Teenagers and young adults often face challenges related to school, connecting with peers, and figuring out what they want to accomplish in life. The stress of trying to navigate these issues can take a toll on a young adult’s mental health. It can be even harder on individuals who are also trying to manage a mental health disorder. Therapy can help young people learn coping skills to deal with their symptoms healthily. Regular counseling can also teach people how to discontinue destructive behaviors like drug and alcohol abuse.
Let’s look at some of the ways that therapy can benefit the mental health of young people.
Therapy Encourages More Open Communication
Young adults often have a hard time letting people know that they need help. Some turn their pain inward, indulging in self-destructive behavior that is a plea for someone to notice they are in trouble. Some less healthy ways in which younger people may express what’s going on inside include:
- Cutting themselves
- Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
- Using drugs
- Lashing out in anger at friends, parents, and authority figures
Unfortunately, others dismiss these signs as that person being a troublemaker or moody. Having their signals ignored can cause a young person to indulge in more extreme behavior and restart the cycle of self-harm.
Taking part in therapy sessions gives individuals a chance to be heard by their therapist. They are encouraged to talk about what’s driving their behavior. They also get the opportunity to learn better ways of expressing themselves that don’t involve hurting themselves or others. That can lead to the mending of relationships and the rebuilding of bonds with friends and family.
Therapy Can Teach You How to Manage Your Emotions
Various forms of talk therapy like cognitive-behavioral therapy teach you how to recognize patterns where your default reaction is negativity. You also learn to recognize when your perception of a situation may be wrong.
Once you understand what’s happening and the circumstances that prompt that behavior, you can learn how to redirect your thoughts more positively. For instance, you can learn to listen to your feelings and understand what is happening. You can then respond appropriately instead of prematurely reacting with anger to perceived slights.
Dialectic behavior therapy is another kind of talk therapy that provides similar benefits. There are various counseling services available through programs like those offered at Red Oak Recovery that can benefit the mental health of young adults.
Therapy Can Help You Understand Your Illness
Many young people have no idea why they are acting out in different ways. They may have an undiagnosed mental health disorder that requires mental health treatment. Drug and alcohol abuse are common ways that young adults try to manage symptoms they do not fully understand that may be the result of:
- Major depression
- Anxiety
- PTSD
- Bipolar disorder
- Schizophrenia
Attending therapy sessions to address your behavior can be the start of figuring out what’s going inside. Getting a confirmed diagnosis of a mental health disorder can provide you with direction. You can now start learning about how you can treat your illness, hopefully allowing you to move your life in a more positive direction.
Seek Treatment at Red Oak Recovery
Clients who enroll at Red Oak Recovery gain access to traditional and holistic forms of therapy. Young adults receive individualized treatment plans where they participate in sessions designed to help with their specific issues.
Programs and therapies that can benefit young adults include:
- Anxiety treatment program
- Trauma treatment
- Disordered eating treatment
- Co-occurring disorder treatment
If you’re ready to improve your mental health and work on changing your life, get started by contacting Red Oak Recovery at 866.457.7590.
