Our counselors offer counseling for teens in Virginia Beach, VA

My go-to approach for helping people in teen counseling is first to build a rapport with my client. I enjoy building a rapport with my teen clients that allows them to feel comfortable in sharing their stories so I can find the best therapeutic approach to aid them in their therapy journey.

I teach the following tools in teen counseling:

• Grounding techniques: Grounding strategies help a person who is overwhelmed by memories or strong emotions or is dissociating, helping the person become aware of the here and now.
• Breathing techniques: Learning to control the breath can help people manage stress and stress-related conditions. Many people use their breathing to help promote relaxation and reduce stress.
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): This focuses on teaching people skills to manage intense emotions, cope with challenging situations, and improve their relationships. It encourages people to learn and use mindfulness training in practical ways.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): This is an effective treatment approach for a range of mental and emotional health issues, including anxiety and depression. CBT aims to help people identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts and to learn practical self-help strategies.

I know a client is making meaningful progress in teen counseling when they are using the techniques and coping mechanisms in their everyday life and are seeing positive changes in themselves.

Clients can supplement their time in teen counseling by reading materials on their diagnosis, doing the homework provided by the counselor, and journaling their thoughts and feelings throughout the week.

To prepare for their first teen counseling session, a teen can journal their thoughts and feelings, which can aid them in sharing what has been going on in their life and in their head with their counselor.