Therapy for Teens

Being a teen is not easy.

Is your teen acting out, sad, or anxious? Are they struggling with self-esteem or school issues?

The teen years represent a transitional stage of becoming an adult, and teens face many challenges. School is becoming more demanding. They worry about relationships, being in the popular crowd, thinking about college, and making decisions for themselves.

When teens face difficult circumstances, their inexperience and growing need for independence from their parents can cause them to act out or become withdrawn. This dynamic commonly creates a tense environment in the home and can affect the entire family.

As a parent of a teen, you want to maintain a positive relationship, but finding the right words to make that connection is not always straightforward.

Therapy can help make life easier for you and your teen.

My experiences as a high school drama teacher helped inform my approach to building trust, connecting with and supporting teens and college-bound students.

Take heart if you feel challenged by your current experiences with your teen because you are not alone. How you interpret and respond to these challenges is what really matters.

When teens isolate or act out, they usually feel lonely, sad, stressed, or scared. Sometimes, all of the above.

With kindness and respect, I work to forge a trusting connection with your teen to help uncover what is really going on with them. My goal is to help your teen feel empowered to make choices that change their life for the better.

Here are some common issues that I can help address.

Your teen may isolate themselves or have difficulty with friendships. They may have conflictual relationships with parents or siblings.

They may be doing poorly in school or refusing to attend school. Being an overachiever and perfectionist can be stressful, even more so if they need support navigating the college prep process.

Your teen may be questioning their gender or sexual orientation or have a dysfunctional romantic relationship.

Anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, or a loss can make the teen years stressful.

Let’s help your teen navigate this transition.

When teens connect with the right therapist, they enjoy participating in therapy and feel better about themselves and their relationships with others.

I have helped teens overcome challenges they cannot express openly to their parents.

I’d be happy to have a free 15-minute consultation with you and a separate one with your teen. Call or text me at (714) 321-1521.