Schools for Anxiety: Helping Your Troubled Teen

Do you struggle with anxiety? If you do, then you may recognize some of the signs of anxiety when they start to appear in your teen. Adults can often display anxiety symptoms in ways that don’t make sense to those around them. The same holds for teens. If your teen has been acting out, being unusually angry or aggressive, or noticing personality and behavioral changes, you may have a teen who needs help with his anxiety.

How to help a teen with anxiety

Perhaps the first thing you can do for your anxious teen is to learn if they will be willing to discuss their triggers with you. If you and your troubled teen can figure out these triggers, you can be in a better position to help guide him away or through situations that may be kicking off anxiety and stress.

There are several additional ways that you can help your troubled teen who is struggling with anxiety, including the following:

• Get your teen to therapy, where he can work with a therapist familiar with teens, anxiety, and other related mental wellness concerns.
• Create a plan and a safe space for your teen at home, school, and other places he may find himself in.
• Ensure that your teen knows you are in his corner and that, even though he’s struggling, you’re not going to give up on him.
• Changing schools may be an option that you need to consider with your teen. Suppose his current school is providing him with a significant amount of anxiety. In that case, he may be better served by going to one of the schools for anxiety that can help to address his needs while keeping his education on track.

The right type of treatment may take some time to get to. The important thing is that you work with your troubled teen to help him determine what treatment option will be the best option for him and his needs.

The risks of ignoring teen anxiety

Most of us struggle with anxiety, which can make it all too easy to ignore what your teen is sometimes facing. But the reality is that we each manage our anxiety in our own ways. If your teen’s anxiety is not addressed and properly managed, you risk him developing more serious issues.

• His education may suffer
• He may become depressed
• He may start to have panic attacks
• His behavior may start to escalate as he tries to cope
• He could turn to drugs or alcohol to help mask his feelings of anxiety

The sooner you get your teen the help he needs, the sooner he’ll be able to find mental health stability again.

How schools for anxiety can help

You may wonder how a school can help your teen’s anxiety if he’s already struggling with anxiety at his current school. There may be several factors that are contributing to your teen’s anxiety today. He may be struggling with bullies. His teachers may not understand his needs and his way of learning. He may be struggling with keeping up with the workload and other expectations his school has of him.

Whatever the source of anxiety is, there are good odds that his mental wellness is not being prioritized when he’s at school. A school that focuses on your teen’s mental health, physical well-being, and his comfort levels will provide him with a completely different educational experience.

If he has an anxiety attack, he will be surrounded by educators and mental health professionals who are in the perfect position to help him through it. At a school that does focus on him as a whole person, he will be able to keep up with his education as needed. But he will also be able to get therapeutic options that address his underlying concerns to keep his anxiety managed.

For a troubled teen who has struggled to be heard at school, and potentially at home, being in a safe, structured, and nurturing environment can help to set him back on the right mental health path.

If your teen struggles with anxiety, Liahona Academy can offer therapeutic solutions that will address the needs of the individual. A targeted treatment that gets to the root cause of concern can help to ensure better a future where anxiety is managed and minimized.