What Is a Long-Term Therapist and Why Should Teens & Young Adults Consider One?

Read Time: 12 minutes

Let's consider two possibilities. 

Possibility #1: You're reading this article because you're considering going to therapy and you've heard mixed reviews about long-term therapy vs short-term therapy. Even the term "long-term therapy" might be a little daunting to you, and you're worried about things like whether or not you can become dependent on therapy and if you'll be able to afford therapy for a couple of years, much less months. 

Possibility #2: You're here because you've tried therapy before and you're considering trying again. Maybe you felt as if you "got better" before, but now you feel like you're creeping toward a crisis again. Or maybe you didn't click with your therapist the first time, and you're considering a long-term therapist because you've heard they focus on forming long-term coping skills and behaviors and are more attuned to their clients. 

Regardless of your reasons for being here, welcome! We'd like to take a moment this month to explore more about what a long-term therapist is, address some common concerns, and share some of the benefits of working with one of our long-term therapists here at Interfaith Bridge Counseling. Without further ado, let's dive in.

What is a Long-Term Therapist?

A long-term therapist is a mental health professional who works with clients over an extended period to provide ongoing support, guidance, and treatment for various mental health concerns. Long-term therapy is built on a foundation of trust and understanding, allowing us as therapists to really get to know you, including your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Long-term therapy is sometimes referred to as psychotherapy.

Unlike short-term therapies, which tend to focus more on immediate concerns or coping mechanisms, long-term therapy aims to understand your lived experiences, behavior patterns, and possible underlying concerns. Think of long-term therapy as a more holistic approach; of course we want to help you with your immediate concerns, but we also want to help you tune-in and recognize and understand your own emotions and behaviors so that you can develop strategies that can lead to sustainable change in your life. 

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Psst...by the way…

LOOKING FOR THERAPISTS WHO KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE FOR TEENS & YOUNG ADULTS IN COLORADO?

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Why Should a Teen or Young Adult Consider a Long-Term Therapist?

While we could argue that long-term therapy can be beneficial for all ages, we'll focus on why we think a long-term therapist is particularly beneficial for adolescents and young adults. 

As you already know or may have experienced, being a young adult is tough. It can feel like your body, mind, environment, and relationships are entirely unpredictable, and frankly, cruel to you. Let's dive into how a long-term therapist can help anchor you and help you find some stability in your life. 

A long-term therapist can:

Build Trust and a Stronger Therapeutic Relationship

We get it. It's hard to open up to a stranger. It's even harder to trust them with your traumas and honest emotions. Think about how long it took you to truly be vulnerable with your best friend, partner, or loved one. Trust like this, the foundation of a strong, therapeutic relationship, takes time. Sometimes even months or years.

A long-term therapist's goal is to offer you a safer space to openly communicate your thoughts and feelings, without ever pressuring you to "hurry up." We understand that trust and authenticity take time. We feel time spent getting to know each other, your boundaries, and your values, is as beneficial to the therapeutic journey as is learning different coping skills. 

Support You During Critical Developmental Stages

The teenage years and young adulthood are periods of significant change (and that's an understatement.) You're forming your own identity, developing a sense of independence, and navigating new relationships. These changes can be both incredibly exciting and daunting, which lead to the very real feelings of uncertainty and stress. 

It is incredibly empowering and reassuring to have a strong support system during these stages. A long-term therapist can offer encouragement, validation, and coping strategies that fit your unique experiences, easing the challenges that often come with growth.

Facilitate In-depth Identity Exploration and Self-Understanding

Speaking of identity, long-term therapy offers a safer space for teens and young adults to explore their identities, values, and goals. When we build a stronger relationship with our therapists over time, fostering self-awareness and personal growth is easier. We can dive more deeply into past traumas and behaviors (and at appropriate points in therapy, as opposed to rushing into them when it’s convenient.)

Foster Sustainable Change

Change doesn't happen overnight. And if it does happen suddenly, many of us can find ourselves struggling to sustain that change. Long-term therapy can help teens and young adults work on making small, lasting changes by providing the time and space to really dive into issues. We focus on uncovering the root causes of various issues rather than just addressing surface-level symptoms. We aim to help you develop insight into your own thoughts and feelings, which leads to more meaningful personal growth and sustainable change.

While we make it to this point, a long-term therapist for teens and young adults can help develop new coping skills that help you survive day-to-day. This is essential when it comes to navigating life’s many ups and downs. When we gradually learn more about ourselves and our behaviors, we become more resilient, adaptable, and autonomous.

Help Build Your Support Network

Community is crucial; we need to know that we're not alone in our experiences. A long-term therapist can help teens and young adults build a strong support network by first fostering trust, guiding them in developing healthy relationships, and connecting them with resources. Long-term therapy can help you to recognize and articulate your needs, identify supportive people in your life, and develop boundaries.

A long-term therapist can also introduce you to group therapy, peer support groups, or community resources, providing a safer space to practice social skills and build connections. 

Interfaith Bridge Counseling Approach to Long-Term Therapy for Teens and Young Adults

Interfaith Bridge Counseling offers a down-to-earth and holistic approach to long-term therapy tailored specifically for teens and young adults in Colorado. We're a liberation-based counseling practice, focused on creating a supportive and trusting environment, where we understand that each adolescent has unique needs and experiences. We empower teens to explore their emotions, beliefs, and challenges.

Long-term therapy plays a vital role in addressing a range of mental health concerns, from anxieties to disabilities and chronic illnesses. Please click here to learn more about our clinical counseling team, or click here to learn about our different options for individual counseling and group therapies. We believe you have the right to thrive physically, emotionally, and socially.

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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.