During adolescence, children and teenagers start to become more aware of how other people may see them and their social status among their peers. Over the past few decades, media aimed at this age group has become more focused on narrow ideals for men’s and women’s bodies and impossible beauty standards. It’s around this age that young people start to compare themselves to others, and they may develop a negative body image. When these feelings and attitudes go untreated, they can turn into behaviors like eating disorders and excessive exercise that have a negative impact on their physical health. 

Our society has been so steeped in this culture for so many years that many people replicate these standards and ideals without meaning to. It’s critical for young people to learn to spot these dangerous notions and choose healthier thought processes.

In this article, we’ll discuss common body image issues adolescents face and how therapy can help.

How can mental health treatment help my child with body image issues?

Both individual and group therapy are helpful for adolescents navigating body image issues. Your child will learn about their own psychological processes and get to know others their age who are on a similar healing journey. This helps them understand that they’re not alone in what they’re going through. They’ll learn about problematic messages in the media and gain a better sense of what’s true versus what messages are biased or manipulative. They’ll also learn about healthy habits and find sources of self-worth that aren’t related to their appearance.

Body image issues that adolescents may face

Most often, body image issues and related disorders come about during adolescence. At this age, people are particularly vulnerable to messages about appearance they see in the media and hear from other people in their lives. They might become dissatisfied with how they look or start comparing themselves to others. 

Adolescents may experience the following issues related to body image:

• negative body image — perception of one’s own body as flawed, ugly or not good enough compared to others

• body dysmorphia or body dysmorphic disorder — a mental health condition in which a person becomes preoccupied with specific flaws in their appearance or a general dissatisfaction with their appearance

• eating disorders — patterns of bingeing, restrictive eating or both that affect a person’s mental and physical health

• gender dysphoria — distress related to a difference between a person’s gender identity and their gender assigned at birth

Therapy for body image issues

Therapy for body image issues includes psychoeducation in which young people learn about their self-image and their thoughts and feelings about themselves and their bodies. They’ll work with an individual therapist to examine past experiences and change their relationship to their bodies. They’ll also learn skills they can use to deal with distress and regulate their emotions in healthy ways. 

The following are some types of therapy that are effective for helping adolescents with body image issues:

• cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) — In CBT for body image issues, the therapist will help their patient understand their thoughts and feelings about their body and where they are coming from. They’ll guide them in challenging negative perceptions and explore more helpful ways to relate to their body and appearance.

• dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) — DBT is a type of therapy that focuses on holding two contradicting but true concepts at the same time. For instance, an adolescent may work on accepting that their body will never be perfect, and yet they have unique qualities that can be attractive.

• acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) — ACT helps young people become more emotionally resilient. For body image issues, an adolescent might work on accepting things about their appearance that they can’t change while developing self-compassion and committing to making healthy choices.

• exposure and response prevention (ERP) — ERP helps people learn to tolerate distress without using unhealthy coping mechanisms. It’s often used to help people experiencing eating disorders, anxiety conditions or trauma reduce their sensitivity to certain triggers.

• expressive arts therapy — Expressive arts therapy can be an especially helpful way for young people to connect with their bodies and their identities in a positive way.

• mindfulness-based therapy — In mindfulness-based therapy, people learn techniques for grounding themselves in the present moment and allowing themselves to “just be.” It can help young people become more comfortable in their bodies and focus on how they feel rather than how they look.

How to help your child with body image issues

You can reinforce what your child is learning in therapy by asking about what they’re working on and talking through the situations they’re facing. You might talk with them about examples of media that have positive or negative messages and try to identify a more balanced and truthful perspective together. If your child says negative things about how they look, you can help them challenge those negative thoughts by asking open-ended questions. Help them try to find more neutral or positive things they could say about their body instead of judging themselves. You can also help your child focus on what their body can do instead of how they look and build healthy habits.

At Embrace U, in our outpatient therapy programs, we’ve created a safe space and a supportive community where adolescents aged 10 to 18 can talk about these issues openly, without shame. By listening to others share their stories and learning about media literacy and mental health topics, young people can quickly develop a keen sense of what’s right and true for themselves. The tweens and teens in our programs are very insightful. Every day, we see them growing into stronger, wiser, more confident versions of themselves. 

Are you concerned about a young person in your life who’s struggling with body image issues? If they need a higher level of support than traditional outpatient therapy, give us a call or contact our team today. Let’s talk about your next steps together.