling as different approaches work with different people. So, it is the responsibility of the adolescent counsellor to find which approach of adolescent counselling s required and will work best for their client. Some approaches used in Adolescent Counselling are:

1. Individual counselling

In this, adolescents receive counselling on an individual basis. In the session, only the client and counsellor will be present and counsellor will focus only on one client at a time and tailor to his/her needs.

2. Group counselling

In this, more than one adolescent or client is present and he/she gets the opportunity to see and understand other adolescents going through same set of problems in life. This approach helps the adolescents to develop insights and awareness about how to deal and manage various problems of life. Safe and supportive environment is provided to all adolescents where they all share about their issues.

3. Family counselling

In this, adolescent’s family members can also seek counselling when they are concerned about their teenager’s mental health. So, mental health counsellors who have experience in working with adolescents as well as adults can provide this kind of counselling. It is a dynamic approach where a lot of people will be involved so it needs to be done carefully.

4. Crisis Counselling

This is to be done when an adolescent has faced some trauma or critical situation in their life and it has impacted their life and their mental health at the same time. According to statistical data, adolescents are facing many traumas like physical abuse, emotional abuse, mental abuse due to any reason like cyber bullying, peer pressure, drug or alcohol addiction, breakup, academic failure and other reasons. So, interventions are designed in such a way that immediate relief can be provided to the adolescent and then proper procedure of mental health treatment can be followed.

5. Expressive Arts Therapy

To indirectly let the adolescent express themselves and heal in the counselling sessions, music therapy, play therapy, dance therapy, art therapy and talk therapy is used. These are not traditional methods but can be beneficial for the adolescent who wants to improve mental health.

Which problems do adolescent counselling helps with?

Adolescent Counselling is essential for those with mental health issues or those who are experiencing difficulties in their life. Besides that there are many other issues that adolescent counselling helps with like:

• Bullying
• Anger Management
• Academic Difficulty
• Drug abuse
• Alcohol addiction
• Family conflicts
• Relationship issues
• Friendship issues
• Self-harm or suicidal tendencies
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Low self-esteem
• Grief
• Sexuality
• Peer Pressure

During adolescence, adolescents also experience cognitive changes. They develop a capacity for abstract thinking, new ways of processing information and learn to think creatively and critically. The most important challenges for adolescents are forming an identity, fulfilling parental expectations, societal expectations and managing the peer pressure. These adolescent challenges combined with the stresses and demands of life lead many adolescents to become disillusioned, distressed, anxious and unable to cope. They can also fall into tension reducing strategies such as drug and alcohol use.

Importance of Adolescent Counselling and how it works?

To understand the importance of Adolescent Counselling, let’s have a glance at some statistics which is shocking and concerning as well. The Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Well-being report of 2015 says that 1 in 10 adolescents experienced mental health issues and 1 in 13 children committed suicide. And only a minority of this data actually received mental health support. Only if they would have received adolescent counselling so that their quality of life could have improved. Thus, it can be seen that if mental health issues go untreated then adolescents can end up being in crisis but adolescent counselling can avoid this situation altogether.

As adolescence is a stage of human development during which a young person moves from dependency to independence and develop autonomy and maturity thus they usually face many challenges during this time. Some adolescents are more successful than others while dealing with the stress associated with the challenges of adolescent life; they are more resilient and have better coping skills. However, some adolescents who are unable to confront these challenges successfully, they can help themselves with adolescent counselling.

During adolescence stage, teenagers develop a sense of freedom, confidence and curiosity which can be a toll on their mental, emotional and physical health. Thus, they end up becoming victims of peer pressure, bullying and low self-esteem. But, in the counselling sessions, they get a safe, supportive and non-judgmental environment where and these desires must be driven and fulfilled properly. Besides that this stage is full of fear and isolation as well. They face hormonal changes and puberty which they can express about their problems and concerns and discuss anything that is important.

Adolescents can even seek adolescent counselling for career issues like what field to choose and what to pursue later in future as the adolescent counsellors can even provide guidance related to career selection also. Adolescent counsellor can help the adolescent become aware of his/her interests, abilities, skills and aptitude and thus decide which career is best for them. For adolescents, making educational and vocational choices becomes easier when a counsellor is guiding throughout the journey.

Sometimes, adolescents feel that no one understands them not even their parents, friends or any significant other so in that case, they can approach an adolescent counsellor whose specialization is in the field of working with adolescents. Adolescent counsellor would be the best person to approach as they understand adolescents as well as their problems and will help in overcoming all the problems.

Adolescent Counsellor teaches adolescents required skills and help them in setting realistic goals and work hard to achieve them. They are also taught how to build and maintain friendships and relationships with love and care. Major focus is put on the personal growth of the adolescent and increasing self-esteem levels. They are also taught various coping strategies that they need to overcome difficult situations in their life. Also, mindfulness, yoga and meditation are taught to them so to relax and calm their bodies due to any distress and anxiety they might be experiencing.

Various relaxation techniques like progressive muscle relaxation are administered in the counselling setting and adolescent is taught how to relax the body calmly and the adolescent transfers that leaning from the counselling setting to the everyday life. So that they can manage everything in life without getting distressed.

Motivational interviewing is also used in adolescent counselling firstly when the adolescent doesn’t even want to take counselling so to motivate him/her, this technique is really beneficial. Then, to teach anything and achieve any goal, the technique of motivational interviewing is used. Like when the adolescent is addicted to drugs or alcohol to motivate him/her to let go of this bad habit/addiction, motivational interviewing is proven to be helpful.

Adolescent counsellors are present oriented as they just focus on the current problem and how to help the adolescent solve it. They are also goal-oriented and focus on adolescent’s strength and they help their clients understand their own strengths, reduce symptoms and improve their mental health. Whatever situations and triggers that make the adolescents feel distressed, they are taught to avoid those situations and work on themselves for their personal growth.

Like sometimes, adolescents becomes victims of peer pressure, drug abuse, alcohol addiction or nay other illegal activity then they can’t get themselves out of that situations and feel stuck and distressed. In those cases, adolescent counsellors help them to overcome the current trauma and work towards a better future.

Visit Medavas for Adolescent Counselling

If you are an adolescent and feeling like you want to talk to a professional who would understand you problems better and help you then at Medavas, you will get one of the best counselling services. Our website will help your adolescent to become happy and confident in their life. Counsellors at our website are best in their work and clients especially adolescents love having counselling sessions with them. You can also book your appointment with them at our website called Medavas and let your healing journey start now.