Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with Adolescents

The period of adolescence is undoubtedly one of the most challenging periods in one’s life. As a transition period, the adolescent faces many challenges. Negotiating these academic, interpersonal and intrapersonal challenges is crucial for adjustment. Many adolescents face emotional disorders that make it necessary for them to seek and receive psychological interventions, and most emotional disorders have their onset and peak during this period. Helping adolescents deal effectively with these tasks is therefore important. This has been addressed through training in life skills and coping skills (assertiveness, problem-solving skills). While effective life skills and coping skills are important in order to negotiate situations and may at times be preparatory in nature, many psychological interventions are designed to address psychological problems that have already been identified.