Teen & Adolescent Therapy

Adolescence is an incredibly important and vulnerable time in navigating the transition from childhood to adulthood. It’s the time when teens begin to think more critically about themselves and the world around them. This can be a particularly trying time not only for the individual teenager or adolescent, but for the family members responsible for their care as well.

Psychotherapy can be helpful for young people because it offers them a safe place to talk about the varying issues they face in the midst of these overwhelming transitions. It allows them the opportunity to talk things over with a trusted adult so they can speak freely without shame, judgment, or concern that they will hurt their parent or caregiver’s feelings. Healthy adolescent development depends on youth feeling supported, respected, trusted, and inspired to become the healthy individuals they want to be. Counseling can do that by assisting in the adolescent process of differentiating themselves from their care givers in taking the first steps towards creating themselves as a budding adult.

My approach to counseling with teens is strengths-based. This means that I frequently encourage adolescents to incorporate their own creative outlets (i.e. music, art, personal writing, etc.) in our work together to help them express their thoughts and feelings in a therapeutically effective way. I am skilled at working with teens and their families around issues of depression, anxiety, anger, self-esteem and self-destructive or unhealthy behaviors.

The teens and adolescents I typically work tend to be going through the following, among others:

• Life Transitions: having a hard time adjusting to high school or college, having a hard time with a sibling moving out or going to college, parents getting divorced, first losses

• Angst: anger, anxiety, restlessness, and nervousness

• Depression: overwhelming sadness and inner turmoil

• Shame: insecurities; feeling bad about themselves; thinking they’re stupid, worthless, or incapable.

• Self-injurious and risky behavior: cutting, substance use/abuse, running away, unsafe sexual practices, expressing very dark or concerning feelings or emotions

• Trauma: bullying, neglect, or abuse

• Stress: excessive worrying about their future, perfectionism, feeling hopeless

• Relationship tension with siblings and other family members