It is Mental Health Awareness Month, which is a perfect time to talk about an under-discussed topic: counseling and therapy for teens. Therapy is one tool that can be very helpful in addressing problems in a young person’s life, especially now, with mental health issues at a higher level over the past 10-plus years, partly linked to screen time issues.
One thing we talked about is how hard it is to find therapy when you need it, and to afford it. Yes, and that’s awful. I’ve spent 20 years advocating for better mental health access.
That is an important topic to be discussed another day. Here, I want to highlight one of the many topics I discussed with Laura Kastner, PhD — author of Wise-Minded Parenting and an adolescent and family therapist with over 30 years of experience — in the podcast episode that dropped yesterday, Screen Time, Teens, and Therapy: What Parents Need to Know.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts // Spotify // Castbox // YouTube // Website
In the podcast, we discuss questions like when to turn to a school counselor versus a therapist, what makes therapy truly effective, how counseling can help when a teen is languishing and glued to their screens, and so much more.
In today’s blog, I focus on the family’s role, beyond the teen, in the therapy process. This is an important topic because there’s a widespread myth that therapy should be a private, walled-off space just for the teen and their therapist, with no family involvement. The idea is that real progress happens only within that sacred one-on-one relationship, and that teens shouldn’t have to worry about their family being part of the process. But that’s a misconception.
Also, Mental Health Awareness Month is partly about advocacy, and I want to make a tiny call to action: Take the topic of therapy out of the shadows.
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Advocacy around mental health is helping bring it out of the shadows. More people are talking openly about therapy, though it's still important to choose carefully with whom they share. It’s valuable to frame therapy as a helpful tool, especially when the therapist actively helps problem-solve, not just listens passively while the patient ruminates.
In Screenagers Next Chapter, addressing mental health in the digital age, one story is about my daughter, Tessa, and her struggles with depression. Over time, we were able to find Tessa a very effective therapist. In the podcast, you hear a scene from the film featuring Tessa and me doing family therapy with her therapist. Yes, Tessa was completely fine with this being in the film. She launched into her own mental health advocacy with the release of her film, which was incredibly helpful to her.
So, the call to action — talking about therapy, such as something you learn from the blog or podcast, or something from your own experience — helps people better understand how useful it can be. What a gift.
Why family participation is important.
Dr. Kastner explains that a harmful myth is the "Dry Cleaner Model" — the idea that you can simply drop off a struggling child at therapy and expect them to come back "fixed." In reality, if a child is anxious, depressed, or having suicidal thoughts, the whole family is affected and must be involved in the healing process. Families need guidance, just like they would with any serious illness, to learn how to support the child at home, especially in encouraging them to face challenges rather than avoid them. Therapy alone isn’t enough; it takes a family effort.
Be wary of a therapist who is not insistent on a family approach.
Laura Kastner says, "But the thing that really raises my hackles is when the teenager says, I don't want them involved, and the practitioner listens to the child with depression. No, parents should always be involved. This is their baby. This is their precious child. And there are all sorts of things around withdrawal with depression, which make a conundrum for the parents. They want to be empathic to their child who is depressed. But they don't want to follow directions, okay, let's not do anything and let you stay home from school in your bed.” I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for family members to learn how to help a struggling teen.
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel! We add new videos regularly and you'll find over 100 videos covering parenting advice, guidance, podcasts, movie clips and more. Here's our most recent:
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It is Mental Health Awareness Month, which is a perfect time to talk about an under-discussed topic: counseling and therapy for teens. Therapy is one tool that can be very helpful in addressing problems in a young person’s life, especially now, with mental health issues at a higher level over the past 10-plus years, partly linked to screen time issues.
One thing we talked about is how hard it is to find therapy when you need it, and to afford it. Yes, and that’s awful. I’ve spent 20 years advocating for better mental health access.
That is an important topic to be discussed another day. Here, I want to highlight one of the many topics I discussed with Laura Kastner, PhD — author of Wise-Minded Parenting and an adolescent and family therapist with over 30 years of experience — in the podcast episode that dropped yesterday, Screen Time, Teens, and Therapy: What Parents Need to Know.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts // Spotify // Castbox // YouTube // Website
In the podcast, we discuss questions like when to turn to a school counselor versus a therapist, what makes therapy truly effective, how counseling can help when a teen is languishing and glued to their screens, and so much more.
In today’s blog, I focus on the family’s role, beyond the teen, in the therapy process. This is an important topic because there’s a widespread myth that therapy should be a private, walled-off space just for the teen and their therapist, with no family involvement. The idea is that real progress happens only within that sacred one-on-one relationship, and that teens shouldn’t have to worry about their family being part of the process. But that’s a misconception.
