When someone survives a suicide attempt, they have been given a second chance to find the beauty in life. The loved ones surrounding them should take every measure to help that person see the beauty because surviving alone is not enough for them to see how precious their life is. Holistic therapy for teenagers who have been hospitalized for suicide is a way to offer hope, coping skills, and emotional confidence.

Those battling with suicidal thoughts are literally in a battle between life and death, and coming out of that battle alive is not a simple task. Holistic therapy for teenagers who have been hospitalized for suicide is DBT focused. From positive coping skills, teenagers develop better self-esteem, body confidence, and self-acceptance.

Another perspective is that of the parents, as the role of a parent fighting to help their child see the beauty in their life is just as hard. No parent anticipates burying their child, let alone needing to find out if their auto insurance covers ambulance rides because they know there is a chance their child may try to end their life again.

Depression and suicidal thoughts can run the the family and be a family trait.

As a group of marriage and family therapists, who specialize with adolescents, we know that teens need the right fit.

Also, alcohol use and drug use can be a part that increase suicidal thinking. In therapy, you and your loved one can learn positive coping tools to overcome negative thoughts. So, if your loved one is using drugs or alcohol, these can lead to an increase in suicidal thoughts. If you have a loved one who is suicidal, it can feel exhausting caring for them. You may not know when the other shoe will drop.

East Lyme, CT therapy for depressed or impulsive teenagers who have been hospitalized for suicide can help families offer support too.

One day, it feels calm and stable. Your family is happy and things feel calm. But, the next moment, it feels scary and like there is no hope. Then, your teenager begins self-harming again, and you are worried. And, if you were previously suicidal, it can feel hard to trust yourself again.

In Connecticut, the holistic therapists at Wisdom Within Counseling offer an expressive arts approach. Art therapy, yoga therapy, music therapy, marriage therapy, and child therapy are available.

The best way to help a teenager push through after a suicide attempt is by attending therapy.

However, many teens do not respond well to traditional forms of treatment. At times, a teenager in counseling won’t want to talk about problems. for instance, a teenager may refuse to talk as their own form of control or power. Or, in a parent’s divorce, a teenager may want to paint, use clay, or do art therapy. When a teenager has an eating disorder like anorexia, bulimia, expressive art therapy is healing. Also, if your teenager needs an eating disorder specialist, Wisdom Within Counseling focuses on eating disorder therapy. This is where alternative formats, such as creative therapy, comes in hand. 

No matter the reason behind a teenager’s attempt to end their life, creative therapy is a treatment that can help after being hospitalized for suicide. 

Reason for Suicide Attempts Amongst Teenagers

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the third-leading cause of death for individuals aged between 15 and 24 years. In most cases, there is not one single reason for someone attempting to commit suicide. Often, complete overwhelm, anxiety, fear, worry, and confusion are too much. The reasons for teenage suicides are complex. However, holistic therapy helps teenagers who have been hospitalized for suicide create a life worth living. From self-care skills, self-acceptance, and self-love, therapy helps teenagers with depression think in healthy ways.

Trauma-sensitive yoga therapy and other holistic therapies for teenagers

One thing that is common between the variety of reasons, though, is the presence of trauma. Trauma comes in all shapes and sizes, and if more people took the time to understand what it is like to live with trauma, families and friends may be able to prevent more suicide attempts. Now, despite most people not truly comprehending what it is like to live with trauma, there are warning signs of suicide. Often, PTSD and trauma symptoms can be a call for help. After trauma experiences, emotional PTSD flashbacks, frustrations, and anxieties are intensified. And, trauma doesn’t have just one cause or source. Trauma therapy is a healing process of childhood, sexual, and emotional trauma. At Wisdom Within Counseling, therapy for teenagers who have been hospitalized for suicide can include yoga therapy for trauma. In yoga therapy sessions, teens gain mindfulness and self-soothing skills.

