When looking for a therapist who says they specialize in counseling teens, these are the things that are vital for healing to occur:

1. Connection – the therapist must connect with the teenager so there is open, clear and honest communication.
2. Trust – the teenager needs to know they can speak with a counselor with utmost trust and that what they share is not going to be shared with anyone else.
3. Confidence – both you and your teen needs to have confidence in the counselor, as well as their company so that you can know your child is getting the help they need.
4. Integrity – too many times, teenagers are overdiagnosed by therapists because the therapist maybe looking at your child as a dollar sign.
5. Compassion – your teenager cannot feel like a number. They must realize that they are cared for and nothing else matters.
6. Empathy – teenagers can tell immediately if you’re being fake or not when you express empathy and when a counselor is able to express and show real empathy, amazing healing starts to take place.
7. Patience – we would all love a magical button that we could push and then the problems would be gone … wouldn’t that be great? A therapist has to meet your teen where they are at, not where the parent or the counselor wants them to be but where they are at and be patient. Healing will happen but, as my mom always said, “Patience is a virtue.”
8. Love – true, pure love for your teenager, nothing but care and concern.
9. Understand – teens are unique, although problems may be similar, they are unique. Understanding their uniqueness and their struggle is paramount in building all of the previous things we mentioned above.
10. Accept – teens want to be accepted. They want to know they are loved despite their behaviors.