Also, Mental Health Awareness Month is partly about advocacy, and I want to make a tiny call to action: Take the topic of therapy out of the shadows.
Advocacy around mental health is helping bring it out of the shadows. More people are talking openly about therapy, though it's still important to choose carefully with whom they share. It’s valuable to frame therapy as a helpful tool, especially when the therapist actively helps problem-solve, not just listens passively while the patient ruminates.
In Screenagers Next Chapter, addressing mental health in the digital age, one story is about my daughter, Tessa, and her struggles with depression. Over time, we were able to find Tessa a very effective therapist. In the podcast, you hear a scene from the film featuring Tessa and me doing family therapy with her therapist. Yes, Tessa was completely fine with this being in the film. She launched into her own mental health advocacy with the release of her film, which was incredibly helpful to her.
So, the call to action — talking about therapy, such as something you learn from the blog or podcast, or something from your own experience — helps people better understand how useful it can be. What a gift.
Why family participation is important.
Dr. Kastner explains that a harmful myth is the "Dry Cleaner Model" — the idea that you can simply drop off a struggling child at therapy and expect them to come back "fixed." In reality, if a child is anxious, depressed, or having suicidal thoughts, the whole family is affected and must be involved in the healing process. Families need guidance, just like they would with any serious illness, to learn how to support the child at home, especially in encouraging them to face challenges rather than avoid them. Therapy alone isn’t enough; it takes a family effort.
Be wary of a therapist who is not insistent on a family approach.
Laura Kastner says, "But the thing that really raises my hackles is when the teenager says, I don't want them involved, and the practitioner listens to the child with depression. No, parents should always be involved. This is their baby. This is their precious child. And there are all sorts of things around withdrawal with depression, which make a conundrum for the parents. They want to be empathic to their child who is depressed. But they don't want to follow directions, okay, let's not do anything and let you stay home from school in your bed.” I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for family members to learn how to help a struggling teen.
Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel! We add new videos regularly and you'll find over 100 videos covering parenting advice, guidance, podcasts, movie clips and more. Here's our most recent:
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It is Mental Health Awareness Month, which is a perfect time to talk about an under-discussed topic: counseling and therapy for teens. Therapy is one tool that can be very helpful in addressing problems in a young person’s life, especially now, with mental health issues at a higher level over the past 10-plus years, partly linked to screen time issues.
One thing we talked about is how hard it is to find therapy when you need it, and to afford it. Yes, and that’s awful. I’ve spent 20 years advocating for better mental health access.
That is an important topic to be discussed another day. Here, I want to highlight one of the many topics I discussed with Laura Kastner, PhD — author of Wise-Minded Parenting and an adolescent and family therapist with over 30 years of experience — in the podcast episode that dropped yesterday, Screen Time, Teens, and Therapy: What Parents Need to Know.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts // Spotify // Castbox // YouTube // Website
In the podcast, we discuss questions like when to turn to a school counselor versus a therapist, what makes therapy truly effective, how counseling can help when a teen is languishing and glued to their screens, and so much more.
In today’s blog, I focus on the family’s role, beyond the teen, in the therapy process. This is an important topic because there’s a widespread myth that therapy should be a private, walled-off space just for the teen and their therapist, with no family involvement. The idea is that real progress happens only within that sacred one-on-one relationship, and that teens shouldn’t have to worry about their family being part of the process. But that’s a misconception.
Also, Mental Health Awareness Month is partly about advocacy, and I want to make a tiny call to action: Take the topic of therapy out of the shadows.
Many adults keep their phones by the bed — it feels harmless, even necessary. But what if that habit is quietly affecting our sleep and the example we set for our kids? In this week’s blog, Dr. Ruston shares two key things every parent should know about sleeping next to a phone, and how small nighttime tech changes can make a big difference for the whole family.
READ MORE >
From Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto to violence and gunfire in movies and shows, aggression is a constant backdrop in boys’ media diets. And with various influencers and online personalities framing success through the lens of strength, competition, dominance and winning, boys are being handed a narrow script for masculinity. As parents, one of the most important things we can do is offer a counterweight. We can help boys strengthen empathy, compassion, and respect as core traits of masculinity, so they have a broader, healthier vision of who they can become.
READ MORE >
Last week we introduced you to our Screen-Free Sleep campaign! Since then, we’ve been flooded with emails and calls, and most are asking the same question: How can we get this spreading in our school? Today’s blog has the answers.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
