The teen years bring fast changes: growing bodies, new pressures at school and online, and a growing wish for independence. Regular health visits during these years are about much more than checking height and weight. They are a chance for teens to build a trusting relationship with a provider and to start taking charge of their own health, with parents as partners.
Why Yearly Visits Matter
Many teens feel healthy and see no reason for a checkup. But adolescence is when habits around sleep, food, activity, screens and relationships take shape, and when concerns like anxiety, depression, disordered eating or substance use often first appear. National guidance recommends a preventive visit every year through the teen years, which gives everyone a regular, low-pressure time to check in.
What a Teen Visit Usually Includes
- A review of growth, puberty and general health
- Sleep, nutrition, physical activity and screen time
- School, friendships, family life and stress
- Mood, including screening for depression and anxiety
- Safety, such as driving, seatbelts, online safety and healthy relationships
- Questions about alcohol, vaping, tobacco and other substances
- Periods, sexual health and puberty questions, when appropriate
- A review of vaccines
Vaccines commonly recommended in the preteen and teen years include protection against HPV, meningococcal disease, and tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough, along with a yearly flu vaccine. Your teen's provider can review their record and let you know what is due.
Private Time With the Provider
For many families, the biggest change is that part of the visit happens with the teen alone. This is a normal, recommended part of adolescent care. Teens are often more open about sensitive topics, such as mood, relationships or substance use, when a parent is not in the room. Private time also helps teens practice talking about their own health, a skill they will need as adults.
Parents are still an important part of the visit. Usually the visit begins or ends with everyone together, so parents can share concerns and hear the overall plan.
How Confidentiality Works
Providers generally keep what a teen shares during private time confidential, within the limits of state law. Rules about which services minors can consent to on their own differ from state to state, and your provider can explain how they apply to your family. There is one important exception everyone should know up front: if a teen's safety, or someone else's safety, is at serious risk, the provider will involve a parent or other help.
For parents, this can feel uncomfortable at first. It helps to remember that everyone shares the same goal: a healthy, safe teen who has trusted adults to turn to.
Tips for Parents
- Talk with your teen before the visit about what to expect, including private time.
- Share your own concerns with the provider at the start of the visit.
- Let your teen answer questions in their own words when they can.
- Respect the private part of the visit, and avoid quizzing your teen about it afterward.
- Keep the door open at home for conversations about mood, friends and pressures.
Tips for Teens
If you are a teen reading this, your visit is your time. Write down questions ahead of time, even ones that feel awkward. Your provider has heard it before and is there to help, not to judge. If something is bothering you, such as your mood, your sleep, your periods, your skin or a relationship, it is worth bringing up. Questions about birth control and sexual health are welcome too, and our overview of birth control options is a good place to start.
Telehealth and In-Person Care for Teens
Many teen health conversations work well by telehealth, as long as your teen has a private space for their part of the visit. Headphones and a closed door help. Some care needs an in-person visit, including vaccines, hands-on exams and sports physicals that require one. Sagebrooke Family Medicine is starting as a telehealth practice, and when your teen needs something done in person, we will help you arrange it.
When to Get Help Right Away
If your teen talks about suicide or self-harm, or you are worried about their immediate safety, do not wait for an appointment. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Our article on recognizing anxiety and depression describes signs to watch for.
The teen years are when young people begin to own their health. A trusted provider can help them do it well.
Getting Started
Learn more about pediatric and adolescent care at Sagebrooke Family Medicine, or contact the practice with questions about getting started.