Online Therapy for Anxious and Depressed Teens

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Girl thinking about when Teens Struggle with Bulimia and needing Online Therapy

Now, more than ever, teens are needing and benefitting from Talk Therapy (psychotherapy) to work through the enormous pressures and stresses in their lives.

Often, teens struggle with confusing and painful emotions alone and do not know where to turn for help. They need a trustworthy, confidential outlet to share their concerns, feel heard and receive tools and guidance to navigate their increasingly complicated lives.

Considering that 3.1 million teenagers in the US have struggled with depression, we all need to be aware that help is now easily accessible for them through counseling online and text therapy. A whopping 12.8% of the U.S. adolescent population is dealing with painful and debilitating depression.

Parents, Coaches, and teachers should be on the lookout for depression symptoms such as:

  • Sadness
  • Anxiety
  • Hopelessness
  • Irritability
  • Tiredness
  • Aches & Pains

Additionally, 31% of teenagers in the US struggle with anxiety. Some of the signs of anxiety include:

  • Social withdrawal
  • Nervousness
  • Restlessness
  • Preoccupation with Control
  • Stomach Aches

These uncomfortable feelings of depression and anxiety left unaddressed can result in attempts by teens to self-medicate through alcohol, drugs, gaming, eating disordered behaviors and more. Early intervention and professional support from a licensed professional counselor can make a world of difference for these young people.

A frequent problem for troubled teens is obtaining access to counseling, finding transportation and busy schedules that only allow small blocks of time available for therapy. Adolescents also are very conscious of their peers and worry that they might see them going or coming into a therapist’s office. Finally, therapy can be expensive and hard for the teenager or their family to afford the counseling they need.

Woman smiling about recovery after treatmentOnline talk therapy is an excellent solution for teens! Many programs offer unlimited texts, video, and audio in communication with their online counselors.

They can access their counselor at the time of their convenience, privately and do so from the comfort of their home or wherever they choose. There are no issues finding transportation, and it is less expensive than most face to face sessions.

Online therapy is a valuable tool to offset teenage depression and anxiety. Empirically supported therapies, such as CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) can be easily conducted through online counseling and practically reinforced with text therapy.

We are fortunate to live in a time of tremendous technological advances and are wise to consider the valuable tool we now have at our disposal through online mental health counseling.

Related Reading

Sources:

1. “Major Depression.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Retrieved February 4, 2019 from www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression.shtml
2. “Any Anxiety Disorder.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Retrieved February 4, 2019 from www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder.shtml
3. Talkspace. (n.d.). Talkspace | Online Therapy | Counseling Online | Marriage Counseling. Retrieved February 4, 2019, from https://www.talkspace.com/
4. Aacap. Frequently Asked Questions, Retrieved February 4, 2019 from www.aacap.org/aacap/families_and_youth/resource_centers/anxiety_disorder_resource_center/your_adolescent_anxiety_and_avoidant_disorders.aspx

About the author:

Jacquelyn EkernJacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC founded Eating Disorder Hope in 2005, driven by a profound desire to help those struggling with anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder. This passion resulted from her battle with, and recovery from, an eating disorder. As president, Jacquelyn manages Ekern Enterprises, Inc. and the Eating Disorder Hope website. In addition, she is a fully licensed therapist with a closed private counseling practice specializing in the treatment of eating disorders.

Jacquelyn has a Bachelor of Science in Human Services degree from The University of Phoenix and a Masters degree in Counseling/Psychology, from Capella University. She has extensive experience in the eating disorder field including advanced education in psychology, participation, and contributions to additional eating disorder groups, symposiums, and professional associations. She is a member of the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), Academy of Eating Disorders (AED), the Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC) and the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp).

Jacquelyn enjoys art, working out, walking her golden retriever “Whisky”, reading, painting and time with family.
Although Eating Disorder Hope was founded by Jacquelyn Ekern, this organization would not be possible without support from our generous sponsors.

The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer a discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Published on March 5, 2019.
Reviewed & Approved on March 5, 2019, by Jacquelyn Ekern MS, LPC

Published on EatingDisorderHope.com