If you are in crisis, call or text 988. You can also text HOME to 741741. If you are LGBTQ+ and under 25, the Trevor Project is at 1-866-488-7386.
International Youth Day is August 12. A youth support group is a group built for people roughly 13 to 25, where the facilitator understands that being that age is its own set of problems and not a smaller version of adulthood. If you are looking for one, this is a guide to what the research says and how to pick.
When it is and why it matters
The UN General Assembly designated August 12 as International Youth Day in 1999. It is meant to draw attention to the issues young people face worldwide, and mental health has become one of the central ones.
The U.S. numbers are worth sitting with. About 33.7% of young adults aged 18 to 25 had any mental illness in 2022, the highest rate of any adult age group (National Institute of Mental Health, 2023). Among adolescents 12 to 17, the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found 15.4% had a major depressive episode in the past year, which is down from 20.8% in 2021 (SAMHSA, 2025). Serious suicidal thoughts among that group also fell, from 12.9% to 10.1%.
That decline is real and it deserves more attention than it gets. It is also still one in seven teenagers. So: better, not fine.
What does the research say about groups for young people?
Group formats have decent evidence behind them for this age range. A meta-analysis of group cognitive behavioral therapy for adolescent depression found significant reductions in depressive symptoms relative to control conditions, with effects maintained at follow-up (Keles & Idsoe, 2018). Group interventions for anxiety in youth show a similar pattern.
The mechanism is not mysterious. Adolescence is the developmental period when peer feedback carries the most weight, which is exactly why a peer group can do work that a one-on-one adult cannot. Yalom and Leszcz (2020) call it universality and interpersonal learning. Teenagers call it finally talking to someone who gets it.
In my work I have watched teens who gave a grand total of four words per individual session become genuinely talkative in a group. The room does something the office cannot.
Groups for teens and young adults in our directory
Search our directory for teen support groups and young adult groups. If school is the context, our guide to support groups for college students covers campus and off-campus options. For anxiety specifically, see anxiety support groups.
How do you choose a group for a teen or young adult?
- Check the age band. A group spanning 13 to 19 is not one group, it is two. Fourteen and eighteen are different planets.
- Ask about confidentiality and what gets reported to parents. Young people will not open up if they do not know the rules. Neither would you.
- Ask about format. Skills-based groups give structure. Process groups give room. Some kids need the first before they can tolerate the second.
- For young adults, ask about life-stage focus. A group for people figuring out work, housing, and identity is different from a diagnosis-specific one.
- Let them choose. A group a young person picked has a much better chance than one they were assigned.
Our guide on how to vet a support group lays out the red flags. And if you are a parent trying to decide whether a group or individual therapy makes more sense, this comparison is a decent starting point.
Other resources
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988, any time.
- Crisis Text Line. Text HOME to 741741.
- The Trevor Project. 1-866-488-7386, for LGBTQ+ young people.
- NAMI. nami.org runs peer groups and family groups.
- SAMHSA National Helpline. 1-800-662-4357.
Frequently asked questions
What is International Youth Day?
International Youth Day is a United Nations observance held every August 12. The General Assembly designated it in 1999 following a recommendation from the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth. Each year carries a theme, and the day is used to draw attention to the challenges facing young people worldwide, including education, employment, civic participation, and increasingly mental health. In the United States it is often used as an occasion to talk about the youth mental health picture and what actually helps.
What is a teen support group?
A teen support group is a small group, usually 6 to 12 people, made up of adolescents dealing with a shared concern such as anxiety, depression, grief, or social difficulty. Some are clinician-led therapy groups that teach specific skills. Others are peer-led support groups focused on shared experience rather than treatment. Sessions typically run 60 to 90 minutes on a weekly schedule. A good group has a tight age band, clear confidentiality rules, and a facilitator trained in adolescent development.
Does group therapy work for adolescents?
The evidence is reasonably strong. A meta-analysis of group cognitive behavioral therapy for adolescent depression found significant symptom reduction compared with control conditions, with gains largely maintained at follow-up (Keles and Idsoe, 2018). Group formats also appear well suited to adolescence developmentally, because peer influence is at its strongest during these years and a group harnesses that rather than working around it. Group therapy is not a replacement for individual treatment in every case, and severe or acute presentations usually need more.
Will my parents find out what I say in group?
It depends on the group and on your state, so ask before you join. Most clinician-led teen groups have confidentiality rules that keep the content of what you share private, with specific exceptions: if you are in danger of hurting yourself, if someone is hurting you, or if you plan to hurt someone else, the facilitator has to act. Parents are usually told that you attended, not what you said. A good facilitator will explain all of this in the first session without you having to ask.
Where can a young person get help right now?
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line, which many young people prefer because it is text-based. If you are LGBTQ+ and under 25, the Trevor Project is available at 1-866-488-7386 or by texting START to 678-678. None of these require a parent’s permission to use.
References
Keles, S., & Idsoe, T. (2018). A meta-analysis of group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions for adolescents with depression. Journal of Adolescence, 67, 129-139.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2023). Mental illness. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2025). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Yalom, I. D., & Leszcz, M. (2020). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (6th ed.). Basic Books.
Written by Stephanie Smith, LCSW.
The Group Guide is a directory. Group leaders write their own listings, and we do not vet, supervise, or endorse the groups listed here. We are not a clinic and we do not provide clinical services or guarantee outcomes, that is the group’s work, not ours. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.