The Wide-Spread Impact of COVID-19 on Adolescents

COVID-19 has affected daily life on a global scale since early 2020. This is especially true for teens and children. The impact of COVID-19 on adolescents is undeniable. For many children and teens, COVID-19 changed their daily lives on a large scale.

For students, the pandemic meant going from the social atmosphere provided by schools, clubs, and sports teams to social distancing and long periods of isolation from friends and peers. Major life events like proms, graduations, and sporting seasons were canceled. The loss of these events and the sudden change in social lifestyles can cause adolescents to experience feelings of loneliness, depression, anxiety, and more.

For parents, guardians, and families of teens and children, it’s important to recognize the potential impact of the pandemic on adolescents and offer support. Talking to a therapist, individually or as a family, may help adolescents put the pandemic into perspective as well as learn to cope with the complex feelings they’re experiencing in these difficult times.

The Benefits of Therapy for Adolescents During COVID-19

Individual or family therapy can be a helpful tool as adolescents navigate the pandemic moving forward. Your teen may find therapy beneficial for a few of the following reasons:

• Therapy can help young people put the pandemic into perspective and offer a constructive outlet for discussing the current state of the world.
• Many teens have been cut off from friends and their typical social lifestyles. This can cause feelings of loneliness and depression. Therapy can offer a safe environment to work through these feelings and offer tools to cope moving forward.
• The cancellation of quintessential events like proms, graduations, and concerts can create feelings of grief and resentment. Therapy can provide a safe place to discuss and grieve for the important milestones that have been lost and missed.
• Adolescents may feel helpless due to a lack of control over the situation. Therapy is a space for teens to work toward a solution in which they are an active participant in how they move forward during and post-pandemic.
• Therapy can help young people create good communication habits, and a therapist can provide tools to cope with feelings of grief, trauma, anxiety, depression, and more. These tools will help adolescents as they move forward into adulthood, both regarding the pandemic and simply in their everyday lives.

Therapy at Philly Family Life Counseling LLC

Although we can’t yet see the lasting impact of COVID-19 on adolescents, it is sure to be significant. Young people have missed important milestones in their lives, been cut off from friends and peers, and have had their lifestyles drastically changed, likely without much of their own active input. All these factors can create feelings of anger, resentment, depression, grief, anxiety and more. To help your child navigate this complex and difficult time, you may be considering therapy. At Philly Family Life Counseling LLC, we offer both individual and family therapy might benefit your child moving forward, both during and post-pandemic. To learn more about how therapy can help your family navigate the impact of COVID-19 on adolescents, or to set up an appointment, call our office at 215-677-3810 or fill out our online form. You can also follow us on Facebook for news and updates.