Teen Mood Disorder Treatment
Mind Works provides teen mood disorder treatment for adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 across various Texas locations. If you are looking for quality and compassionate care for your loved one, Mind Works can help.
Teen Mood Disorder Treatment in Texas
Mind Works helps teens between the ages of 13 and 17 living with various types of mental health disorders, including mood disorders, including different types of depression, as well as mild bipolar disorder. Our licensed team also assists teens in aspects of their life which may contribute to the development of or worsening of a mood disorder, such as grief and trauma, poor self-esteem issues, self-identity discovery, and serious life events.
What Sets Mind Works Apart?
Consistent, Trusted Providers
Our team is specially trained and qualified to treat mental and behavioral health concerns in children and teens, from ages 3 to 17. Every provider is trained by our registered play therapist supervisor.
Collaborative Family Support
Our staff at Mind Works understands that parents and caregivers also need support, so we offer psychoeducation and family therapy services to promote whole-family healing and growth.
Evidence-Based Psychotherapy for Teens
Our team utilizes a wide range of evidence-based psychotherapies designed to help teens, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and solutions-focused therapy.
Integrated Care: Therapy, Medication Management, and Assessments
We offer a full spectrum of care approach for teen mental and behavioral health treatments, including assessments, evidence-based therapy, medication management, and parental guidance.
Teen-Focused Treatment Plans
All treatment options at Mind Works are specially designed for teens and overseen by a licensed mental health professional. Your teen’s treatment may vary depending on their personal needs, as each treatment plan is highly personalized.
Clear Communication With Caregivers
We work cooperatively with families to provide clear and consistent communication needed to better help us provide the best care for your teen. You will regularly be kept updated on the progress of your teen, and no treatment can proceed without your direct approval.
Our Teen Mood Disorder Treatment Program Highlights
Individual Talk Therapy for Teens
Mind Works utilizes psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, as a place to provide insight and inspire positive changes. What your teen will need can vary based on personal needs. However, common therapies typically include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and solution-focused therapy.
CBT for Mood Disorders and Emotional Regulation
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is used to treat mood disorders, helping to identify harmful thoughts and behavioral patterns. Then, these harmful patterns are changed into positive ones, rewriting how a person copes with a stressor or negative thought. Teens learn healthy coping skills with CBT, helping them better regulate their emotions and turn to healthier outlets for self-expression.
Medication Management When Appropriate
We utilize adolescent psychiatry to help teens find the right FDA-approved medications needed to manage symptoms and improve functioning. Our psychiatrists are experienced in helping teens mitigate and understand side effects, take medications correctly, and stay safe while doing so. Not all teens will need medication or medication management. However, these services are available if needed.
Parent Partnership and Ongoing Support
The collaboration between parents and our team is what helps create effective therapeutic strategies. As such, we work closely with parents and provide ongoing support services to better assist families grow, learn, and heal together.
What to Expect During Teen Therapy
Our teen mood disorder treatment program begins with a mental health evaluation. This helps us give an accurate diagnosis as well as identify environmental factors and other issues, allowing us to address them individually. We then create a personalized treatment plan that is designed to not only address the mood disorder but also improve your teen’s quality of life.
During Therapy Sessions
Therapy is session-based, with an average of 12 sessions of one-hour weekly meetings for teens to see improvement. This gives teens and their families a more flexible option for treatment, reducing interruptions to school and daily responsibilities. Each teen therapy session is overseen by a mental health care professional specialized in helping teenagers. This expertise allows them to create an environment that’s safe and encouraging for your teen.
Therapy begins by establishing a rapport between your teen and their treatment provider, building trust, and getting to know each other. Then, their therapist will help them identify the problems that need to be addressed and establish treatment goals. The next step is to work with your teen to change or navigate around issues that may be exacerbating these problems by developing effective coping strategies.
Between Sessions
Once your teen has become more confident in their coping skills, their therapist will encourage them to practice them outside of therapy. Think of it like homework, in which your teen will practice a skill they learned or engage in self-reflections. They may be asked to record their sleep habits and/or emotional states to help notice patterns in thoughts or behaviors. Teens report on what they learned or accomplished in the next session, and time will be spent discussing them.
