Maybe you have been deeply concerned about your teen’s mental health for a while now. They might be exhibiting symptoms of anxiety, depression, or another mental health condition. These symptoms are persisting or getting worse over time.
By now, you may have done as much as you could for your teen at home. But your efforts don’t seem to have helped. You feel like you’ve exhausted your personal options. Now, you’ve decided that it’s time to turn to outside help.
Yet after encouraging your teen to go to counseling and offering to help connect them with a therapist, they shot down the suggestion. It’s normal for teens to feel hesitant about going to therapy. It’s okay if it takes more than one conversation to get your teen to open up to the idea.
If your teen is refusing to go to counseling, these suggestions can help you move forward.
Be Willing to Listen
First, it’s important to listen to your teen so that you can learn why they don’t want to go to counseling. They may be concerned about the stigma or think that it sounds boring. If you know their specific reasons for rejecting counseling, you can address these concerns and ease your teen’s fears.
For example, if your teen is nervous that going to therapy means they automatically take medication, you can tell them that medication is not always necessary or recommended, and talk therapy is effective for many people.
Keep the Conversation Open
Trying to force your teen to go to counseling by bringing up the topic repeatedly could backfire. But it’s still a good idea to return to this topic when appropriate.
Let them know that it’s still an option, and the door is always open. It may take a few discussions for your teen to soften.
Reassure Them That It’s a Private Matter
Many teens are unwilling to consider therapy at first because they do not want their friends or peers to find out that they are going. Although the stigma around seeing a therapist is not as severe as it used to be, your teen might worry that people will judge them negatively if anyone realizes they are in counseling.
Reassure your teen that therapy is a completely private matter. Anything that they say to a therapist is confidential. Make it clear that you will not tell anyone that they are in therapy.
Give Them a Choice of Therapists
Sometimes, it can take a while to find the right therapist. Your teen might be worried that if they agree to see a therapist, and they aren’t a good fit, they will have to continue seeing them for months on end.
Let your teen know that if they don’t like the first therapist they see, you’re happy to help them find another one. They might feel a bit more relaxed about talking to a therapist if they have a choice in who they work with.
Consider Working with Your Own Therapist
If this issue is straining your relationship with your teen, you may want to consider working with a therapist on your own. By meeting with a therapist individually, you can improve your communication and conflict resolution skills so that you can approach conversations about counseling with your teen in a healthy way.
Additionally, you’ll naturally gain insights into the therapeutic process. Then you can give your teen honest answers about how therapy actually works to clear up any misconceptions.
Are you concerned about your teen’s mental health? They may benefit from working with a therapist. Reach out to us to learn more about our teen counseling services.