Did you know that 1 in 3 high school students experience low self-worth? Although it is common to have occasional moments of lowered self-worth or negative feelings about yourself, this can become a difficulty if you cannot move past these negative feelings and acknowledge your strengths, which in turn makes you feel better about yourself. Teenagers are usually more critical of themselves, leading to low self-worth and unhappiness. Self-worth revolves around your feelings of contentment with yourself (physically, mentally, and emotionally).
Adolescence is a time when these elements are constantly scrutinized. This can decrease a teen’s self-worth, even with parental encouragement toward a positive self-opinion. If you are concerned that your teen has self-worth challenges, keep reading this helpful guide from Nexus Teen Academy, and reach out to our teen residential facility in Arizona today for help.
An Overview of Teen Self-Worth Challenges
Is your teen having trouble thinking of themselves in a positive light? They might have low self-worth. Adolescence can be challenging for every teen as they may have difficulty processing all the events occurring in their life. As a parent or guardian, encouraging your teen to think positively about themselves is helpful. Before we delve into how you can help your teen, let us help you understand the fundamentals of low self-worth.
Causes of Low Self-worth in Arizona Teenagers
You might be wondering why your teen feels bad about themselves. Low self-worth can be a result of several factors, such as:
Internal struggles. When teens reach puberty, they undergo emotional changes that can be difficult to express. They are stuck in limbo, craving independence but recognizing that they need your support and input. Your teen may also begin feeling socially awkward and not knowing how to communicate their distress. As a result of these internal struggles, your teen may lose confidence and suffer from low self-worth.
Early childhood neglect or abuse. Teens with low self-worth may have suffered early childhood neglect or abuse. Imagine feeling like you are not valued by the closest people in your life. If your teen struggled with neglect as a child, they may develop a low sense of self-worth as they cannot comprehend that they are valued. Since they were neglected as children, their short experience in life may make them believe that they are not worth it and, therefore, struggle with their self-worth.
Academic struggles. No teen wants to perform poorly in school. Your teen’s low self-worth may be a result of poor academic performance. Society values straight-A students without recognizing that some teens may struggle in school because of learning disabilities. As a parent or guardian, you can show your teen that they are valued at whatever stage of learning they are in to prevent them from struggling with self-confidence.
Harassment and bullying. If your teen has experienced harassment and bullying, they are more likely to have low self-worth. During puberty, your teen may experience harassment and bullying from their peers due to body changes. You must look at addressing any cases of bullying or harassment immediately to protect your child from the ills associated with bullying.
Negative body image. As teens age, they become more self-conscious about how they look. They start comparing their bodies with their peers and images of celebrities and social media influencers, and when they do not feel conventionally attractive, their self-image suffers. In today’s society, your teen is exposed to what is perceived as conventional beauty. If they do not fit the mold, they may struggle with self-confidence.
Social media. It is safe to say that almost all teens today are active on social media. They post their best images and experiences to connect with friends and like-minded individuals. However, we cannot ignore the negative side of social media and how social media affects self-worth in teens. Many teens experience negative comments on the internet since there are no real consequences for the bully. They can remain anonymous on social media while spewing hate on your teen’s posts. Social media can cause your teen to struggle with their self-worth since it exposes them to negative comments and harassment.
Socio-economic factors. Factors like divorce, poverty, and conflict may increase the likelihood of low self-worth in teens. Teens are very sensitive to socio-economic factors since they make them feel embarrassed and ashamed. Your teen wants to fit in with their peers, and family issues may make them less likely to be accepted in a social group.
How to Recognize Low Self-Worth in Arizona Teenagers
Now that you understand the possible causes of your teen’s low self-worth, we can delve into common signs and symptoms of low self-worth. How can you recognize low self-worth in your teen? Look out for the following common signs and symptoms:
Negative self-talk or being overly self-critical.
A focus on negative outcomes, no matter what the situation entails.
