Therapy can be integral to mental and emotional health. For teenagers, therapy can provide a grounding, actionable resource for withstanding emotional pain, understanding their behaviors, and changing harmful belief systems. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can provide teens and their families with helpful tools for emotion and mental wellness. Therapy can be instrumental in mental health, especially for teenagers. Daily stress, hormonal changes, pressure to succeed, and unprocessed childhood trauma weigh on teens every day. Finding the right ways to support their mental health can make a world of difference. It can also help improve communication between you and your teenager.
If your teenager is struggling, cognitive-behavioral therapy at Imagine Seattle can help. Learn more about our CBT therapy programs for adolescents ages twelve to seventeen. Reach our staff now at 888.346.0473 to learn more about the ways to engage your loved one with CBT activities for teenagers.
4 CBT Activities for Teenagers
1. Worry Journaling
Journaling is profoundly therapeutic. By writing about stress, worry, and anxiety, many teens are able to separate themselves from these emotions and return to the present moment. A journal also helps them gauge how daily activities, hormonal changes, and diet or exercise change their daily journaling.
2. Social Roleplay
Roleplay can be a way for teens to explore various scenarios that cause anxiety or worry. Working with a therapist or loved one’s teens can slowly engage in social situations with less anxiety. Roleplay can also empower teens to use their voice, stand their ground, and respect their own boundaries.
3. Gradual Exposure
Gradual exposure helps teens slowly overcome their fears or challenges. If a particular place or activity triggers post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, or depression, a family member can help a teen engage in gradual exposure without risking mental health or safety.
4. Mindfulness
Mindfulness helps people focus on the current moment in time, often through gentle breathing exercises. This activity helps to ease anxiety, promote self-esteem, and improve concentration.
These are only a few common CBT tools you and your teen can try at home. Remember that the best care comes in the hands of a licensed CBT therapist who can help you and your family support healthy change through cognitive-behavioral therapy. A cognitive-behavioral therapist can also determine if your child needs support for co-occurring disorders and PTSD. CBT is often most effective when used with alternative therapies like art, music, or equine therapy.
Benefits of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Like other behavioral therapies, CBT aims to help clients change their behaviors through various exercises. Over time, cognitive-behavioral therapy can reduce trauma and addiction triggers, change harmful thought patterns, and help people establish better boundaries for mental and physical health.
CBT also helps young adults understand their emotions, build emotional resilience, and cope with daily stress. This can reduce the risk of self-harm, substance abuse, and process addictions, like video games or social media.
Additional Therapy Options at Imagine Seattle
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the leading behavioral therapy to promote healthy change because it works. Our Imagine Seattle team has extensive experience administering cognitive behavioral therapy and other therapeutic approaches to teens to help them heal from mental health disorders, addiction, and trauma.
With a range of outpatient programs for young adults ages 12-17, our trauma-informed treatments help teens recover from mood disorders and substance abuse. Our therapy programs include:
- Group therapy
- Individual therapy
- Family therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Trauma therapy
When used in conjunction with cognitive-behavioral therapy, other therapy programs can give your teen the support they need for a long, healthy adulthood.
Explore CBT Activities for Teenagers at Imagine Seattle
If your teen might benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy, rely on our compassionate team at Imagine Seattle to help your teen with our CBT therapy programs. For more information about CBT therapy activities for teens, contact us online or at 888.346.0473 today.