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The value of therapy groups for teens
If you’re a parent of a teenager struggling with mental health challenges, you know how difficult the journey is.
At Avery’s House, we ease this burden with our group therapy services, which are included in our residential and outpatient programs for adolescents.
In group therapy, teens get support from peers struggling with similar problems. This gives them the strength to overcome obstacles and setbacks.
What is group therapy for teenagers?
For teens facing mental health challenges, the world can seem like a frightening place.
They may feel crushing pressure from social media, peers, family, and even themselves. Pretending everything’s okay can become unbearable.
Group therapy helps teens find a way out of this darkness. It’s a form of counseling where a small group (typically 5–10 participants) share experiences, offer support, and learn coping strategies together, guided by a therapist.
The therapist’s job is to create a space where teens feel safe to work through challenges, whether anxiety, family pressure, social stress, or something they can’t quite put into words.
The power of shared experience
Therapy groups for teens offer a benefit individual therapy can’t: the power of shared experience. As participants open up, they realize that they are not alone in their struggles; others face similar challenges.
They take comfort in being part of a community that’s rooting for them to succeed. Therapy groups offer the support teens need to triumph over challenges and reclaim joy.
How effective is group therapy for teens?
For a teen troubled by mental health problems, group therapy is especially transformative. Adolescence is marked by rapid physical, emotional, and neurological changes that can intensify feelings of stress, anxiety, and self-doubt.
During the teen years, the brain is still developing, particularly the prefrontal cortex, which handles decision-making and emotional regulation.
The limbic system, which processes emotions, is also in overdrive. This combination makes feelings more intense and challenging to manage.
Hormonal changes add to the turmoil. Cortisol levels surge, causing skyrocketing stress, while dopamine fluctuations prompt unpredictable mood swings. The need for acceptance and belonging becomes more pronounced, and rejection can feel devastating.
Why teens find it hard to open up
For many teens, allowing others to see their true selves can be frightening. The emotional pain that often accompanies mental health challenges can cause them to retreat behind a defensive barrier, making it hard for others to reach them.
The instinct to keep emotions bottled up or hide behind a mask can be overpowering, especially when trust doesn’t come easily. The trained therapists in our teen residential programs can help.
How adolescent group therapy builds trust
Parents who can’t get more than a shrug or mumbled “okay” from their teen when they ask about their day might be shocked at how easily their child opens up in group therapy. The idea of their teen sharing emotions with people they just met might seem unrealistic.
However, the skilled therapists in Avery’s House programs create environments where teens feel safe to authentically express themselves. Trust builds, and they’re soon talking openly about their struggles.
Benefits of group therapy for teens
Acts as an antidote to loneliness
Adolescents often feel painfully alone, thinking nobody understands what they’re going through.
In group therapy, they join a welcoming community of peers who offer unwavering support and unconditional acceptance.
Teens eventually feel safe enough to drop the mask that separates them from others. Guided by our skilled clinicians, they unpack feelings they’ve lacked words to describe and stop carrying burdens alone.
Teaches essential life skills
Teen group therapy is more than a place to talk. Participants also learn and practice essential skills, such as active listening, effective communication, and stress management.
Role-playing exercises allow adolescents to practice difficult conversations with peers invested in their success. In these ways, group therapy is a workshop where adolescents gain tools to lead fulfilling lives.
Group therapy activities for teens may even include outdoor team challenges or nature-based mindfulness that cultivates self-awareness.
Establishes healthy routines
Teens who feel like nobody understands them can get frustrated, expressing anger in unhealthy ways like yelling, slamming doors, and lashing out.
Group therapy allows them to develop healthier responses to emotional turmoil by helping them
- Recognize the emotions driving unhealthy behavior
- Understand underlying causes
- Develop and practice healthy coping mechanisms and regulation strategies
Group discussions and feedback play a critical role. A teen can describe a difficult situation—such as being ignored by a friend or receiving a bad grade—and the group can explore healthy ways to handle it.
Peers also share strategies, offering insights from personal experiences. Such interactions normalize difficult emotions while providing concrete, peer-tested coping strategies.
Empowers teens to be themselves
In group therapy, teens are free to be themselves and say whatever’s on their minds, inviting practical support from others who’ve been there. They can work on issues at their own pace, without being forced to share before they’re comfortable.
What’s shared stays in the group, allowing participants to express themselves without fear of judgment or repercussions. This reassurance helps them shed pretense and be authentic.
Group therapy at Avery’s House
Seeing your child struggle with mental health challenges is painful.
You remember when they sprung out of bed, excited to start the day. But now, that vibrant spark has dimmed, replaced by suffering that you can’t seem to fix, no matter how hard you try.
With Avery’s House, you don’t have to bear this struggle alone. Our licensed group therapists can help your child rediscover their joy and find their way back to the happy, fulfilled person they once were.
Contact us today for a free consultation and learn how we can help.