Being more isolated from both family and friends.
Unhealthy and disordered eating.
Negative body language, such as slouching or hiding in baggy clothing.
Overcompensation on self-image through gloating.
Negative attitude towards others.
Unfair and negative comparisons of themselves to others.
Trouble receiving and accepting compliments.
Fear of failure
Difficulty building interpersonal relationships and maintaining current interpersonal relationships.
Thinking other teens are better than them and deserve more than they do.
They have trouble asking their parents for help, and if they do ask, they are apologetic for disturbing or inconveniencing them.
Trying to please everyone very often by putting the other person’s needs above their own.
Lack of boundaries means there aren’t many times when they will put themselves first or allow themselves to say no to something asked of them.
Being overly focused on how they look.
Strategies to Boost Self-Worth in Arizona Teenagers
Every parent or guardian wants to see their teen grow into a confident adult. You might be wondering about your role in boosting your teen’s self-worth. As a parent or guardian, remember that you are a role model, and you can have a valuable influence on your teen’s self-worth development. It may seem daunting since teens are often unpredictable, but you can do it to see positive results.
Role of Parents and Family in Supporting Teen Self-Worth
As a role model and a trusted loved one, you can play a vital role in your teen’s self-worth. The best part of this is that there are many simple strategies that you can use to help do this without making it a chore or a point of argument between you and your teen.
Here are strategies to help your teen struggling with self-worth issues:
Use Active Listening When Communicating
Active listening can be a key superpower in your communication strategies because your teens need to feel like you are focused and attentive to what they are saying, and they need to feel listened to. Since one of the causes of low self-worth is internal struggles, listening can be impactful in solving this problem. To actively listen, make your home a safe haven where your teen can freely express themselves without feeling judged. Many conflicts between parents and their teens occur due to miscommunication and criticism. As a parent, promote an open environment so that you can build trust with your teen.
When actively listening, avoid the urge to lead the conversation. Encourage your teen to be more expressive by allowing them to take the lead by dictating how the conversation will unfold. Asking them open-ended questions is crucial in enabling them to express themselves fully.
Encouraging Self-Improvement To Build Self-Worth
If your teen’s self-worth is affected by poor academic performance or fear of failure, you can encourage self-improvement. Your teen may already have branded themselves a failure because they do not feel valued due to their academic or extracurricular performance. You can help improve your teen’s self-worth by encouraging self-improvement. Encouraging them to accept themselves as they are is the first step towards improvement.
Positive Expression And Attitude Can Help
Being overly critical and negative self-talk are signs that your teen is struggling with self-worth. The little voice inside your teen’s head can harm how they view themselves and their general outlook on life. Changing how your teen views themselves is crucial in improving their self-worth.
If you want your teen to have a positive attitude, show them they are valued and that the negative thoughts are untrue. Encourage them to change their negative thoughts into positive ones. This may be done by changing the negative aspect of an idea into a positive one. For example, if your teen thinks they will not make it into their school’s sports team, encourage them to say, “I will make it!” This idea is based on the rule that you should not say anything about yourself that you would not say to someone else. Encourage your teen to be gentle with themselves because being critical is harmful.
Focus On Effort And Not Outcome
Humans often get bogged down with the result or outcome of their actions. Sure, a positive outcome is the best thing to happen to your teen, but negative consequences are also possible. To encourage your teen, focus on their effort by praising them on their effort rather than the result. Tell them they did well in the soccer team tryouts despite not making it. If they perform well in school, praise the efforts they put into studying rather than the outcome, a good grade.
Using this method gives room for failure as effort may correlate to outcome. It will also help teens focus on improving the effort they put into doing something and, therefore, boost their confidence.
Encourage Assertiveness In Your Teen
Teens with low self-confidence become people pleasers and lack boundaries. They may assume that their value as a person is connected to what their peers think about them As a parent or guardian, teach them the importance of having boundaries in their daily routine.
