Rizz, cheugy, delulu, low-key, high-key? Teens communicate in a dialect that’s hard for adults to decipher—and by the time we do know the meaning of a teen term it becomes, well, cheugy. The true meaning behind the secret language of teens is that this age group deeply craves connection with their peers, and slang is one way they create community that adults can’t penetrate.
Affirming peer connections are an essential component of teen mental health, but those connections aren’t always easy to form. Because teens are still finding their identities and social footing, peer interactions can be a source of significant stress; and today a huge amount of teen interactions happen online, where it’s easy to misunderstand or be misunderstood, and too easy to be rude or even cruel.
The urgent need for peer support spaces
In the midst of a teen mental health crisis, when per the CDC more than 40% of high school students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, Talkspace is taking the lead in helping teens receive the high-quality care that they need. Already leaders in providing specialized therapy and self-guided support, we recognized that for this age group healthy peer connection is also vital. Indeed this month Mental Health America released a policy report emphasizing the importance of youth peer support, with an urgent recommendation to expand access.
To be part of the solution, we’ve created Teenspace Community, a feature available to partners who offer Talkspace therapy for teens. Teenspace Community is a safe and affirming online space where teens can gather to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and both give and receive support at all hours. This new feature was created by the Talkspace clinical team in collaboration with real teens. “We know that young people turn more toward their peers in this season of their lives, and that’s why we are passionate about meeting young people where they are and creating a safe space for them to show up for each other,” says Liz Colizza, MAC, LPC, NCC, Talkspace Director of Research and Programs. “Peer support is increasingly recognized as an important component of supporting young people’s mental health, because it allows young people to connect over shared experiences and it empowers them to provide encouragement and support for each other.”
Research shows that structured peer support reduces depression, loneliness, and anxiety, by offering access to valuable social interactions, the positive effects of helping others, and the opportunity to express feelings to supportive peers outside of one’s usual community. (BMJ Open, 2022; JMIR Mental Health, 2023)
In Teenspace Community participants remain anonymous to encourage candor, vulnerability, and showing up as their true selves, but moderation assures that things stay safe and everyone adheres to teen-approved community guidelines.
How Teenspace Community works
Here’s a sneak peek at how the new Teenspace Community feature works:
Daily reflection: Every day Teenspace Community will feature a daily reflection question and prompt teens to answer it. This gives them an opportunity for self-discovery and expression in between communications with their therapists, and by answering and seeing how others answer teens will both learn more about themselves, feel commonality with others, and discover other ways to see things.
Give and receive support: Teens can comment on each other’s responses with emojis or words of affirmation or encouragement, while receiving the same. Doing good feels good, so by offering support to others teens boost their own well-being.
Share with their therapist, if they choose: Teens will be asked if they want to share their reflection with their therapist, and if they choose that option their words will be posted to their therapy room without extra effort. This gives the therapist valuable insights and discussion prompts and can assist the therapeutic process.
Moderation ensures safety: Teenspace Community will be continuously monitored to ensure participants adhere to community guidelines and that interactions stay safe and supportive. A bi-level approach of clinically-trained experts and AI capabilities provide guardrails, and Talkspace’s mature clinical escalation and crisis support protocols provide safety. Because they are anonymous, teens are comfortable being completely candid, but because the forum is supervised you won’t find the bullying or bad behavior present in other anonymous forums.
Why teens love Teenspace Community
Teens will discover that Teenspace Community is a space where they can be honest, be vulnerable, and vent if they need to, while finding connection with other teens who are also working on their mental health. Unlike other anonymous communities, all members are verified to be real teenagers in the US who are participating in Talkspace therapy (no trolls, no scammers, no parents) and have agreed to show up as their most authentic and kind selves. Because they can access Teenspace Community at any time, day or night, they don’t have to wait to give or receive support.
The benefits of Teenspace Community for organizations
We created Teenspace Community to give businesses, school districts, and other organizations a new way to bolster the mental well-being of their teens. The parents and guardians in your organization will find relief in knowing that their teens are accessing peer connection in a safe and moderated space that’s an alternative to unregulated online forums or social media.
Schools and school districts may find that the positive interpersonal skills fostered by Teenspace Community translates to reduced conflict and more positive relationships on campus. Time spent on Teenspace Community can mean less time spent interacting on social media, which may prevent problems that bleed into school hours.
In these ways Teenspace Community will not only improve the mental health of teens, it can strengthen the families and communities those teens live within.
Therapy and peer support are better together
When teens have access to both Talkspace therapy and peer support they receive multi-modal connection and encouragement, at any time, on teen terms. The interactions and insights that teens gain from Teenspace Community inform and support the work they do with their therapists, leading to a more productive therapeutic relationship. When Talksapce therapy for teens and Teenspace Community are combined teens receive more accessible, intensive support and achieve increased symptom improvement sooner. The ability to access both forms of support in a single platform is convenient and increases engagement.
If you’re part of a school district, employer, or other organization with teens in your community, the Talkspace team would love to tell you more about how Talkspace teen therapy and Teenspace Community work together to support teen mental health, with proven outcomes. Reach out to schedule a call at your convenience.
Join us in the project of increasing authentic connection and positive interaction among teens, to support their mental health today and give the next generation of adults the experiences that foster empathy and understanding.
Sources:
* BMJ Open, Epidemiology and Psychiatric Services; JMIR Mental Health