What is the Role of Family in Mental Health Treatment For Adolescents

Many teens struggle with mental illness. About 13% of teens ages 12 to 17 struggle with depression. Although depression is one of the most common mental health conditions, teens also struggle with anxiety, eating disorders, and more.

Struggling with mental health can be highly isolating and debilitating. That’s why a teen’s family must play an essential role in helping a teen improve their mental illness and provide encouragement while they seek professional treatment. In this article, you’ll learn more about why the role of family in mental health treatment is essential. 

At Atlas Healthcare Group, we can match you with an IOP treatment program that provides comprehensive mental health treatment to adolescents ages 10-18. We offer evidence-based care to help teens better manage their mental health disorder symptoms and live healthier, more balanced lives.

5 Ways Family Can Help In Mental Health Treatment 

Family can significantly help a teen going through mental health treatment by providing constant support and encouragement. Although a family is not solely responsible for helping their teen overcome their mental illness, a family can support their teen as they go through mental health treatment.

Below are 5 ways in which the role of family in mental health treatment can help a teen going through the recovery process.

Support 

Family offers emotional support for the teen to lean on during difficult times. A family’s support plays a significant role in helping a teen through their treatment process to listen to them and provide words of encouragement during hard times.

Encouragement

Another reason why family plays an important role in mental health treatment for adolescents is that the family can provide constant words of encouragement and lift up their family members as they’re receiving treatment to improve their mental health.

Practical Help

Struggling with mental illness and receiving treatment can be extremely draining. A family offers support and practical help to bring a teen to their appointments, help with extra tasks, etc., while their family member is receiving essential treatment to improve their mental health.

Sense of Belonging

Family is also important because family members provide a safe and secure environment and a sense of belonging that the teen is not alone in their fight to better manage their mental illness.

Family Therapy

Finally, families can even receive treatment themselves alongside their teens through family therapy. There’s no denying that one family member struggling with mental illness can strain and fracture relationships with others. Family mental health treatment offers the chance for the family as a whole to grow and strengthen their connections together.

What is Family Therapy?

Family therapy is a type of psychotherapy that involves someone’s family and the family member struggling (someone who is struggling with addiction, mental illness, etc.) and helps improve communication and rebuild relationships among family members that may have been strained because of addiction, mental health struggles, etc. Although family therapy can be used to resolve several conflicts, from discussing substance abuse to mental illness, family therapy can significantly help improve and rebuild connections among your family.

Adolescent family mental health recovery treatment can be extremely beneficial if a teen is struggling with mental illness. This is because although struggling with a mental health disorder can be difficult for a teen to struggle with, it can also strain relationships with loved ones in the process.

Leading Mental Health Clinic In California 

There’s no question that the role of family in mental health treatment is important. Although it is not a family member’s responsibility to treat their family member struggling with mental illness, a family can certainly offer additional emotional support as the teen seeks professional mental health treatment. If you or someone in your family is struggling with a mental health disorder, help is available. At Atlas Healthcare Group, we provide comprehensive adolescent mental health treatment in California to help teens live a normal, more balanced life. We offer a short-term intensive outpatient program to help teens struggling with mental health disorders receive professional treatment from our team of compassionate mental health professionals. Using evidence-based techniques, we help teens overcome negative thoughts and behaviors and live healthier, more balanced lives.