Assertive teens gain more confidence by having a strong belief system. Self-confidence and assertiveness are interconnected since assertive teens are less likely to be swayed by negative comments or opinions from their peers. You can help your teen become more assertive by teaching them to stand their ground even when it is uncomfortable.
Build Self-Confidence And Reinforce Self-Worth
You can improve your teen’s self-worth by ensuring they understand that they have inherent value. Their value is not attached to what they can provide, their grades, or how well they perform in extracurricular activities. Reinforce that they have value regardless of what their peers think. This will build and maintain your teen’s confidence and self-worth. You can also build your teen’s self-worth by randomly telling them how much you love and value them. These random acts of affection can greatly benefit your teen’s self-confidence and worth.
Encouragement And Reassurance Goes A Long Way
Encouraging your teen to participate in new activities can also help improve their self-worth. They may be afraid to participate in new activities, but encouraging their participation helps to show you have in them and that trying is good enough (there is no pressure for a specific outcome). Reassure them that their effort is valid. Encouraging them to follow through in dealing with difficult situations can also build and maintain their confidence and self-worth.
Encouraging Mindfulness, Meditation, and Therapeutic Practices
Mindfulness and other positive therapeutic practices significantly predict self-confidence and general well-being. Mindfulness and meditation help teach your teen to live in the present and silence their inner critical voice. Through visualization and mindful practices, your teen may feel more grounded and confident. Teens who practice mindfulness find it difficult to backtrack into negative thoughts since they associate the present moment with positivity.
Mindfulness and meditation also encourage introspection and self-awareness. If your teen is self-aware, they can evaluate whether the opinions of others are true or were made in a bid to hurt them.
One of the main causes of low self-worth in teens today is body image. Social media has exacerbated unrealistic body standards that are unattainable by most. It is common to hear teens compare themselves to celebrities who fit ideal body standards. As a parent or guardian, you can help your teen resolve their body image issues by using the following techniques:
Teach them to accept how they look and that nobody is perfect. Their perceived flaws are unique, giving them character and making them stand out. Accepting their looks also reduces self-ridicule through body-shaming. If your teen makes negative comments about their own body, it will affect their self-worth.
Teach them how to love themselves. Self-love can be beneficial to your teen’s self-worth. Teach them to compliment themselves by finding things they love about their bodies. Self-care practices can also increase self-love. Help them learn how to take care of their hair and body, and enjoy their blossoming fashion sense and self-expression through their bodies.
Treatment for Teens With Low Self-Worth
Low self-worth can usually be taken care of without professional help. However, in certain circumstances, teens may require professional assistance to shift their self-worth. When your teen’s self-worth is hard to shift, they may need professional help from mental health professionals. It may be required, especially where low self-worth leads to other mental health conditions like drug and substance abuse, depression, disordered eating, and depression. At Nexus Teen Academy, our licensed therapist would use the following methods to help teens with low self-worth:
Individual Therapy
If your teen’s self-worth is hard to shift, individual therapy may benefit them. During a typical 45-50 minute session, your teen gets one-on-one with a licensed mental health practitioner who encourages them to open up about their struggles. Teens participating in individual therapy share their problems and receive guidance on how they can address their challenges.
Individual therapy aims to help teens understand the underlying causes of low self-worth and how to resolve those challenges. During individual therapy, therapists use different techniques to address your teen’s issues. These techniques assist your teen in developing a healthy mindset that improves their self-worth.
Family Therapy
Nexus Teen Academy prides itself on providing family-centered care. Family dynamics and issues can cause your teen to develop low self-worth. Family events like divorce often cause teens to feel embarrassed or blame themselves for such events. During family therapy, the whole family shares their dynamics with a registered therapist. The therapist then evaluates the issues and helps the family improve their home dynamics.
If your teen’s low self-worth is connected to family dynamics, then family therapy can benefit them. They get to express their concerns about the dynamics without feeling judged or shunned. Consider family therapy today for your teen’s self-worth.
