Are you worried that the difficulties of today will be carried to a painful and challenging future? Do you feel that these struggles have gotten out of control and too difficult to handle? Are you feeling overwhelmed and not quite sure what to do? You know something isn’t right and you are worried things will never be right again. 

You are not alone. 

• Anxiety & depression
• Academic struggles & underperformance
• Self-esteem & confidence
• Trauma
• Body  issues
• Grief & loss
• Peer relationships
• Gender & sexuality
• Family conflict, change, and boundaries
• Transitions
• Self-injury & suicidal ideation
• Substance use, abuse, addiction issues
• Technology boundaries and proper usage

Therapy with teens is not just about venting or complaining about school or parents. Adolescence is a confusing and intense time in life. Because of this, teens need a safe space to process their experiences and feelings as they continue to learn and develop. Continuous venting or complaining with peers can create a hopeless, helpless loop.  

Therapy with me is an opportunity to discover strengths and values, learn about patterns and beliefs, and to develop practical skills and tools to handle difficult emotions and situations with confidence. 

Teens often feel misunderstood, and in reality, they aren’t always wrong. Concerning behaviors can appear as a result of feeling like they are being misunderstood. Behaviors such as laziness, “craziness,” defiance or simply a lack of concern may appear on the surface — covering up for underlying struggles. This combined with challenging emotions, scarce tools, and typical adolescent self-doubt creates fertile ground for a negative identity and poor perception of self. Teens can carry these damaging self-beliefs into adulthood impacting their well-being. 

Because of their developmental phase, teens have particular needs that require a specific set of skills and tools. 

My extensive training, education, and experience gives me a deep understanding of adolescent development and struggles.  Young people have been my exclusive focus, and I am thoroughly equipped to attend to the unique challenges and needs during this specific time in life.  My professional work and practice is dedicated to young people.  

You, your family, and your teen will emerge from these years stronger and more resilient than before. 

 Social

• Improve self-confidence
• Stronger and meaningful relationships
• Increase participation in life
• Improve communication
• Decrease vulnerability to pressures

Emotional 

• Increase self worth and self-esteem
• Increase self -awareness
• Increase emotional regulation 
• Increase resilience
• Increase insight about feelings, patterns and beliefs

Behavioral

• Develop self regulation skills
• Develop healthier coping skills
• Increase impulse control 
• Greater accountability
• Build stronger decision making skills

What information is shared with parents?

The most effective therapeutic spaces provide an opportunity for young people to express themselves freely without fear of judgement or punishment. Therefore, confidentiality is maintained at all times — unless there is a clear danger to self or others. If there are important things to discuss with parents, I will always ask for consent and most often will request that the teen is present.  

How are parents involved?

Parents involvement is vital to therapy.  I always seek to create healthy lines of communication between teens and their parents with openness, respect, and healthy boundaries.  To help your child change, parents may need to make adjustments as well. 

What if we are hesitant about therapy? 

This is very common! The idea of therapy can feel daunting. I recommend giving therapy a 3-5 session try. Most often, once connection with your therapist is formed, initial hesitancy dissipates.  However, connection is most important. If you do not feel that spark with your counselor I encourage you to find a new one that you can connect with.