A therapist can advocate for her teen client and help the people in the client’s environment (like teachers, parents or siblings) make the home or school a better place for the teen.
There’s trauma therapy, talk therapy, behavioral therapy, sand therapy, play therapy and family therapy – and most therapists can do a few different types.
Okay, we finished the main parts. But I am sure you must have so many more questions. What if my parents don’t let me go to therapy? What if I really don’t want to go to therapy even if I know I need it? What if my friends find out I am in therapy? What if I can’t stand the therapist? What if the therapist doesn’t like me? What if I get too shy to talk? Why on earth would I even talk to this strange person? Am I really crazy if I go to therapy?
If your parents don’t want or let you go to therapy, then try to enlist the help of your rav, teacher or principal to convince them of the importance. There’s ways to work it out.
If you don’t want to go therapy, then don’t. Therapy can only help you if you want to be helped. So forget it. Maybe when you are super miserable – like not only do you have a pimple sitting on your nose, but your whole face is covered in pimples, you will finally go for help. It’s your choice.
If your friends find out you’re in therapy, they’ll either be supportive or jealous. And you have no idea how many regular teens from normal homes and schools are in therapy. You can join the club.
If you can’t stand the therapist, then she is not the person for you. Don’t give up on therapy, just dump her and go on to try someone else. It happens. And don’t worry about hurting her feelings. Not every client and therapist is a good shidduch. You think everyone likes me? Nope. Therapists work together. Your therapist will be more likely to try to match you up with another therapist than get insulted. And if your therapist does get insulted, then for sure you don’t want to continue with her. You have enough of your own problems; you don’t need hers too.
Personally, I haven’t yet met a teenager I didn’t like. And I doubt that you would be the first! Therapists generally like their clients. And if people generally don’t like you or if you are insecure that they don’t, then you need to run to your nearest therapist and figure out why.
It’s definitely weird to talk to a stranger about your personal stuff. But the weirder thing is that therapy works in this special way: once you connect to your therapist, and you start talking, it feels great. It’s like a delicious bubble bath or bar of chocolate that you savor each week. If you ever indulged yourself with a manicure, a massage, or a hot chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream, believe it or not, therapy is a thousand times better.
So you want to know if you are crazy if you go to therapy?
Yes.
Just kidding.
I am not a very good judge of craziness because my own kids think I’m slightly crazy. And I love them even though they are boring and normal (don’t tell them I said that!). So who am I to judge? What does matter more than the question of your craziness is the question of your misery.
You are definitely nuts if you choose to stay miserable rather than help yourself with therapy.