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Group Therapy for Teens: What to Expect

A group of teens sitting in a circle, some wearing masks, participating in a group therapy session with a facilitator.

For many adolescents, teen group therapy offers numerous benefits that individual counseling might not satisfy. Used at inpatient and outpatient treatment programs, adolescent group therapy provides each client an outlet and lets them discuss their current mindset and get feedback from not only counselors but their peers as well.

If you’re looking for a great teen group therapy program in Arizona, contact Nexus Teen Academy today. 

What is Teen Group Therapy?

Teen Group Therapy

Teen group therapy refers to a counseling session that includes several clients as well as a therapist/facilitator to moderate and guide the discussion. This type of therapy encourages group discussion and allows clients to learn from one another’s experiences.

What Happens During Therapy Groups for Teens?

Teen group therapy sessions will be different depending on your son or daughter’s situation, treatment program, and therapist. However, there are a few things that you can expect that will remain consistent.

For example, a group therapy session will consist of several or all clients at the treatment program sitting down together with a therapist to discuss their current mental standing, go over various talking points, and discuss things like coping strategies, current struggles, and more.

The session sizes will be dependent upon the specific treatment center, at Nexus Teen Academy each session has no more than 10 clients present. Sessions will normally last 60 minutes but can go longer if needed.

Teen group therapy is great because it gives clients a chance to engage in a social setting while also continuing their treatment and healing process. Let’s take a look at some of the best benefits of adolescent group therapy.

Benefits of Group Therapy for Teens

Teens engaging in group therapy, sharing and listening to each other. This environment fosters emotional support, builds communication skills, and helps with personal growth and healing.

Group therapy is a staple of mental health and substance abuse treatment programs. It provides a nuanced approach to therapy that complements traditional individual counseling. It can help clients in many ways, here are a few highlights:

Reduced Isolation

One of the obvious benefits of group therapy is the social aspect. During treatment or while individuals are going through mental or emotional turmoil, it can be common for them to feel alone or ostracized. Group therapy gives teens an opportunity to speak with others in a non-pressure environment.

Increased and Improved Support Network

Along with improving isolation, group therapy often leads to support among peers. Clients will meet with others who are struggling with similar things that they are dealing with and each can provide a helping hand or shoulder to lean on in times of need.

Provides a Safe Space

During group therapy, teens are actively encouraged to open up and express their emotions. This can be helpful for teens who have felt that they need to keep emotions bottled up or are reluctant to share with others. A counselor or therapist will work to ensure that each client feels safe and supported while sharing their thoughts and experiences.

Increased Self-Awareness

Group therapy for adolescents not only provides time to share but also self-reflect while others speak. This can be good for teens to learn from other’s situations and apply these reflections and thoughts to their own lives.

Improved Social Skills

For many dealing with mental health disorders, social anxiety can run rampant. Engaging in group therapy sessions can help improve your teen’s social skills by having them practice social engagement and discussion in a safe setting.

These are just some of the benefits of group therapy, to learn more about how a group or individual therapy may help your teen, contact Nexus Teen Academy today.

How to Find an Adolescent Group Therapy Program

A group of people celebrating and applauding in a therapy session, highlighting the positive, supportive environment found in adolescent group therapy programs for emotional healing and growth.

If you are looking for a qualified adolescent group therapy program for your son or daughter, you may not know how to find a quality program or what to even look for. Here are a few things that you can seek out when looking for a teen group therapy program:

Verified Treatment Centers

When looking into programs, it is vital to seek out a treatment center that is verified and properly accredited. If you are unsure what to look for, the best thing to do is ensure that whatever program you are looking into has a Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission. This accreditation shows that the facility has gone above and beyond to offer proper treatment as well as ensure the safety of its clients.

Qualified and Licensed Staff

Along with facility accreditation, you want to ensure that the program is staffed by experts in the mental health, or substance abuse, field depending on your teen’s situation. To do this, look for staff members and clinical directors who are licensed therapists and have degrees in psychology. This will ensure that your son or daughter receives proper guidance during individual and group therapy sessions.

Teen & Adolescent-Focused Treatment

To compound all of this, if you are searching for treatment for your troubled girl or boy, you need to verify that the program you are looking into is specific to teens and adolescents. Teens act and react differently from adults, treatment should reflect this. The program that you find and the staff associated with the program should be experts in teen mental health and have experience working in the space previously.

It can be difficult to find a program that checks all of these boxes, however, Nexus Teen Academy may be exactly what you’re looking for.

Teen Group Therapy in Arizona at Nexus Teen Academy

an image of nexus teen academy where your teen can receive adolescent counseling services

At Nexus Teen Academy, our teen residential treatment program in Arizona, your son or daughter will not only get help through group therapy but also individual counseling, experiential treatment offerings, and holistic approaches as well.

Some of the highlights of our treatment at Nexus include:

  • Teen cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Meditation and mindfulness exercises
  • Family therapy
  • Motivational interviewing
  • Psychodrama therapy and more

Along with these offerings, we put a large emphasis on the family aspect of mental health treatment. We understand that mental health disorders can have a ripple effect on the family unit and lead to frayed family ties. At Nexus, we work to mend these bonds. We offer family therapy as well as weekly family visits and daily family phone and video calls. We make an effort to keep parents and siblings a part of the healing process.

To learn more about how our program can help you and discover the benefits of teen group therapy, contact our Arizona teen mental health treatment center today.

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