In the age of Snapchat, Instagram, and one million TikTok dances…

it’s more difficult than ever for parents to connect to their teenagers. We know you’re trying your best to get through and stay connected to them, and sometimes that requires some outside help.

Common Reasons for Starting Teen Therapy

  • Depression and/or self-harm
  • Behavioral problems
  • Substance abuse
  • School/extracurricular related stress
  • Generalized and/or social anxiety
  • Social pressure and challenges
  • Low self-esteem and low confidence
  • Trauma
  • Gender and sexual identity concerns
  • Grief

For Parents:

Therapy for teens can provide necessary skills for appropriately exploring independence

The most important aspect of teen therapy is the relationship with their provider. This is true for all therapeutic relationships, but more so for adolescents who don’t trust easily and may have had negative experiences with authority.

At Prologue, our teen therapists are well-versed in Gen-Z issues (and trends and slang!) and we’re experts in balancing this with our therapy skills. This creates an environment where teenagers feel safe to express their thoughts and feelings while still being accountable for their behaviors. The frameworks we use are evidence-based and widely accepted models such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. We also incorporate family therapy when appropriate, and other systemic approaches such as Narrative Therapy and Internal Family Systems.

Your relationship with your teen is going to change in this important phase of your lives. But it doesn’t have to be an excruciating experience. Reach out to Prologue Therapy & Relationship Counseling today to get started.

For Teens:

You’re not imagining it– it’s really hard to be a teenager in this day and age. Not only do you have school and social pressure, but of course you’ve got the added challenge of social media. You’re always “on” even when you’re alone. It’s draining, and your parents don’t fully understand what it’s like. They don’t know how it feels to try and figure out who you are with the world watching. They didn’t experience popularity as a literal number next to their name. They never had to interpret a snap that’s just someone’s face. No caption. This is all before COVID even entered the chat.

With this giant disconnect in your experiences– arguably bigger than any generational gap in recent history– it makes a lot of sense if you and your parents aren’t on the same page about how to help you. But we know how to help. At Prologue, we know how to tap into the good stuff that’s already inside you, so you can finally start to feel like the person you were meant to be; the person in charge of your own life. Your parents gave you roots, and now it’s time to learn how to get your wings. Reach out to us today to get started.

Teen Therapy FAQ

We are fully licensed to diagnose mental health concerns, and often do in situations where it’s required by insurance or may help a client understand their symptoms.
Typically though, we find diagnosis less important than some therapists, because it can have the effect of making a person feel boxed-in. Ex: “I can’t do XYZ because I’m depressed,” or “I can’t control that because of my bipolar.”

Adolescents in New Jersey get their privacy per HIPAA at the age of 14, meaning at that point, we only break confidentiality if we have reason to believe that the client is a danger to themselves or someone else, or if they are being abused. We are mandated reporters and will report abuse of any minor, above 14 or not. However, your teen may provide consent for us to share things with parents and/or have family sessions when appropriate.

In that case, and in cases with clients under 14, family members may join certain sessions to provide perspective, support, and engage in conflict resolution. This is always done at the discretion of the provider and the client.

We at Prologue ultimately hope to be out of work. We want you to heal and not need us anymore. That being said, a specific timeline for therapy cannot be defined. There are too many variables. For example, the amount of work you put in outside the session, the complexity of the issues, the cadence of sessions, and many more.

Generally, the therapy process at Prologue flows through these four phases, adapted from The Gottman Method:
Assessment– gathering of information. Assessment continues through the following phases as well.
Treatment– using the assessment information to set and achieve goals
Phasing Out– decreasing the frequency of sessions to create opportunity for practice
Termination– one or two sessions to look back on what you have accomplished and make a plan to keep it up independently

Are you ready to get started?