Private, Confidential Teen and Family Counseling: A Guide to Successful Therapy
As a parent, watching your teenager struggle with mental health can be agonizing. You want the best for them, and when it comes to teen therapy, you want them to receive specialized care that addresses their needs.
At Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling, we prioritize confidentiality and parent involvement to ensure that our clients receive tailored, effective counseling. This blog post will cover the typical teen therapy process, the importance of confidentiality in teen and family counseling, the steps taken at Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling to ensure private and confidential counseling, and the benefits of parent involvement in the therapy process.
The Typical Teen Therapy Process
The Introduction
The first step in teen therapy is to assess the teenager's needs. During the initial session, the teen counselor will introduce themselves and explain the therapy process, confidentiality agreements, and the limitations of confidentiality.
It's important for your teenager to understand that what they say in therapy will not be disclosed to anyone else, except under certain circumstances such as if they express a desire to harm themselves or others.
Forming a Relationship
The relationship between the teen and the therapist is critical to the success of the therapy. The teen counselor will work to build trust by actively listening, empathizing, and guiding the teenager through their challenges. As teens open up and share their innermost feelings, they gain a better understanding of themselves and learn how to cope with their challenges.
Identifying Core Causes
During the sessions, the teen counselor will work with the teenager to identify patterns of behavior or thinking that may lead to their challenges. They will then develop strategies customized to the teen's unique needs. By helping them develop healthy habits and relationships, the teen counselor can help the teen build resilience, self-acceptance, and confidence.
Useful Application in Daily Life
The ultimate goal of teen therapy is for the teenager to take what they have learned and apply it to their daily life. In the last few sessions, the teen therapist will prepare the teen for life after therapy and provide tools and strategies to maintain their mental well-being.
The Importance of Confidentiality in Teen and Family Counseling
At Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling, we understand and respect the value of confidentiality. Confidentiality is a core value in therapy. In a therapeutic context, confidentiality means that anything discussed during a session remains between the client and therapist.
Confidentiality forms the basis of trust between the therapist and teenager. When teens know that what they say in therapy will stay private, they are more likely to open up and share their deepest feelings. This trust enables the teen therapist to work with the teenager on a deeper level, which can lead to more progress in therapy.
There are limits to confidentiality however and this is explained in the very first session to both the teen and their parents. If the teen talks about wanting to hurt themselves, hurt others or reports any abuse or neglect, the therapist is duty bound to inform parents.
The Parents Vital Role in Teen Therapy
At Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling, we believe parents play an essential role in their child's therapy process. Our teen therapists encourage parental involvement in their child's therapy and include them every step of the way. We believe that parents can be partners with their teens in the therapy process, offering additional support and guidance at home.
Parental involvement can also help teens develop more effective communication skills with their parents. As teens practice open and honest communication with their parents, they also learn to articulate their feelings and needs more effectively, which can translate into better communication with peers and other adults.
Research Supporting Confidentiality and Parental Involvement in the Teen's Success
Research in the field of psychology has confirmed that confidentiality and parental involvement are critical in teen counseling. Confidentiality has been linked to building trust in therapy, which can result in better outcomes.
A 2012 study found that maintaining confidentiality in therapy encouraged deeper engagement between therapists and teenagers, more participation, and more progress.
Studies have also found maternal involvement to be particularly crucial in teen girls' mental health. A 2004 study found that a close relationship with their mothers contributed to teenage girls' overall healthy functioning.
Wrapping it Up
At Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling, we value confidentiality and parental involvement in teen and family counseling. We prioritize our clients' safety and security and are committed to ensuring that all conversations remain private and confidential.
Our teen counselors work collaboratively with parents to support their teen's progress and success. By prioritizing these values, we create a safe, supportive environment for your teenager to grow and develop resilience and mental well-being.
Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling: Confidential Teen, Young Adult, & Family Therapy in Sugar Land, TX & Houston
As counselors specializing in teen counseling and family therapy, we have learned by years of experience just how critical confidentiality is in working with teenagers. We have also learned the vital role parents play in the teenager's therapy and successful outcomes.
Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling, located in Sugar Land, TX, our therapists have helped other teens and families overcome the challenges that were thought maybe to big to overcome. And we want to help you!
We are conveniently located off of US 90 and Dairy Ashford Road.
We also have our Katy, TX location, Katy Teen & Family Counseling, which is located right off of I-10 and Grand Parkway/Hwy 99 in Katy, TX.
If you are ready to meet with one of our teen therapists or young adult therapists, all you need to do is follow these three simple steps:
Contact Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling
Talk with one of our caring therapists
Begin the healing process today!
Other Therapy and Counseling Services Offered at Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling
At Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling, we provide a variety of therapy approaches that are supported by research and shown to be effective. Some of the teen therapy and young adult counseling we offer are:
Board Certified Neurofeedback Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR Therapy)
Group Therapy for Teens
Teen Depression
Teen Anxiety
Teen Social Anxiety
Teen Panic Attacks
Body Image
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Couples Therapy & Marriage Counseling
Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling can be very effective. The secret ingredient to success is each person willing to look at themselves and work to do things differently, together. When a marriage counselor or couples therapist has this to work with, the success rate can be very high.
Sometimes life will throw challenges at us that create situations that put strain on our marriage or relationship. It may be due to:
Choices and actions that have been made by one partner.
Financial downturn in the economy creating financial strain.
Feeling like you're growing apart.
Feeling like you don't have as much in common as you used to.
Whatever the reason may be, marriage counseling and couples therapy can help. Couples therapy and marriage counseling has also been found to work in less time than individual therapy.
If you've worked hard for this relationship and find that there are now barriers in the way of maintaining a healthy relationship, contact us at Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling.
About the Author
Jason Drake is a Licensed Clinical Worker - Supervisor (LCSW-S), Board Certified in Neurofeedback, EMDR trained, and a Certified Brain Health Professional through the Amen Clinics. He has provided therapy to teens, young adults, and families since 2003 and is the Owner & Lead Clinician at Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling, Katy Counseling for Men, & Katy Teen & Family Counseling.
He specializes in leading teams of high performing therapists who also specialize in teen therapy, counseling young adults, and family counseling.
Jason is also a leader in the field of teen, young adult, and family counseling providing expert coaching and technical assistance to teen Residential Treatment Centers across the country.
Jason is also a regular contributor to various magazines and publications lending his expertise to various mental health related topics. You can check these articles out on our "Featured Articles" service page on our website.
He has also been a guest on Fox 26 Houston and on a podcast, "Grow a Group Practice" with Alison Pidgeon.
If you are ready to start teen counseling or young adult therapy call, text, or email us today!
Email: info@sugarlandtfc.com
Phone Number: (832) 979-4989
