8 Supportive Therapy Activities for Teens
Key Takeaway: Supporting teens starts with offering tools, not pressure. These eight therapy activities for teens are simple, practical ways to build emotional insight, regulation, and connection. At Alpine Mind Therapy, I work collaboratively with teens to explore what works for them—at their own pace and on their terms.
Teen life can feel overwhelming—big emotions, identity shifts, academic pressure, and social stress all rolled into one. Supportive therapy helps teens sort through it, not by “fixing” them, but by offering tools to feel more understood, empowered, and in control.
At Alpine Mind Therapy, I work with teens and young adults to build emotional insight, strengthen coping skills, and navigate challenges with greater confidence. Therapy is a space where you can be curious and not judged.
This article shares eight supportive therapy activities for teens—practical tools that can be used in sessions or at home. These teen therapy activities are designed to support real-life growth. Whether you're a parent, teacher, or therapist, these mental health activities for teens can help promote self-awareness, resilience, and connection.
Mental Health Activities for Teens
Supportive therapy isn’t about checking boxes—it’s about finding what actually clicks with each teen. These therapy activities for teens are flexible and low-pressure, designed to help teens slow down, reflect, and build a stronger connection to themselves. These practices offer simple ways to support emotional growth, regulation, and resilience.
1. Name the feeling: The feelings wheel
Teens often know they feel something, but finding the right word can be hard. Tools like the feelings color wheel offer a visual way to sort emotions into categories (like anger, sadness, joy, or fear) and then break them down into more specific feelings (like “frustrated,” “lonely,” or “hopeful”). These charts use color-coded segments to help teens name what’s going on inside without feeling overwhelmed. It opens the door for conversation without putting them on the spot.
2. Mood journaling (but make it simple)
Forget long journal entries. This isn’t about keeping a diary—it's about building emotional check-in habits. Teens can jot down one word, pick an emoji, or rate their mood on a 1–10 scale. You can do it on paper, a whiteboard, or a shared Google Doc. Over time, this simple practice helps teens spot emotional patterns and feel more in control of their inner world. It’s one of the most approachable mental health activities for teens.
3. Walk and talk sessions
Some teens feel more comfortable side-by-side than face-to-face. A short walk—around the block, a park, or even a hallway—can make conversation feel more natural. Movement can help regulate the nervous system, reduce pressure, and create space for tough topics to emerge more easily. It’s especially useful in adolescent therapy activities when verbal processing is tough.
4. Values mapping
When teens are overwhelmed or unmotivated, it can help to zoom out. Instead of asking “what do you want to be?”—ask “what matters to you?” A values mapping exercise—whether through a worksheet, card sort, or open conversation—helps clarify what they care about deep down. This gives meaning to decisions, reduces avoidance, and builds a foundation for self-directed choices in therapy and life.
5. Coping skills menu
Everyone benefits from having go-to strategies during stressful moments. A coping skills menu is a list (or visual board) of grounding techniques, soothing activities, and regulation tools that work for that specific teen. It could include things like “listen to music,” “5-4-3-2-1 grounding,” “call a friend,” or “hug my dog.” This therapeutic activity for teens creates a sense of preparedness and control.
6. “What’s in Your Control?” circles
Using two circles—one for “things I can control” and one for “things I can’t”—this visual activity helps teens sort through stressors and focus their energy. It’s especially helpful for anxiety, conflict, or overwhelm. Over time, it builds emotional boundaries and reduces the tendency to spiral into helplessness.
7. Creative expression time
Some feelings don’t come out easily through words. Drawing, collage, poetry, or curating a playlist can offer teens another channel to process emotions safely. The point isn’t to make art—it’s to move emotions outward and create space for insight. These therapeutic activities for teens encourage authentic expression without pressure to “get it right.”
8. Role reversal skits or scripts
For teens navigating social stress, anxiety, or boundary-setting, light improvisation can be surprisingly effective. You might act out a tough conversation they’re dreading, then switch roles to explore how it might feel on the other side. Practicing these skills in a playful, low-stakes way makes real-life situations easier to manage.
Why These Activities Matter for Teen Mental Health
Adolescence is full of emotional intensity, shifting identities, and constant change. For many teens, this can feel confusing or even isolating—especially when they don’t yet have the tools to understand what’s happening inside. That’s where supportive therapy and structured activities come in.
These mental health activities for teens aren’t just filler—they’re intentional practices that help teens:
Slow down.
Name what they’re feeling.
Build skills for coping.
Express themselves.
Make meaning of their emotions.
Whether it’s journaling, creative expression, or learning what’s really important to them, these adolescent therapy activities can increase emotional regulation, boost confidence, and create a deeper sense of self-awareness.
Most importantly, these practices offer something teens often crave but rarely get: space to be seen, heard, and supported without judgment. When used consistently—in or outside the therapy room—these therapeutic activities for teens can lay the groundwork for long-term mental health and resilience.
Start Small, Stay Curious
There’s no need for teens to take on all of these practices at once. In fact, the best place to start is with just one or two activities that feel doable and meaningful right now. Supportive therapy isn’t about doing everything “right”—it’s about experimenting, noticing what helps, and building from there.
In my work with teens, therapy becomes a space to try things out together. We explore what feels helpful, what doesn’t, and why. It’s collaborative, not prescriptive. Some teens connect with creative expression, others with movement or mindfulness. There’s no one-size-fits-all path, and that’s the point.
If you or a teen in your life is feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or just unsure of what’s next, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Reach out—whether it’s to me or another trusted therapist—and we’ll take the next step together, at your pace.
