One of the clearest differences between adult counseling and adolescent counseling is the modifications for differing developmental milestones. Therapy for adolescents takes brain development into consideration. The high plasticity of a teenage brain impacts intellectual and emotional behavior.
Full Answer
What makes adolescent treatment different from adult treatment programs?
Understanding what makes adolescent treatment different from adult treatment programs is crucial in finding the most quality drug treatment programs for this population. Attention to Development—adolescents and young adults are experiencing a critical stage in both body and brain development.
What is the difference between therapy for adults and children?
For adults, therapy grants greater liberty to the client in making their own decisions, even if they are unhealthy decisions. Younger children often struggle with accurately verbalizing the emotions they are feeling. Adults are more cognizant of their experiences and can often connect a stimulus with the resulting feeling on their own.
How is counseling different for adolescents?
There is more variety in counseling for adolescents to account for shorter attention spans. A counselor will generally share more stories and add in personal anecdotes to spark conversations and relate to the child. A counselor may be more animated and use more humor or creativity to engage the client in adolescent counseling.
How are treatment levels determined for adolescents with addiction?
Currently, an adolescent will be referred to one of five treatment levels as designated by the American Society of Addiction Medicine patient placement criteria. This placement occurs after a professional assessment has been conducted. Those levels are as follows:
Why are teenagers different from adults?
Because teenagers have different developmental, mental, and physical needs compared to adults, and because this is the time period when most people first experiment with drugs and alcohol, treatment must be finely tuned to fit the mental, physical, ...
Why are adults more likely to engage in hazardous activities while using drugs or alcohol than teenagers?
Risky behavior: Adults are more likely to engage in hazardous activities while using drugs or alcohol than teenagers are, partly because teens are less likely to have access to these activities. Also, abuse of some drugs, like tobacco, does not necessarily occur in hazardous situations.
Why is aftercare important for teens?
For this reason, aftercare is considered to be vital for preventing relapse in teens, even more than in adults. Continuing care for a substance use disorder must be provided for all levels of care in teens to help counter the social pressure and challenges that lead to a higher risk of relapse in young people.
What is the goal of aftercare?
Aftercare and Relapse Prevention. The main goal of treatment is relapse prevention. As such, the levels of aftercare provided for most adults once they leave rehab are based on the degree of relapse risk. If an adult is considered to have a higher risk of relapse, more intense aftercare may be required.
Why is substance use disorder missed?
For this reason, sometimes the beginning of a substance use disorder in adolescents is missed because the behaviors are overlooked as being a part of “normal” teenage development.
How to diagnose substance abuse?
The Diagnosis of substance abuse in adults is based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which has an established set of 11 criteria used to determine the presence and severity of a substance use disorder. As described by Psych Central, these criteria include: 1 Using more of the substance or using it longer than intended 2 Needing more of the substance over time to get the same effect 3 Craving the substance 4 Spending large amounts of time using or seeking the substance 5 Developing relationship issues over substance use 6 Having physical or psychological problems related to substance use 7 Spending less time in favorite activities due to substance use 8 Neglecting work, home, or school responsibilities due to substance use or its effects 9 Using the substance in dangerous situations 10 Being unable to stop using the substance even in the face of consequences 11 Experiencing withdrawal symptoms if substance use is stopped
Why do teens relapse?
In addition, teenage relapse risk is based on peer pressure and the feeling that continuing to abuse substances contributes to social standing. This is in marked contrast to adults, who tend to relapse due to stress or other negative emotional effects.
Why is it important for adolescents to be treated?
Because adolescents have vastly different developmental, psychological, and physical needs compared to adults and because this is the time frame in which most people experiment with drugs and alcohol, it is imperative that treatment is finely tuned to fit the needs of our teens.
How successful is substance abuse treatment?
Substance abuse treatment is most successful when the treatment program is personalized to an individual’s specific needs. Most of the time a treatment program is tailored to those individuals based on their developmental needs which are most often determined by age. Because adolescents have vastly different developmental, psychological, ...
What happens when teens are not mentally stimulated?
When working with teens if they are not mentally stimulated, encouraged, or motivated regularly they begin to take steps backward impeding the recovery process, so we are constantly engaging them, showing interest in them and walking right beside them in this battle of recovery.
How many criteria are there for substance abuse?
Diagnosing substance abuse in teens and adults varies slightly. The use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has a set of 11 criteria the help determine the presence and severity of a substance use disorder.
What is the relapse risk for teens?
Teenage relapse risk is primarily based on peer pressure and the feeling that continuing to abuse substances contributes to social standing. We begin planning their next steps within the first week in treatment.
Why do people relapse?
Many adults tend to relapse due to stress or other negative emotional effects. For teens, aftercare and relapse prevention require a different direction.
What are the symptoms of substance use disorder?
In adults the presence of 3 or more of these symptoms is an indication of a substance use disorder, however, many signs and symptoms presented in the DSM-5 are normative behaviors for teens. For this very reason, substance use in adolescents is often missed or overlooked as being part of “normal” youth development. Because of this, it is suggested to look at some of the criteria more rigorously. For Example: 1 Tolerance – Adolescents may more quickly develop a tolerance for substances for a variety of reasons, especially when moving from experimentation to more regular use. 2 Risky behaviors – Adults are more likely than teens to engage in hazardous activities while using drugs or alcohol partly because teens have limited access to these activities. 3 Withdrawal – These symptoms usually appear after years of drug abuse, making them less likely to occurs in teens, even with frequent heavy use. But just because the signs are not there does not mean substance use disorder is not present. 4 Cravings – The existence of cravings and how they are defined in teens may be vague. Some teens who use heavily report cravings, however, the definition of cravings for younger people may affect whether or not they are reported accurately.
