Is Therapy Working? Signs to Look for as a Teen or Young Adult

Read Time: 10 minutes

We've got good news and bad news. Let's start with the bad news: more than 42% of high school students felt "persistently sad or hopeless" in 2021, with that percentage increasing from nearly 20% since 2011. The good news? Mental health and therapy are becoming more of a priority among teens and young adults.. 

Well, that's all fine and dandy, you might say, but I don't think therapy is working for me. I'm supposed to feel better, you think, why is this taking so long? Maybe you feel like you're "failing" somehow. Maybe you even feel worse.

We hear you (and so many of your peers!) and we're glad you're here. In this blog, let's dive into the nitty gritty and ask real questions, mainly: How do I know if therapy is actually helping?

Understanding Therapy's Role in Teen and Young Adult Mental Health

We know you're sick and tired of hearing this, but let us tell you one more time: therapy can be incredibly beneficial for young people. Not only is your brain still developing, but you're in the midst of some incredibly huge changes, including but not limited to leaving the house, discovering who you are as an individual, and finding your place in the world. Throw in anxiety, depression, disabilities, chronic illness, and/or a host of other life challenges and of course you're going to start feeling like the world is punching you down.

Therapy offers us a place where we can feel safer to talk about our feelings, learn ways to deal with tough times, and start feeling like we're in charge of our lives again. Essentially, therapy is a place we can get the help and advice we need to tackle the tricky parts of growing up.

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Psst...by the way…

WE OFFER THERAPY FOR TEENS & YOUNG ADULTS IN DENVER.

The Goals of Therapy for Teens and Young Adults

Of course, everyone's goals for therapy are different. Here at Interfaith Bridge Counseling, we feel it's important to let young people tell us what they want out of therapy. We want to help you discover what's most important to you and support you in reaching the outcome you're looking for.

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Some common things we work on in therapy include:

• Recognition: We help teens and young adults learn to identify their internal feelings and the corresponding somatic sensations, which in turn helps young people be more present in their lives.

• Self-Exploration: Through therapy, we delve into teens' and young people's values, identities, boundaries, and more. We discover what engages them most and helps them move towards independence.

• Communal Support: AKA we help young people find their people. We help you find a community that is bolstered by mutual respect, accountability, consent, and inclusion.

• Skill Building: These are the tools and skills that help us manage our lives, foster autonomy, and help give us purpose.

So now that we've lined out some of the "goals" of therapy, how can we really know if it's working?

Identifying Signs of Progress in Therapy

Here's where things may become a little surprising.

If you're feeling worse after starting therapy, you might just be doing some really good work.

Think of it this way. Therapy is like treating an old injury. In the past, you've treated your wound as best you could. Now you've decided to see someone who can help you heal from that injury. At first, they help you uncover the wound. Maybe it's hard to look at.Next, maybe they suggest that you'll even have to rebreak the bones to help your injury heal better. And that's really hard and painful.

If you're hurting, it may be that you're in a stage of intense healing and awareness in your therapy. Let's dive deeper.

1. You're feeling more.

Remember that recognition part? When you start to be more aware of your feelings and the way your body physically responds to different emotions, it may be difficult. Feeling those emotions can be rough, especially for those of us who may have intentionally or unintentionally been repressing those feelings. It's uncomfortable, but recognizing those body signals and emotions means you're giving yourself permission to heal.

2. You feel lost or different.

As you uncover your feelings and traumas, it may very well rattle your sense of self. You may also feel as if who you identified as is false. Previous held beliefs about yourself and others might start to change in your therapeutic journey. This change is scary (as we all know change is!) It can be hard to go through these changes, and even harder to face the grief that often accompanies it. Just know that it is normal and means you're making progress.

3. Your relationships aren't the same.

The more you learn about yourself and your values and boundaries in therapy, you may start to share those hard lines and opinions. Unfortunately, some people, maybe even some that you thought you had a strong relationship with, may not like those boundaries or values. They may say hurtful things like "I miss the old you" or "this is just a phase." And as painful as this is, recognizing and understanding what really matters most to you is, well, most important. It's normal to grieve for these old relationships.

4. You feel stuck.

We hear you. We wish therapy was a quick fix, but unfortunately, healing takes time. Humans are complex beings, with individual lived experiences that are both beautiful and painful. Teens and young adults have it especially hard, and are inundated with change. It may seem as if you're stuck, but it's important to remind yourself that therapy truly is a journey. There will be points where you feel as if you've gone nowhere and other times when you'll look back and see just how far you've come.

Individual Therapy for Teens & Young Adults in Denver, CO

Before we leave you, we should point out that progress in therapy doesn't always show up in seemingly negative ways. In fact, it can show up in a myriad of wonderful ways. For example, you may find yourself:

• feeling different in a good way

• talking more openly

• becoming more engaged in activities

• feeling more energetic

• being more conscious of your thoughts and feelings

• more confident.

Being involved and honest in your sessions and having trust in who you're talking to also goes a long way in helping you in your journey. And if ever there’s doubt on whether it’s working as expected or not, you should always feel comfortable telling your therapist (and if you're not, try a different one!) Remember, therapy is a healing journey and healing is never easy.

At Interfaith Bridge Counseling we believe you deserve to live a life that feels genuine to you. We offer individual therapy to adolescents, teens, and young adults in Denver and throughout Colorado, providing young people with a safer place to strive towards their goals. If you're interested, or have questions about therapy, please reach out. We're here for you.

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About Our Author | Lena McCain MA, LPC. 0017723

Lena McCain is our Founder here at Interfaith Bridge Counseling, where she continues her support as our Clinical Director. She also holds a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health: Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from Naropa University.

Lena’s drive and passions lie in the realm of community building and youth collaboration, which she has spent the last 12 years studying with an emphasis on one’s exploration of personal growth, community healing, and multicultural values. Lena’s expertise in these areas and the therapeutic field acts as a reminder to our community, teens, and young adults that they are not alone in their experience of life.