Kaizen

Teenager Support Groups With Kaizen

The relationship and communication between a parent and teen can be difficult to navigate, especially if the teen is dealing with their own mental health battles. The Beautiful Mind Project believes these teens make much more progress by making small changes every day. The word Kaizen comes from the Japanese word for “steady, gradual improvement.”

Through Kaizen, we connect members of our community with cost-free group counseling for teenagers and their guardians. The program selects eight to ten children to participate in a support group. In addition, parents also participate with other parents in their own support group. Our parent group discusses effective ways to care for their children and how to manage their own mental health.

How Effective is Mental Health Counseling?

Parent to parent and child to child support groups are highly effective. These sessions can help you identify behavioral triggers, explore tools and techniques to improve mental health, and improve communication between teens and their parents.

49.5%

An estimated 49.5% of 12 to 18-year-olds have experienced a mental illness.

Data from the Department of Health and Human Services

80%

80% of children with diagnosable anxiety disorder and 60% with diagnosable depression do not receive treatment.

Courtesy of the Child Mind Institute

73.7%

Parents report that their child’s behavior improved in 73.7% of family therapy cases.

Statistics from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

How Does the Program Work?

Some approaches to therapy place stress on teens by asking them big questions like, “what do you want to do with your life?” or “where do you want to go to college?” Instead, our group sessions help children and parents identify the small things they can do to steadily improve their mental health.

The Kaizen program focuses on giving teens and parents the space, tools, and resources to make gradual improvements every day. We help teens identify the small things they can do today to make progress.

Who Can Participate in Kaizen?

We encourage families who want to cultivate a stronger, connected relationship with their teens to participate. Parents or guardians often find it more beneficial (and more relatable) to participate in a group to improve their child’s mental health and their own.

What Kind of Support Will My Family Receive?

After a quick application process, we work to arrange in-person groups for teens and parents over several weeks. Our teens participate in group discussions and activities with other teens, who may be experiencing the same battles. Parents have a separate group with other parents that are in a relatable family dynamic to share their experiences and learn from one another on how to foster a positive environment.

Sessions occur at the Mindology building at times that avoid conflicts with work, sports, and extracurricular activities.

How Long Can Teens and Parents Participate?

Groups will participate in a several-week program that teaches the core concepts of Kaizen. After the program ends families may be referred to long-term care as a continuance of therapy.