Evidence based treatments for teens and adolescents

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)is a form of cognitive-behavioral treatment that was originally developed for treating borderline personality disorder. It has since been further developed to treat other relatively common disorders. DBT is used to try to help stabilize the relationships that clients may have with others (family, friends, romantic, etc.) by moderating the often extreme changes in emotions that can be associated with these relationships. DBT can help identify the particular thoughts and beliefs that cause clients to struggle (ex: If I’m not perfect, then I’m not good enough) and enable more positive, productive, and stable patterns of thought and action.

Trauma Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TICBT) is a treatment strategy that focuses specifically on the effects of trauma in children and adolescents. Research from around the world has continually shown this method to be effective. TICBT is comprehensively capable of treating the vast spectrum of the consequences of trauma. TICBT was developed from the realization that young people who have experienced trauma in their lives often are better treated with a specialized emphasis. Because of this, TICBT has been useful in addressing trauma induced (or exacerbated) by depression, anxiety, and cognitive and behavioral problems. It has also been proven to residually improve the well-being of a client’s primary caregiver.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidenced based form of treatment that adopts an acceptance and mindfulness approach to overcoming difficult thoughts and situations. ACT rejects the idea that suppression can be used to overcome these difficulties. It instills a perspective in which the individual can address their problems while maintaining a positive attitude. A common acronym used amongst ACT advocates is ACT: “Accept your actions and be present, Choose a valued direction, Take action.” This specific approach—as evidence continues to demonstrate—helps empower young adults to have better control of their lives and enables them to pursue the realization of their best selves.

Somatic Experiencing was developed as an approach to treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among a variety of other related diseases. Somatic Experiencing is somewhat unique compared to other PTSD treatments in the sense that it specifically focuses on the client’s perceived bodily sensations throughout the given session. Because the events causing PTSD are often physical in nature, a benefit of Somatic Experiencing is that the effects existing in body and mind are linked and addressed together. The goal of these treatments is to simultaneously resolve the physical and mental complications of trauma and allow the client to function more easily in everyday life. Research has shown that Somatic Experiencing is effective in treating both shock and developmental forms of trauma.

Neurofeedback (NFB) is a type of biofeedback that allows access to real-time displays of a client’s brain activity. It has been incredibly useful not only to the improved understanding of the human brain, but also in the direct understanding of the individual client. The development of NFB has enabled a wide variety of treatments. It has been employed in the treatment of ADHD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, epilepsy, trauma, and numerous other conditions. Through the use of NFB, the activities of a client’s brain can be understood as objectively as possible since there is no risk of the client misconstruing their own thoughts and emotions to the treatment provider. With this objective information in hand, the exact state of the client’s brain can be understood, and thus, treated accordingly.