(614) 310-4940
When searching for support with girls who are cutting, it is important to view cutting as a symptom rather than the specific problem or issue. This is because girls who are cutting are doing so as a means to cope with another problem, challenge, or experience. Often, girls who are cutting are doing so because they are overwhelmed. In fact, few teens have the opportunity to experience a full and healthy development in a reasonable (versus overwhelming) environment. Many teens are simply under too my pressure and lack the sufficient emotional development to cope with that pressure. This pressure may take the form of both external or internal stressors. Many teens today experience stress around trying to be super smart, attractive, and well-liked. They are trying to get into a good college, to not let friends and family down, to be or stay thin, to keep up with commitments and expectations, etc. This combination of stress and too little time for healthy development may be the real problem for girls who are cutting.
If you have girls who are cutting, or a daughter experiencing the symptoms of anxiety, depression, or extreme stress, it may be helpful to consider counseling and treatment. Counseling may be helpful for a teenager who is cutting or experiencing the symptoms of a mental health condition. Counseling, in general, aims to help individuals, families, or groups feel better, facilitate change, and overcome obstacles or challenges. Counseling is used to treat specific mental health conditions, including anxiety or depression, as well as to solve relationship challenges, improve stress management, and find clarity within career decisions. A good counselor will be able to help your teenager identify the factors and triggers that contribute to his or her symptoms and provide a proper course of treatment.
At True North Counseling, we offer counseling services for the times in life when we struggle to keep up with everything that is thrown our way. Because when we’re overwhelmed, lost, confused, or struggling with symptoms that impact our ability to enjoy daily tasks and activities, it can be helpful to have the unbiased and outside perspective of a professional. We believe in counseling, because it can help your teenagers find clarification, move forward, and feel better in their life more quickly than on their own.
Whether a girl who is cutting is suicidal or not, recognizing that this behavior is occuring is a perfect time for counseling. During counseling sessions, teenagers can learn about their internal emotions and how to respond to those emotions in healthy and productive ways. In time, cutting will ideally subside as the way to cope with emotions as other avenues are explored, such as expressing feelings verbally, writing in a journal, using exercise to move through emotions, etc.
At True North Counseling, we begin all of our sessions with a thorough assessment. This is because no one individual is the same. Each individual has different challenges, different stressors, and different wants in life. A thorough assessment can help us better understand your teenager, what situations or individuals have shaped his or her beliefs, what he or she most values, and what he or she is currently experiencing. This is important because when we better understands your individual circumstances, we can more quickly help your teenager find relief from challenges and move towards where he or she wants to be.
Counseling for Girls Who Are Cutting
If you’re searching for counseling or support with girls who are cutting, then please reach out to us at True North Counseling. You can contact us today at (614)310-4940. Our licensed psychologist, Dr. Sonya Slater, is available to provide counseling to children, teens, and adults. Maintaining a collaborative relationship with patients, Dr. Slater focuses on resiliency, patient strengths, and respect for diversity. Her treatment approach incorporates interpersonal, cognitive-behavioral, and mindfulness techniques. Some of the areas she specializes are individuals coping with life transitions such as divorce and transition to college, anxiety, grief and trauma, relationship issues, depression, ADHD, and behavior problems in children. Dr. Slater received her doctoral degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio and has worked in a community mental health center as the Training Director for a psychology internship program. We look forward to hearing from you and answering any questions you might have!
References
Anxiety Disorders. (March 2016). In National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression–what–you–need–to–know/index.shtml
Overcoming Depression: Counseling and Therapy. In Clinical Depression. Retrieved from http://www.clinical–depression.co.uk/dlp/treating–depression/overcoming–depression–counseling–and–therapy/.
Cutting to Cope. In Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/teen–girls–crash–course/201211/stressed–out–teen–girls–cutting–cope.