Follow-Up and Ongoing Evaluation
Treatment doesn’t end just because teens graduate from therapy. Mind Works believes that continued support is important not just make positive changes stick, but to give teens a safe place to turn to should they have trouble. As such, we will monitor your teen with evaluations through treatment to identify areas in which they still struggle.
Teens may also taper off from treatment, meeting once every few weeks to once a month to help them adjust. This follow-up gives teens a chance to bring up issues they have, allowing us to offer preventative care as needed.
What We Treat
Types of Mood Disorders We Support
Mind Works is prepared to help patients with a variety of mood disorders, with some examples including:
- Mild bipolar disorder
- Major depression, also known as major depressive disorder
- Persistent depressive disorder (PDD), also known as dysthymia
- Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD)
Please note that we are an outpatient treatment facility, and as such, can only treat conditions that can be managed through outpatient care. Severe disorders may require the use of a residential treatment facility or other higher level of care than what Mind Works can provide.
Related Mental Health Conditions
Mood disorders rarely occur alone, and teens may have adjacent or occurring mental health problems. Some examples of related mental health conditions we can treat include:
- Anxiety disorders
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Self-esteem and identity issues
- Autism
- Educational and/or learning disabilities
How We Build a Treatment Plan
The first step at Mind Works is to undergo a psychological evaluation. This gives us the valuable data we need to develop a personalized treatment plan. We examine all aspects of the individual, what co-occurring disorders they may have, and other factors to create a comprehensive treatment plan. This allows us to give individualized care from our entire team of expert mental health professionals.
When to Seek Help for Your Teen
Emotional and Behavioral Changes
Mood disorders can cause emotional and behavioral changes that can indicate a serious mental health issue. Some of these changes can worsen over a period of time if left untreated. Examples of changes you may notice in your teen can include:
- Persistent feelings of sadness, despair, guilt, or hopelessness
- Low self-esteem
- Having a grouchy, hostile, angry, or irritable mood without a clear trigger
- Loss of interest in normal activities or activities they once enjoyed
- Relationship troubles
- Sensitivity to failure or rejection
- Running away or making threats of running away from home
- Engaging in substance use
Physical and Cognitive Changes
Some symptoms of depression and other mood disorders can cause physical and cognitive changes, with some examples including:
- Changes in appetite or weight
- Drop in energy of fatigue
- Sleep problems, such as insomnia
- Problems focusing or making decisions
- Complaints of pain, such as a headache or stomachache
These symptoms may be noticed first, as they can cause a general decline in health and performance at school.
Safety Concerns
In severe cases, your teen may express that they have suicidal thoughts or thoughts of death. They may even engage in self-harm or have thoughts about self-harming. This can occur when mood disorders are left untreated, which can cause teens to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms when they feel hopeless.
These are all serious issues that require immediate help. If your teen is expressing these thoughts or behaviors, it’s essential to get help right away. It could save their life.
When Early Intervention Helps Most
Early intervention for mood disorders can be the key to helping your teen improve their recovery outcomes. It reduces the severity of symptoms and helps prevent the development of more severe mental health issues. Addressing these conditions as early as possible helps teens regain stability and enhance their overall quality of life.
A Supportive & Teen-Focused Environment
What Our Outpatient Spaces Are Like
Our in-person outpatient spaces are designed to help teens feel comfortable and safe enough to engage in treatment. Staff are specially trained in helping teens and will spend time helping your teen adjust to therapy. Teens are given the time and freedom to adjust at their own pace without being rushed or disrespected. Care is taken to help teens feel seen and validated, which can give them a place of stabilization during what can be a difficult period in their lives.
A Calm, Comfortable Setting Designed for Teens
Care is taken to make sure our setting remains calm and comfortable for our patients. Although teens may sometimes have volatile emotions, we are prepared to counter them with techniques specially designed to de-escalate and comfort. This allows us to build a rapport with our patients and provide a space where they feel respected and understood.