Look out for these signs include (but are not limited to):

• Talking about suicide or death in a general context
• Giving hints that they might not be around anymore 
• Talking about feeling hopeless or feeling guilty
• Pulling away from friends or family
• Having trouble concentrating or thinking clearly
• Changes in eating or sleeping habits
• Willing to engage in risk-taking behaviors
• Losing interest in school or sports
• Writing songs, poems, or letters about death, separation, and loss
• Giving away valued belongings to siblings or friends
• Losing their desire to take part in favorite things or activities

What should parents do?

Parents should take the time to educate themselves about the risk of suicide amongst teens, warning signs of suicide, and various forms of trauma and identify it in children. Granted, parents are human and may not catch all of the symptoms. But, being educated on the subject can help to make it easier to notice the early signs of this type of thinking.

Most importantly, parents should always take threats of harming themselves seriously. The worst thing to do is discredit these comments as “seeking attention” and disregarding them because this is a cry for help. 

Even if the child has no intentions of actually harming themselves, this is a way they are trying to communicate with their parents about how they feel alone and lack excitement about life.

However, the best attention when these comments are made is not from physicians but friends and family. The best way to get your teen to see the joy in life is by merely helping them experience more joyous moments. 

Hospitalization and residential treatment should only be considered if the teen is severely depressed and unwilling to socialize. Counseling in Southeastern Connecticut can help teens who are struggling with depression or are unwilling to socialize with friends and family. 

What is creative therapy?

Creative therapy can be explained as an application of the visual arts in a therapeutic context. It is a treatment form that is also known as art therapy, and one of the ways it is used is to reduce stress with expressive painting. Though it helps to see a therapist so they can guide you through the process of creative therapy, therapy is not something that is always necessary to do.

Creative therapy can be completed through various formats such as art journaling, sketching, making collages, or sculpting clay. The routes you can take within creative therapy are endless because art is self-expression, and there are many art forms. 

It is necessary to work with a licensed therapist for creative therapy, when self-harm behaviors are present.

So, partnering with a professional in art therapy can truly help an individual thrive. Holistic creative therapists can organize specific activities that directly relate to confidence, self-love, and emotional balance.  

For people who struggle with social interaction and depression, partaking in creative therapy within a group helps them to build healthy connections with other people. Anxiety counseling In East Lyme, Ct can also help people learn how to develop healthy relationships with others.

Mental Health Benefits of Creative Therapy

Creative therapy is perfect for people who have been hospitalized for suicide because it helps them to build and rebuild healthy relationships with their friends, family, and new friends. Having strong connections to other people can help them to remember how joyous living can be. 

Art can inspire people to see things from a different perspective.

Through art, teens can view their world through a different lens, allowing them to know that life may not be just as bad as it feels.

Teens who feel as though the only way out of the storm of life was by ending their life usually struggle with verbal communication about their ideas, stressor, and fears. Artistic expression helps them to communicate these thoughts. 

Here is a list of benefits associated with participating in creative therapy: 

• Relieve symptoms of depression
• Improve Communication skills
• Learn self-regulation and management
• Confront past trauma
• Reduce stress
• Improve and develop problem-solving skills
• Grow self-esteem
• Provide a positive distraction

On the other hand, for parents,, while your teen is partaking in creative therapy, marriage counseling in Mystic, Connecticut could help you learn to better support your family because they will need your emotional, physical, and mental support through this process.

You and your spouse may need the additional support as well so that you can keep pouring into your child. At times, marriage counseling in Mystic, Ct can be a safe place to talk about your trauma related to your teen’s self-harm. At Wisdom Within Counseling, the therapists help parents understand the signs and symptoms to help protect their teens from themselves. Also, parents can learn healthy coping tools to model positive behaviors around healthy stress outlets. Therapy can help parents be the best hey can be by reducing negative coping tools like drugs and alcohol.

In counseling in Connecticut, teens and parents can have a safe place to grow, thrive, and be successful and confident emotionally.

Imani Francies writes and researches for the auto insurance comparison site, 4AutoInsuranceQuote.com. She earned a bachelor of arts in Film and Media and specializes in various forms of media marketing.