Therapy helps children in a variety of ways. They receive emotional support, resolve conflicts with people, understand feelings and problems, and try out new solutions to on-going problems. Goals for therapy may be specific (change in behavior, improved relations with friends or family), or more general (less anxiety, better self-esteem). The length of therapy depends on the complexity and severity of problems.

Therapy for adolescents is beneficial when a teen is experiencing difficulty with handling emotions as well as reacting with challenging behaviors. Various methods are utilized to assist with negative self-talk, self-injury, experimenting with drugs or alcohol, eating disorders, sexual issues, as well as bullying and managing social media.