ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION & SUICIDE TREATMENT
If you're a teen experiencing hopelessness, withdrawal, or suicidal thoughts, or you are a parent feeling scared because you are seeing these behaviors in your child --- there is hope.
With the right treatment, family therapy can increase
parent-child closeness and communication, reduce teen suicidality, and bring more hope and stability for families overall.
What is Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT)?
An Evidence-Based Treatment
ABFT is an evidence-based family therapy treatment targeting depression and suicide in adolescents and young adults.
↑ Connection = ↓ Depression
ABFT prioritizes the parent-child relationship as the primary factor that protects against depressive and suicidal behaviors. Sessions directly work on increasing warmth, connection, and effective communication.
Session Structure
What do sessions actually look like?
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Teen individual sessions
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Parent sessions
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Family sessions
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Guided repair conversations
IF YOU ARE A DEPRESSED TEEN, YOU CAN EXPECT:
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A therapist who will listen and protect you from a judgmental or hypercritical space
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The opportunity to unpack the unique challenges that have occurred in your life and family
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To feel closer and more authentically seen by your parent(s), something all people (not just kids!) biologically yearn for and need
IF YOU ARE A CONCERNED PARENT, YOU CAN EXPECT TO GAIN:
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Effective communication skills to emotionally-attune to your child's needs
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Knowledge of best practices to parent teens and adjust to developmental changes in autonomy
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Opportunities to model commitment to the therapeutic process, individual responsibility and accountability, and the work required to improve important relationships
ABFT FAQs
What if my teen does not want to do therapy?
It is normal for adolescents to be skeptical or nervous about family therapy. ABFT prepares for this natural resistance by specifically addressing it in the first session with the family.
Do parents have to be involved?
Parent participation is essential to improving the parent-child relationship, which is the key to Attachment-Based Family Therapy. Both parent(s) and child are invited to work on the relationship together.
What makes ABFT different from other therapies?
Many treatments for adolescent depression and suicide focus on coping skills and individual changes. On the other hand, ABFT acknowledges and capitalizes on the profound impact of safe, trusting parent-child relationships as key to supporting the child's mental health outcomes. The responsibility to "get better" is shared, as opposed to only the child's responsibility.
