Teen Therapy

Adolescence is full of challenges.

Teens struggle with many issues.

Sometimes, your teen has experienced a traumatic event or is just having difficulty navigating life’s changes, such as divorce; the death of a family member; adoption; or adjusting to school, friends, and their self-identity.

Communicating how they feel, especially to their parents, is not a teen’s strong point. As a result, both the teen and parents become frustrated.

Adolescence is a significant life transition. Without some guidance (or interpreter), the process becomes a rocky road for all involved.

Let me be your guide!

I can help your teen identify their feelings, communicate their feelings to others, and learn to cope. Your child will use these skills when faced with difficulties.

Talking to a teenager can sometimes take an act of Congress. Luckily, I know a few members of Congress, but I’m confident I won’t need them.

I speak teen!

Positive relationships based on trust

I am an expert at building relationships with teens, allowing us to talk and get real while understanding parents’ fears, worries, and needs.

Teens need a therapist on their side whom they can trust to talk about the hard stuff in their lives (perhaps including tough things with their parents). These conversations require a balance that addresses the parents’ genuine concerns.

The art in what I do is to help the teen feel confident that I will not betray his or her trust while recognizing that parents need to be a part of the therapy and need access and guidance.

Rather than offer teens a rigid set of rules (as in “I won’t share x, y, or z”), we offer a more profound trust as in, “I’m on your side, but I’m also on your parents’ side.”

Conversations require balancing trust with honesty.

At times, a teen needs some time to build trust with a therapist first, especially if they experienced a violation of trust in the past. I will be honest – sometimes, teens feel very hurt by one or both parents.

My job is to take the teen’s experiences seriously.

But I don’t take that seriously in a manner that says, “Yeah, your parents suck.” Instead, I may offer, “Let’s help you figure out how to talk to your parents about that and see how I, as the therapist, might help them do that better.”

Of course, both teen and therapist might need to work to understand better where Mom and Dad are coming from.

Surviving adolescence is better with a trusted guide.

My goal is to help your teen communicate their feelings and express their concerns openly. At the same time, I want both parents and their teens to gain insight into how they can interact effectively.

Navigating adolescence is challenging. Let me work with both you and your teen.

Contact me today by calling (615) 636-1637.