Teen Addiction Factors and Treatment Modalities
Although the teen addiction treatment paradigm is generally the same as adult: Residential, PHP, IOP, OP, etc., the needs of adolescents vary significantly from adults.
Parenting Teens with Substance Use Disorder
It’s important that parents receive professional support during the teen addiction treatment process. When an adolescent is struggling it impacts the entire family. In addition, there is often a previous trauma or behavioral pattern that informs destructive habits. Consequently, parents need guidance and therapeutic care during treatment.
Addiction Treatment & Professional Support
At The Redpoint Center, a teen and adult addiction treatment in Boulder County, Colorado, we offer specific treatment programs that address the individual. In our adult program, we focus on practical recovery tools so clients maintain their sobriety while living in the community.
Form of therapy
Most adults partake in psychotherapy or talk therapy. Typically, this looks like a conversation between adults in an office setting. The client is guided by the therapist and the two explore memories, thoughts and behaviors.
Modes of interaction
There is more variety in counseling for adolescents to account for shorter attention spans. A counselor will generally share more stories and add in personal anecdotes to spark conversations and relate to the child. A counselor may be more animated and use more humor or creativity to engage the client in adolescent counseling.
Development
One of the clearest differences between adult counseling and adolescent counseling is the modifications for differing developmental milestones.
Stages of life
Many mental health professionals consult psychologist Erik Erikson’s developmental stages to inform their practice with different age groups. His theory states areas of primary interest corresponding to specific developmental periods in life.
Guidance for younger clients
Due to differences in adolescent and adult cognitive ability, it’s more likely that counseling will include more guidance for adolescents. According to an article in Developmental Psychobiology, adolescent brains have immature impulse control, often resulting in risk-taking behaviors.
Processing emotions
Younger children often struggle with accurately verbalizing the emotions they are feeling. Adults are more cognizant of their experiences and can often connect a stimulus with the resulting feeling on their own.
Terminology
The terminology mental health practitioners use will differ greatly between sessions with adults in children. Words like trauma, meta-cognition, transference, dissonance and the like may be easily taught and become normal vocabulary for an adult in treatment. Working with adolescents requires simple vocabulary to avoid miscommunication.
Differences in Treatment Between Adolescents and Adults
- Attention to Development—adolescents and young adults are experiencing a critical stage in both body and brain development. Substance abuse can have the potential to cause significant impediments in these developmental areas. Those who work in adolescent treatment facilities recognize that because an adolescent’s brain is still developing into thei...
Treatment Advances and Options For Adolescents
- Drug and alcohol dependence and abuse among adolescents has consistently been a concern in the scope of national health policy. Given that degree of concern, there has been a movement towards creating treatment options that are specific to the adolescent population. Early exposure and initiation to drug use and abuse can lead to a myriad of behavioral problems down the road, …
Questions to Ask When Looking For An Adolescent Treatment Center
- Knowing the differences between adolescent treatment and adult treatment provides the basic framework in regards to finding the best possible treatment options. There are also other questions that need to be answered, which can include the following: 1. What types of treatment do you have? Have there been any research studies of this type of treatment? 2. What evidence …
Initial Diagnosis
- Diagnosing substance abuse in teens and adults varies slightly. The use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has a set of 11 criteria the help determine the presence and severity of a substance use disorder. 1. Using more of the substance or using it longer than intended 2. Needing more of the substance over time to get the same effect 3. Cravi…
Family Involvement
- Family participation is considered extremely vital in helping teens reduce their drug or alcohol use. Since teenagers have a required dependency on the family for many things including; transportation, monetary stability, living arrangements, and emotional connection, keeping the family involved in the recovery process increases the likelihood of follow-through. At Clearfork A…
After-Care
- Drug and alcohol abuse recovery is a collective responsibility that requires community across all facets of an individual’s life. Many adults tend to relapse due to stress or other negative emotional effects. For teens, aftercare and relapse prevention require a different direction. Teenage relapse risk is primarily based on peer pressure and the f...
Mentorship
- When working with teens if they are not mentally stimulated, encouraged, or motivated regularly they begin to take steps backward impeding the recovery process, so we are constantly engaging them, showing interest in them and walking right beside them in this battle of recovery. When we continue to build this rapport, it provides a safe space for the teens to open up and share what i…
Information Presentation
- The teenage brain is still developing and at a rapid pace, therefore, they do not always make logical decisions. In fact, the information is often perceived in a very different way than the adult brain. We have to focus on emotional reasoning rather than logical reasoning. They act purely on impulse and emotion, so we take that momentum and drive it into a more positive decision. We f…
in Closing…
- Our team is dedicated to the process and they are willing to walk alongside our teens through the thick and thin of a life in recovery. We understand that addictioncan take a toll on a teen and their family and that is the way we take our unique approach in presenting information clearly and directly to our teens while keeping their families engaged in the process. We believe that throug…