Teen Therapy
Teen years are the bridge between childhood and adulthood, a truly crucial time.
Teens and their world
Being a teenager in today’s society is likely the hardest it has ever been before. Struggles with emotions, relationships, self-esteem, and bullying are just a few of the many stressors current plaguing young people. You may be feeling helpless as to how you can best help your teen at this time. Please know that this is not only understandable, but highly common among parents of teenage children. During the teens years, a person is dealing with understanding their own identity, where and how to fit in with peers, rapid physical changes, and challenges in making healthy, sound choices. When these factors collide, many teens find themselves needing additional support to cope.
Major loss and life changes (such as natural disasters, divorce, remarriage of parents, relocation, death in the family, etc.) can bring about a host of emotional responses resulting in isolation, arguing, defiance, and other unhealthy behaviors. It is usually during this time that the teenager’s family and friends begin to notice significant changes in how they present and behave.
What is teen therapy?
Teen therapy is two-pronged. It is designed to enable a teenager to process life difficulties in a safe, supportive environment, and it also functions as a bridge between teenagers and the rest of their families and world. Teens often need insight to fully understand the impact they have on others; they frequently need the space and time to develop the personally skills that are necessary for navigating stressors in their daily lives. On the other hand, parents generally want to better understand their teenagers and push them towards success, but they often find that they have trouble communicating with their teen.
Teen therapy may be a good fit for your child if he/she is:
How teen therapy helps families
Teen therapy can help a teenager to better cope with emotions and become better at managing various stressors in their life. Additionally, as teenagers become more self-aware and develop better communication skills, they become better at connecting with their parents and families in healthy and productive ways.* Furthermore, teen therapy helps parents become more informed of the stressors their teens are under and how best to move forward in supporting them in the best ways possible. Ultimately, teen therapy is geared to support teen recovery and to strengthen the family bond.
*Please note, a parent/caregiver must be present for the initial session of teen therapy and be able to commit to a family therapy session periodically throughout the course of teen therapy treatment.
A Place to Start
If you are ready to schedule a therapy appointment, I invite you to reach out to my
office using the form on this site under “Contact”. Alternatively, if you have specific questions about my work experience or methods of treatment, I invite you to schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation via phone. I look forward to hearing from you!