Once your troubled teenager reaches a point where he/she is actually contemplating suicide, it is crucial for you to seek counseling for him/her. If your teenager may be uncomfortable speaking to you about his/her issues of depression, it may actually be easier for him/her to talk to a stranger.
This may sound confusing, but for some teens, talking to strangers about personal issues can actually be easier than opening up to someone that they care about or who cares about them very much.
Find a counselor your teen feels comfortable with.
It’s vital to seek a counselor or psychotherapist for your teenager as soon as you pick up on any suicidal tendencies or clues. It may be beneficial to the progress of his/her treatment if he/she takes several “test sessions” with different counselors or therapists in order to find the one whom he/she feels most comfortable with.
Once you have found a therapist whom your teenager is most comfortable, begin to schedule appropriate sessions with him/her during the week. The number of sessions may depend on your teen’s school schedule and his/her need of therapy. If your troubled teen is suffering from mild depression wherein his or her state affects the teen’s normal functioning by needing more effort to accomplish things, you may consider sessions once a week.
If he/she suffers from moderate depression to severe depression wherein he or she can not even function normally by not being able to accomplish regular everyday activities, you may consider sessions twice a week or more.
Be patient; let the therapy take its effect
Keep in mind that it may take a number of sessions and a certain period of time for the counseling or psychotherapy to take its proper effect. Be patient. As long as you are wary of your teen’s safety, let the therapy take its effect while you provide your teen with the positive reinforcement he/she needs.
But it is important to remember that if your teenager is undergoing outpatient treatment like sessions of psychotherapy, his/her time out of treatment is just as crucial to his/her progress. This means that the environment that he or she experiences during the day at school or at home have a significant effect on the progress of his/her treatment. It would be important to inform a guidance counselor at school of his/her condition if it is not already known.
This is helpful in order to reduce the occurrence of triggers of his/her suicidal complex while in class. At home, you must do your part as well by showing him/her positive reinforcement as much as you can.
