Trauma can affect each person in unique ways. It does not matter what age, race, or gender you are. For those who have experienced a traumatic event recently or in the past, trauma counseling can help patients confront the trauma and deal with the emotions and feelings that it creates.
At Imagine Boise, we help teen boys and girls aged twelve to seventeen who struggle with a traumatic event’s mental side effects. We will help patients understand how the trauma affects them, even if they do not remember the traumatic event. Trauma is an event that leaves a long-lasting negative emotional impact on a person’s mental health. Trauma can come from many sources, from family abuse, car accident, sexual assault, wartime, bullying, or other events. It is unique for each person, as no two people will have the same reaction to the event.
Learn more about our trauma therapy program for teens by filling out our online contact form or calling 888.597.2807 today to speak with our staff about signs your teen needs trauma counseling.
3 Signs Your Teen Needs Trauma Counseling
1. Developing an Eating Disorder
Eating does more than just fuel our bodies. It releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for making us feel pleasure. Food is often a substitute for helping patients who cannot feel happy on their own. Eating disorders can often lead to substance abuse if teens do not enroll in a trauma counseling program.
2. Beginning to Abuse Drugs or Alcohol
Drugs and alcohol are another way patients who struggle with trauma find relief from their feelings. The longer they abuse drugs and alcohol, the more they will need to keep that joyful feeling, which can often lead to overdose and death.
3. Becoming Sexually Active
In cases of sexual or physical abuse, some teens may become sexually active as a means of coping. They see sex as a means of acceptance and will use sex with men and women to feel a connection with them.
If your teen is struggling with a past or recent trauma, try to talk with them about their feelings to get them to open up. If they are unable or unwilling to, trauma counseling might be the best course of action for your teen’s health and well-being.
The Three Categories of Trauma
Generally speaking, traumatic events fall into one of three categories. These categories are:
- Acute–Acute trauma is a single traumatic event such as a car accident or the death of a loved one.
- Chronic–This is a prolonged form of trauma that can happen over a few months to years. Examples of chronic trauma include domestic abuse or the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Complex–Complex trauma is the exposure to multiple traumatic events that are typically invasive and interpersonal, such as from a parent or family member.
If a person does not have the coping skills necessary to talk about the traumatic event, they will hide their feelings, thinking they will just go away. Unfortunately, feelings from an unresolved trauma will never go away and will negatively impact a person’s mental health over time.
Imagine Boise’s Programs and Services
At Imagine Boise, we assist teens struggling with mental health issues related to a past or recent trauma. Through behavioral therapy and medication-assisted treatment, we help teens confront the trauma and help them positively cope with their feelings. A trauma counseling program uses multiple therapeutic methods to help teens and can include:
- Psychiatric and nursing care
- Individual and family counseling
- Mental health counseling and intervention
- Group therapy with peers and family
- Various behavioral therapy groups
Explore Trauma Counseling for Teens at Imagine Boise
At Imagine Boise, our experienced team provides a safe space for teens to begin to heal from trauma. To get help for your teen son or daughter struggling with their mental health due to a past or recent trauma, call 888.597.2807 today to speak with our staff about trauma counseling for teens, or you can complete our online contact form.