Self-Esteem Worksheet for Teens (Examples)

Tips to boost self-esteem in teenagers

The methods you use to treat adolescent clients fundamentally differ from those used to treat both adult and child clients. Adolescents are often experiencing a turbulent period of their lives, on the brink of adulthood, and faced with new challenges. It can be quite common for teens to experience low self-esteem, but fortunately, there are a number of different yet simple ways that you can help your clients counteract this. 

Praise efforts

Praising efforts over outcomes is important for showing teenagers that the work they put in is what matters, rather than the consequences. For example, if your client performs well on their exam, you should praise the study they did rather than the specific score or result. 

Encourage self-improvement

Self-improvement can help show teenagers that working toward achieving goals is more productive than dwelling on failures or limitations. Teenagers often overdramatize their shortcomings, deciding that they are “dumb” if they struggle in a certain class.

When these situations occur, you may encourage them to set goals pertaining to limitations or weaknesses they perceive in themselves. At the same time, you should emphasize that making mistakes is both inevitable and a valuable part of the learning process.

Impart assertiveness skills 

Learning how to be assertive is an important skill to develop. An assertive teenager will be able to communicate effectively with peers, teachers, and family. They may be less likely to succumb to peer pressure and will be able to explain their needs and wants to others, ultimately boosting self-esteem.

Encourage new opportunities

Developing new skills and being exposed to different opportunities are fantastic tools for improving confidence. You could take the time to get to know your clients and encourage them to pick up a new sport, instrument, hobby, or general interest they may have.

Build self-worth

It's important that teenagers don't externalize the source of their self-worth but rather establish a strong basis of self-worth internally. This can be difficult to achieve, but by encouraging your client to develop a strong set of values and showing them the benefits of being a kind and caring person, you should be able to work towards this goal. You can utilize this Self-Worth Worksheet to support this.

Self-worth activities for teens

Going a step further, there is an array of different therapeutic activities for teens and kids you can introduce to your young clients to help them build self-esteem and support their mental health.

Positive goal-setting

Goal-setting helps guide teenagers toward achievable and meaningful outcomes in their future as well as to develop healthy self-esteem. Working together, you and your client should come up with around 3 short-term goals and 3 long-term goals, along with a strategic plan for how your client can achieve these. When devising these goals, it's a good idea to keep the SMART acronym in mind (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Based).

Challenge negative beliefs

Negative self-talk often derives from negative opinions that we hold about ourselves. Most of the time, we internally over-exaggerate these, and they aren't a reflection of how others see us. For this activity, teenagers should write down 2-3 negative beliefs they have about themselves.

They should then take these to someone in their life (parents, friends, teachers, etc.) and ask for their opinion on the belief. Talking through negative beliefs with a trusted person can help diminish the power of the belief and even change it into something positive. Another way that adolescents can promote positive self-talk is to  challenge negative thoughts is through the use of a self-esteem bucket.

Motivational jar

Another self-esteem activity may be starting the day by thinking about something positive is a great mindfulness tip that can also help with building self-esteem. For this activity, teenagers should write down motivational quotes that inspire them – these could be from their favorite book, song, role model, or even a person in their life – and put them in a jar. Every morning, they can take a quote out of the jar and begin their day with a positive outlook and reflect on their personal values.

Self-Esteem Worksheets for Teens (with Examples)

In addition to introducing activities to teenagers to support high self-esteem, worksheets that specifically target this can also be extremely useful. Worksheets are versatile in their use: they encourage clients to be more engaged in their own care, foster a trusting and meaningful client/therapist relationship, and allow therapists to develop a specific treatment plan to guide clients toward their goals.

As a therapist, you may find that you often treat clients for a range of different reasons, of which self-esteem is one. The best thing about using a worksheet is how well it can be used in conjunction with other resources. For example, check out the Coping Skills Worksheet. Combined with a self-esteem worksheet, this resource will help teenage clients implement their strategies to align with goals and develop a strong sense of self-worth and confidence. 

If you want to download a self-esteem worksheet for teens , check out our printable template below, which is designed to help teenage clients improve their self-esteem and self-worth.

Self-Esteem Worksheet for Teens:

Conclusion

Teaching teenagers the skills they need to develop their self-esteem is a valuable aspect of working as a mental health practitioner. Equipped with the relevant tools such as Carepatron's self-esteem worksheets, you'll be able to support your clients with the skills they need to optimize their confidence and self-worth in no time, leading them to have an improved quality of life.

Further Reading:

• Counseling worksheet for self-esteem
• Essential Strategies for Raising a Confident Teen