Social/Emotional Concerns

Adolescence is a period of significant emotional development, and for many young people it is also when mental health challenges first emerge. According to the CDC, one in five adolescents has unmet mental health care needs, meaning they are struggling without adequate support. Social-emotional difficulties rarely announce themselves clearly. They often show up as withdrawal, irritability, conflict in relationships, or difficulty managing the ordinary stresses of growing up.

Common Issues Addressed in Therapy for Social-Emotional Concerns

Social-emotional therapy supports children and adolescents navigating a wide range of emotional and relational challenges, including:

• Anxiety (phobias, separation and social anxiety)
• Mood Disorders (Depression, Bipolar, Mood Dysregulation)
• Low self-esteem and difficulty with self-concept
• Dating relationships in adolescence
• Family and Divorce Issues
• Grief and Loss of Loved Ones/Pets
• Parent-child relationship struggles and family conflict
• Social understanding/skills
• Stress management
• Anger management
• Failure to launch
• Challenges affecting LGBTQ+ Individuals

Treatment for Social-Emotional Concerns in Children and Adolescents

Therapy provides a consistent space for children and adolescents to explore what they are experiencing, and develop the tools to make healthy adjustments. Treatment is also tailored to each young person’s developmental stage and presenting concerns. Our clinicians draw on a range of evidence-based approaches including CBT, DBT, ACT, mindfulness-based methods, play-based and experiential therapy, and client-centered approaches.

Therapy for social and relational concerns helps young people understand what drives their patterns in relationships. Learning to express needs and establish boundaries is central to this work, and becomes increasingly important as the relationships young people navigate grow more complex. Therapy also helps young people make sense of their emotions, and develop more effective ways of coping with the pressures they face.

Parents play an active role in treatment, helping reinforce outside of sessions what young people are working on in therapy. This differs from family therapy, where restructuring family dynamics is the primary focus. Here, parent involvement is in service of the individual child’s growth and progress.

If your child or adolescent is struggling emotionally or socially, Miami Counseling & Resource Center can help. Contact us to learn more or schedule an appointment.