Furthermore, Nexus Teen Academy offers a stress-free environment tucked away in the serene North Phoenix Valley. The luxurious facility provides several extracurricular activities your teen can engage in to relieve everyday stressors. Some of the extracurricular therapies offered at Nexus include:
Meditation
Yoga
Art therapy
Psychodrama Therapy
Community and Extracurricular Activities for Building Self-Worth
As a parent or guardian, encourage your teen to participate in extracurricular activities that can help them dispel day-to-day stressors. Studies suggest that engaging in extracurricular activities can improve your teen’s mental health by releasing endorphins and other “happy” hormones. They also increase your teen’s level of satisfaction with their life, thus building confidence.
Some benefits of extracurricular and community-based activities include:
Consistency is key to building routine and structure.
Encouraging interpersonal reactions.
Builds interests and skills, which increases self-confidence.
Helps teens fit in better because it widens their social pool.
Exercise and endurance build a healthy adolescent.
Contact ustoday to help your teen develop a strong sense of confidence and self-worth. This is a valuable journey to take with your teen, as self-worth in adolescence is the foundation of an individual’s life-long self-worth.
Professional Help at Nexus Teen Academy in Arizona
Do you live in or around Scottsdale, Arizona? Nexus Teen Academy is apremier teen treatment facility in Arizonathat helps teens struggling with variousmental health conditions in teens. At Nexus Teen Academy, we pride ourselves on providing high-quality treatment options for teens with low self-worth.
Our dedicated staff will tailor-make your teen’s treatment regimen to ensure they reap the benefits of high-quality treatment. Our facility offers several treatment options, such as individual therapy, group therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), family therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Contact us today to get your teen the help they need.
How to Help a Teenager with Low Self-Worth in AZ – Updated Guide 2025
Published By nexus_admin
Published On January 13, 2025
Table of Contents
Did you know that 1 in 3 high school students experience low self-worth? Although it is common to have occasional moments of lowered self-worth or negative feelings about yourself, this can become a difficulty if you cannot move past these negative feelings and acknowledge your strengths, which in turn makes you feel better about yourself. Teenagers are usually more critical of themselves, leading to low self-worth and unhappiness. Self-worth revolves around your feelings of contentment with yourself (physically, mentally, and emotionally).
Adolescence is a time when these elements are constantly scrutinized. This can decrease a teen’s self-worth, even with parental encouragement toward a positive self-opinion. If you are concerned that your teen has self-worth challenges, keep reading this helpful guide from Nexus Teen Academy, and reach out to our teen residential facility in Arizona today for help.
An Overview of Teen Self-Worth Challenges
Is your teen having trouble thinking of themselves in a positive light? They might have low self-worth. Adolescence can be challenging for every teen as they may have difficulty processing all the events occurring in their life. As a parent or guardian, encouraging your teen to think positively about themselves is helpful. Before we delve into how you can help your teen, let us help you understand the fundamentals of low self-worth.
Causes of Low Self-worth in Arizona Teenagers
You might be wondering why your teen feels bad about themselves. Low self-worth can be a result of several factors, such as:
How to Recognize Low Self-Worth in Arizona Teenagers
Now that you understand the possible causes of your teen’s low self-worth, we can delve into common signs and symptoms of low self-worth. How can you recognize low self-worth in your teen? Look out for the following common signs and symptoms:
Strategies to Boost Self-Worth in Arizona Teenagers
Every parent or guardian wants to see their teen grow into a confident adult. You might be wondering about your role in boosting your teen’s self-worth. As a parent or guardian, remember that you are a role model, and you can have a valuable influence on your teen’s self-worth development. It may seem daunting since teens are often unpredictable, but you can do it to see positive results.