Additional Program Features
Psychological Assessments
Our first step in treatment is a psychological assessment, which helps us identify the type of mood disorder and other mental health issues your teen may be struggling with. This gives us an accurate overview of your teen’s mental health and cognitive abilities, allowing us to create personalized treatment plans.
Medication Management
Not all teens will need medication, but our medication management program ensures that if they do, they get the right medications they need and take them safely.
Family Therapy and Caregiver Guidance
We incorporate families into the healing process at Mind Works, offering family therapy and guidance for parents. This provides psychoeducation, improves familial communication, and encourages mutual understanding and support.
Coordination With Your Child’s Healthcare Provider
We collaborate with your child’s existing healthcare providers if applicable. This allows us to gain insight from professionals who know your child best and helps your child feel more comfortable and secure.
What Teens Can Expect
How We Support Comfort, Safety, and Confidence
Your teen can expect a respectful, understanding, safe, and supportive experience at Mind Works. Here, we help teens build their confidence and gain the agency needed to grow into healthy adults. Mood disorders can be alarming, but they are treatable conditions when assisted with professional help. Get them started on this path to healing by calling us or using our online contact form today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer family therapy or caregiver involvement?
Yes, we closely involve parents and caregivers throughout the assessment and treatment process. We also offer family therapy and support to help strengthen communication between family members.
What happens during a teen’s therapy session?
Teen therapy sessions are private and are conducted by licensed therapists. These spaces are curated to be environments where a teen can explore their thoughts and feelings while being understood, supported, and empowered. Therapists will provide various therapeutic methods, depending on your teen’s needs, such as talk therapy, skill development, and setting personal goals. The goal of therapy is to help your teen advocate for themselves, build resilience, and feel empowered to make healthy decisions.
Your teen’s first few therapy sessions are spent getting to know each other, developing rapport, and establishing goals. The next sessions are spent working on these goals and helping your teen manage their emotions and behaviors while developing coping skills. Once your teen has stabilized, they complete or graduate from therapy.
Do you prescribe antidepressant medication?
Yes, Mind Works collaborates with psychiatrists and your teens’ existing healthcare providers if we believe antidepressants will be effective in managing symptoms.
How long does treatment last?
Mind Works believes in not putting a timeline on healing. As such, our outpatient program meets for one hour a week for 12+ sessions. Some teens will need more sessions compared to others, and that is normal.
How do you diagnose mood disorders in teens?
Teens are carefully assessed at Mind Works to obtain an accurate diagnosis. We examine all aspects of your teen’s health and mental well-being, including family history and environmental factors. Then, we utilize testing tools to determine if their symptoms fit the criteria of a mood disorder. These test results are evaluated by mental health professionals, such as pediatric psychologists and psychiatrists, who can make an accurate diagnosis.
Once a diagnosis of a mood disorder is obtained, we go into the planning phase to create a treatment plan for your teen.
Do you collaborate with my child’s healthcare provider?
Yes, we collaborate with your child’s existing healthcare providers as a means to provide comprehensive care coverage.
What’s the difference between typical teen mood swings and a mood disorder?
Teen mood swings, or teen angst, are a normal part of adolescent development. These mood swings are short-lived and linked to specific stressors, such as self-identity, feeling misunderstood, or the desire for independence or privacy. Teens can function in some areas or “snap out” of these mood swings on their own. Most of these mood swings are directed at authority figures, and while they can be annoying, they aren’t debilitating.
Mood disorders, such as depression, are persistent and pervasive and do not improve over time or in better circumstances. They can severely impact a teen’s life and make it difficult to function normally. Symptoms of profound sadness, hopelessness, loss of interest, guilt, weight/sleep/appetite changes, fatigue, concentration problems, and thoughts of suicide or self-harm are common to mood disorders. Teens typically need the help of a mental health care professional to recover from a mood disorder.
Does substance abuse affect a teen’s mood disorder?
Yes, substance use and abuse can perpetuate a complex cycle that worsens both the substance use and mood disorder. This cycle can greatly impact a teen’s long-term well-being and adolescent development.
Do you accept insurance?
Yes, Mind Works accepts most major health insurance. However, it’s important to speak with your insurance provider to understand what your benefits entail. If you have questions about insurance, feel free to contact us.