When your child is struggling emotionally, it may feel like everything has been said and done. Some of those words may have been hurtful and false. But when your child is facing mental health or emotional challenges, words may be the solution. Talk therapy may be just what they need.
They can begin working through what’s eating at them. And through it, they can start mending relationships and renewing their life. Here’s what every parent needs to know about this critical, evidence-based therapy technique.
What Is Talk Therapy?
Talk therapy refers to a set of treatments that are fully personalized to meet your child’s needs. Therapists and other mental health professionals use this therapy to help people who have substance use disorders as well as mental health and emotional challenges.
Also called “psychotherapy”, its goal is to help a person better understand things like:
- What they’re feeling
- Why they’re feeling it
- How they can use that knowledge to make positive changes in their life.
If the image of a person lying on a couch talking about their problems comes to mind, that’s because talk therapy can take that shape. But it can also be many things to many people.
It encourages a person who may feel overwhelmed by racing thoughts and emotions to say them aloud. Because once they do, they can begin to parse out truth versus lies they’re telling themselves. They start to see how emotion, past trauma, or general experiences can color reality.
A compassionate and resourceful therapist guides the self-exploration in a very structured manner. But for the most part, it’s your child who develops the solutions and creates a path to healing and renewal. It is for this reason that psychotherapy is so powerful.
It’s may be hard to see. But the answers are there. A skilled psychotherapist uncovers them.
What Are the Types of Psychotherapy?
This treatment includes many therapies you’ve probably heard of, such as:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) – Your child identifies negative thought patterns and habits that aren’t serving them and replaces them with healthier habits
- Family therapy program – You and your child talk through thoughts, feelings, and emotions with each other in a safe and supportive environment
- Group therapy program – Your child listens to others working through similar emotions aloud and shares with the group
- Psychodrama (experiential therapy) – Your child uses words and actions to act out past events to better understand them
- Interpersonal therapy program – Your child learns to express their feelings to others in healthy ways through practice in a group setting
Who Can Benefit from This Type of Therapy?
Almost anyone can benefit from talking it out. But this therapy has proven incredibly effective in both children and adults who:
- Feel overwhelming by sadness, helplessness, or depression
- Become agitated with everyday problems
- Have trouble concentrating on homework, their job, or other important life tasks
- Drink too much or abuse drugs
- Engage in risky behavior like stealing, self-harm, or unprotected sex
- Feel that no matter how hard they try, things never get better
- Feel anxious, worried, or fearful in situations that are generally safe
It’s important to note that talking isn’t a quick fix. It can take months or years for your child to recover truly. This may begin in a residential treatment program. But as your child progresses, they can continue to do the work in an intensive outpatient program, and then outpatient. But because a therapist helped them be a part of the solution, that recovery is more meaningful and long-lasting.
That’s important because relapse rates are high. 75% of all relapses are related to a combination of interpersonal struggles, lack of family support, socioeconomic challenges, and mental health issues. This form of therapy addresses these things.
Your child develops skills to prevent themselves from falling back into the pit of depression and addiction.
How Phoenix Rising Recovery Uses Psychotherapy
We use the many forms of talking therapy we discussed above to help your child have a more meaningful recovery. We offer a full range of residential and outpatient programs to meet your unique needs. To help your child get on the path to renewal, call us at 8552328211 today.