Role of Parents and Family in Supporting Teen Self-Worth
As a role model and a trusted loved one, you can play a vital role in your teen’s self-worth. The best part of this is that there are many simple strategies that you can use to help do this without making it a chore or a point of argument between you and your teen.
Here are strategies to help your teen struggling with self-worth issues:
Use Active Listening When Communicating
Active listening can be a key superpower in your communication strategies because your teens need to feel like you are focused and attentive to what they are saying, and they need to feel listened to. Since one of the causes of low self-worth is internal struggles, listening can be impactful in solving this problem. To actively listen, make your home a safe haven where your teen can freely express themselves without feeling judged. Many conflicts between parents and their teens occur due to miscommunication and criticism. As a parent, promote an open environment so that you can build trust with your teen.
When actively listening, avoid the urge to lead the conversation. Encourage your teen to be more expressive by allowing them to take the lead by dictating how the conversation will unfold. Asking them open-ended questions is crucial in enabling them to express themselves fully.
Encouraging Self-Improvement To Build Self-Worth
If your teen’s self-worth is affected by poor academic performance or fear of failure, you can encourage self-improvement. Your teen may already have branded themselves a failure because they do not feel valued due to their academic or extracurricular performance. You can help improve your teen’s self-worth by encouraging self-improvement. Encouraging them to accept themselves as they are is the first step towards improvement.
Positive Expression And Attitude Can Help
Being overly critical and negative self-talk are signs that your teen is struggling with self-worth. The little voice inside your teen’s head can harm how they view themselves and their general outlook on life. Changing how your teen views themselves is crucial in improving their self-worth.
If you want your teen to have a positive attitude, show them they are valued and that the negative thoughts are untrue. Encourage them to change their negative thoughts into positive ones. This may be done by changing the negative aspect of an idea into a positive one. For example, if your teen thinks they will not make it into their school’s sports team, encourage them to say, “I will make it!” This idea is based on the rule that you should not say anything about yourself that you would not say to someone else. Encourage your teen to be gentle with themselves because being critical is harmful.
Focus On Effort And Not Outcome
Humans often get bogged down with the result or outcome of their actions. Sure, a positive outcome is the best thing to happen to your teen, but negative consequences are also possible. To encourage your teen, focus on their effort by praising them on their effort rather than the result. Tell them they did well in the soccer team tryouts despite not making it. If they perform well in school, praise the efforts they put into studying rather than the outcome, a good grade.
Using this method gives room for failure as effort may correlate to outcome. It will also help teens focus on improving the effort they put into doing something and, therefore, boost their confidence.
Encourage Assertiveness In Your Teen
Teens with low self-confidence become people pleasers and lack boundaries. They may assume that their value as a person is connected to what their peers think about them As a parent or guardian, teach them the importance of having boundaries in their daily routine.
Assertive teens gain more confidence by having a strong belief system. Self-confidence and assertiveness are interconnected since assertive teens are less likely to be swayed by negative comments or opinions from their peers. You can help your teen become more assertive by teaching them to stand their ground even when it is uncomfortable.
Build Self-Confidence And Reinforce Self-Worth
You can improve your teen’s self-worth by ensuring they understand that they have inherent value. Their value is not attached to what they can provide, their grades, or how well they perform in extracurricular activities. Reinforce that they have value regardless of what their peers think. This will build and maintain your teen’s confidence and self-worth. You can also build your teen’s self-worth by randomly telling them how much you love and value them. These random acts of affection can greatly benefit your teen’s self-confidence and worth.
Encouragement And Reassurance Goes A Long Way
Encouraging your teen to participate in new activities can also help improve their self-worth. They may be afraid to participate in new activities, but encouraging their participation helps to show you have in them and that trying is good enough (there is no pressure for a specific outcome). Reassure them that their effort is valid. Encouraging them to follow through in dealing with difficult situations can also build and maintain their confidence and self-worth.
