The “right therapist” isn’t just someone with credentials—it’s someone your teen can actually connect with.
And if your teen doesn’t want therapy? That’s common. You can still start the process and build buy-in.
What to Look For in a Teen Therapist
- Experience working with adolescents
- A calm, nonjudgmental approach
- Skill-based therapy (anxiety, depression, trauma, behavior)
- Ability to involve families appropriately
- Cultural responsiveness and respect
Questions to Ask
- What is your experience with teen anxiety/depression/trauma?
- How do you involve parents in treatment?
- What approaches do you use (CBT, trauma-informed care, etc.)?
- How do you build trust with resistant teens?
Helping Teens Who Resist Therapy
Try:
- Framing therapy as coaching, not punishment
- Letting them have a say in the therapist
- Making it about skills, not “fixing them”
- Starting with a short trial period