4 Questions to Ask Before Considering Teen Counseling

The mental health landscape has come a long way, but there’s still a vast divide to close. One of the largest divides in teen counseling is accessibility and its normalization in populations where four factors are present: financial insecurity, minority culture group, lack of adequate health initiatives, and a pervasive belief of helplessness.

Questions for Before Teen Counseling

Each of these questions can be presented to adolescents, where teen counseling is an option, so that they can recognize barriers to mental health treatment before they begin counseling. It helps them understand the benefits of counseling, see themselves as empowered through it, and identify how their participation can dramatically impact their outcomes.

Question 1: Basic Necessities

The first question relates to financial insecurity. Do you have enough to eat and a secure environment to live in without fear of losing it?

This may seem obvious, but students and teens who are unsure about their physical well-being, either the place they call home, or their basic needs, may not see the benefits of teen counseling. This is because their lowest level of needs isn’t met consistently.

How teens answer this question helps a school counselor, concerned friend, family member, or community organization get to the root of the problem before exploring mental health issues. Not having enough food or feeling worried that your home life will unravel will take precedence over counseling.

Question 2: Culture

The second question to bring up before teen counseling is this: Are you in a majority culture group or a minority one?

Whether a teenager lives in Mexico and is the child of a U.S. ambassador or whether he or she is in the U.S., a natural-born citizen but is being raised in a community where he or she is a minority, this colors his or her view of everything, including mental health.

When you do not see a large population of people who look like you or live as you do, specifically as it relates to cultural practices and normative beliefs, you will likely have a stronger resistance to receiving help. Some cultures still believe there is a stigma around seeking mental health care. Others are simply resigned to it because they’re also struggling with the affordability factor.

Teens who are raised with these overarching concerns may be hesitant to pursue counseling because it seems like a low priority amid life’s challenges.

Question 3: Physical Health

Thirdly, a question to ask anyone who is considering teen counseling is, “Have you been to a doctor this year, and have you seen a dentist in the last six to twelve months?”

While it may appear unrelated, these are questions that help a teen discern if their physical health needs are being met. While mental health is just as valid as a teen’s physical well-being, if he or she isn’t seeing medical clinicians and dentists regularly, it may seem obvious why he or she hesitates to attend teen counseling.

With health insurance being tied to the parents’ income, it can be challenging to ask if a mental health provider can be added to a teen’s care plan. Consider whether a mental health provider can be funded through insurance, the school system, or a nonprofit.

It isn’t that mental health shouldn’t be considered, but teen counseling may feel less important to a teen whose other basic needs are not consistently met.

Question 4: Mental Health

Fourth, and finally, a question to ask before a teen considers counseling is, “Do you feel like having a mental health advocate will help?”

How an adolescent or teen answers this question can reveal factors that may act as barriers to teen counseling benefits. It may show that a teen believes mental health is only for the privileged, wealthy, or that it is only helpful for those whose family structure supports it.

If a teen thinks it could help him but knows his mom and dad aren’t supportive, he may struggle to say yes to counseling. Or if a teen thinks he has to be wealthy to seek support in teen counseling, he may give up before he begins unless he’s from a family that provides generously. When teens think mental health is only for those who are privileged socially or culturally, it may reveal suspicion toward mental health caregivers.

How to Overcome Teen Counseling Barriers

One way to counteract these barriers is to help teens look for and interview mental health providers who offer sliding scale rates or are affiliated with their school. Often, schools can support a student’s mental well-being, but students are hesitant to ask about their options for fear of another student discovering their need.

This fear of social rejection can drive a student to another barrier that must be overcome: the barrier that says mental health advocacy is only for the weak.

To combat this fear, mental health must be discussed widely and in multiple communities. Whether affluent or not, in a historically overachieving school district or one that struggles, mental health needs to be part of the conversation as a viable option for all. In fact, teachers, administrators, counselors, and parent volunteers can be encouraged to share their stories of how counseling has helped them.

One of the most powerful examples of combating mental health barriers is when another person steps up and shares how teen counseling gave them hope or understanding when they previously lacked it. If you are a community member who has been helped through a mental health program, especially in your teen years, it’s important to share that the resources you accessed were positive.

Similarly, if you’re the parent of a teen who needs counseling but doesn’t see its impact, try to find a friend or co-worker, or someone from your church, to share part of their story. Teen counseling won’t be seen as viable if the pursuit of it seems out of reach or unrelatable.

When working with teens whose cultural or familial background doesn’t support mental health or views it as a last-ditch effort, stories are a compelling way to dispel common myths. Many cultures have taught that counseling is for marriages that are on the rocks, teens who are delinquent and headed to prison, or other last resort opportunities to find focus.

Instead, these teens need to be shown that a counselor can help them develop healthy coping habits and communication strategies to improve their friendships. Teen counseling shouldn’t be intimidating, either. So, providing a teenager with the basics about what to expect in a counseling session is vital.

Help Teens Know What to Expect

Much of what some teens know about mental health is what they’ve seen on television or in movies. They must have factual, research-backed details about who the counselor is, what types of counseling their experience and education background support, and how they will proceed in the first session.

Concerned friends can help their friends seek teen counseling by asking them if they’d like a wiser, caring adult to guide them. When teens feel like they can’t talk to a parent or teacher, they may feel that talking to a stranger is even more awkward. But as a friend, you might encourage your friend that talking to a counselor is different.

Counselors are not going to reveal secrets, unless legally bound to do so or if a teen’s gone through abuse of some kind. The professional counselor’s role is to serve the teen’s best interest, not how the teen is perceived or what the counselor’s opinions are. They genuinely want what will help the teen find security, hope, and a way forward.

If you know someone who would benefit from teen counseling but is hesitant, help your friend or loved one take the first step by sharing this article and then recommending one of our offices. You can even sit with your friend while they read about the practice that’s closest to them or make a call to inquire about counseling.

If a school counselor is an option, your support will go a long way to helping your friend or loved one take the time to stay after school or go in early to seek help. Remind them that needing some help isn’t a weakness; it shows strength and self-care.