Encouraging Mindfulness, Meditation, and Therapeutic Practices
Mindfulness and other positive therapeutic practices significantly predict self-confidence and general well-being. Mindfulness and meditation help teach your teen to live in the present and silence their inner critical voice. Through visualization and mindful practices, your teen may feel more grounded and confident. Teens who practice mindfulness find it difficult to backtrack into negative thoughts since they associate the present moment with positivity.
Mindfulness and meditation also encourage introspection and self-awareness. If your teen is self-aware, they can evaluate whether the opinions of others are true or were made in a bid to hurt them.
If your teen is continually struggling with low self-worth, consider professional assistance. For example, Teen Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Teen Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) framed therapy sessions can offer your teen an array of skills to increase and maintain their self-worth.
Addressing Body Image Issues in Arizona Teens
One of the main causes of low self-worth in teens today is body image. Social media has exacerbated unrealistic body standards that are unattainable by most. It is common to hear teens compare themselves to celebrities who fit ideal body standards. As a parent or guardian, you can help your teen resolve their body image issues by using the following techniques:
Treatment for Teens With Low Self-Worth
Low self-worth can usually be taken care of without professional help. However, in certain circumstances, teens may require professional assistance to shift their self-worth. When your teen’s self-worth is hard to shift, they may need professional help from mental health professionals. It may be required, especially where low self-worth leads to other mental health conditions like drug and substance abuse, depression, disordered eating, and depression. At Nexus Teen Academy, our licensed therapist would use the following methods to help teens with low self-worth:
Individual Therapy
If your teen’s self-worth is hard to shift, individual therapy may benefit them. During a typical 45-50 minute session, your teen gets one-on-one with a licensed mental health practitioner who encourages them to open up about their struggles. Teens participating in individual therapy share their problems and receive guidance on how they can address their challenges.
Individual therapy aims to help teens understand the underlying causes of low self-worth and how to resolve those challenges. During individual therapy, therapists use different techniques to address your teen’s issues. These techniques assist your teen in developing a healthy mindset that improves their self-worth.
Family Therapy
Nexus Teen Academy prides itself on providing family-centered care. Family dynamics and issues can cause your teen to develop low self-worth. Family events like divorce often cause teens to feel embarrassed or blame themselves for such events. During family therapy, the whole family shares their dynamics with a registered therapist. The therapist then evaluates the issues and helps the family improve their home dynamics.
If your teen’s low self-worth is connected to family dynamics, then family therapy can benefit them. They get to express their concerns about the dynamics without feeling judged or shunned. Consider family therapy today for your teen’s self-worth.
Furthermore, Nexus Teen Academy offers a stress-free environment tucked away in the serene North Phoenix Valley. The luxurious facility provides several extracurricular activities your teen can engage in to relieve everyday stressors. Some of the extracurricular therapies offered at Nexus include:
Community and Extracurricular Activities for Building Self-Worth
As a parent or guardian, encourage your teen to participate in extracurricular activities that can help them dispel day-to-day stressors. Studies suggest that engaging in extracurricular activities can improve your teen’s mental health by releasing endorphins and other “happy” hormones. They also increase your teen’s level of satisfaction with their life, thus building confidence.
Some benefits of extracurricular and community-based activities include:
Contact us today to help your teen develop a strong sense of confidence and self-worth. This is a valuable journey to take with your teen, as self-worth in adolescence is the foundation of an individual’s life-long self-worth.
Professional Help at Nexus Teen Academy in Arizona
Do you live in or around Scottsdale, Arizona? Nexus Teen Academy is a premier teen treatment facility in Arizona that helps teens struggling with various mental health conditions in teens. At Nexus Teen Academy, we pride ourselves on providing high-quality treatment options for teens with low self-worth.
Our dedicated staff will tailor-make your teen’s treatment regimen to ensure they reap the benefits of high-quality treatment. Our facility offers several treatment options, such as individual therapy, group therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), family therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Contact us today to get your teen the help they need.