We’ve heard from many parents that it’s impossible to be everything for their teens. It’s the reason why parents find their teens sports coaches, music tutors, and the appropriate doctor when their teen falls sick. However, we’ve found that many parents feel the need to be everything for their kids when it comes to their emotional wellbeing. This thinking can lead parents to burn out and leave teens with inadequate support.

If you are here, you are probably not one of those parents who thinks they need to ensure that their teen thrives alone. We applaud you for that, and hope in this section to outline what options you have when it comes to getting support for your teen’s anxiety.

Clinical mental health professionals

Clinical mental health professionals are a crucial resource to consider for your teen if they are experiencing anxiety. Nearly all mental health professionals will have experiencing working with anxiety. However, it’s important to note that not every professional has experience working with teens and adolescents. When you are selecting a professional, ask them about their professional experience and philosophy with working with teens.

There are a few different categories of mental health professionals who you should know about.

Psychiatrists

If your teen is struggling with serious mental health issues, seeing a Psychiatrist might be the right option for you. A Psychiatrist is a trained Medical Doctor who can diagnose and treat mental illness as well as prescribe medication.

Psychologists

Psychologists have also received a doctoral degree but focus specifically on the treatment of mental health issues through different evidenced based practices. In most states, Psychologists do not prescribe medication. Instead, they use evidence based mental health treatments such as CBT, DBT, among others.

Therapists, Counselors, Social Workers

Counselors, Social Workers, and Therapists are another set of licensed mental health professional who can support teens who are in need. These professionals complete graduate degrees and are trained to support teens using the same evidence based procedures as Psychologists.

Benefits of clinical mental health professionals

• All clinical mental health professionals must recieve a license

• They are medical professionals with years of training and experience

• Often they have worked with people who’ve experienced similar things to that your teen is going through

Mental Wellness Mentorship

“Therapy and mentorship, along with medication if needed, can play an instrumental role in a teen’s ability to thrive.” - Ahmed Khan

Mentorship is a research-backed support system that can have a profound impact on teens' lives, helping them develop skills and confidence to navigate challenges. With mentorship, teens can build a relationship with someone who they can relate to. Mentors are trained to support teens by sharing their own lived experience and assisting teens in utilizing wellness tools to improve confidence, self-esteem, and so much more. Mentorship provides teens a safe and non-judgemental space to establish healthy habits and coping mechanisms, managing symptoms and maintaining good mental health.

Benefits of Mental Health Mentorship for Teens

• Personalized Support: Mentors provide individualized support based on teens' unique needs and challenges, offering practical tools for coping.

• Increased Self-Confidence: Teens with mentors report feeling more confident and empowered about their future, benefiting from someone who been through and understands their struggles.

• Improved Communication Skills: Mentors help teens improve their communication skills, fostering positive relationships with peers and more communicative with family.

• Developing Coping Strategies: Mentors teach teens healthy coping mechanisms to manage stress and anxiety effectively.

• Increased Motivation: Mentors provide motivation to help teens stay engaged in their mental health journey, sustaining progress and overcoming obstacles.

Peer Support Groups

Teens may find that peer support groups with other teens allow them to have space to talk with other teens about what they are going through. This can enable them to feel less alone and build relationships with other teens. Having a non-judgemental space to share their experience with other teens can give them the confidence to talk about their experience.

Benefits of peer support groups

• Allows teens to build relationships with other teens

• Groups can be less intimidating than 1-1 support for some teens

Wellness Apps

Though there’s a complicated relationship between phone use and teen mental health, there’s lots of high quality apps out there for teens to use to improve their mental wellness. There are apps can facilitate journalling, mood tracking, naming emotions, and more. Onemind (a partner of Somethings) has a CyberGuide that ranks different apps on credibility, user experience, and transparency. You can view the CyberGuide here: https://onemindpsyberguide.org/apps/