Teenagers!
Life has gotten bigger and more complicated than ever during this time period. Cliques at school mean everything, relationships take precedent, extracurriculars define identity, and getting those concert tickets feels like life or death.
Teens may react to these big life transitions differently. They’re either always on the go trying to juggle it all, completely overwhelmed, shut down, or avoidant of the things that need to get done.
As a parent, you want to help. You want to be involved. And yet, no matter how hard you try and how much you witness your teen struggling, you may be finding it tremendously difficult to get through to your teen.
Don’t worry. This is part of the growing up process. This is normal and expected.
In fact, it’s part of the survival process!
Let me break it down.
When lion cubs come of age, it is expected that they go on to find their own pack. Finding and fitting into a pack are essential for survival.
This concept applies to human teenagers. As teens go through this developmental stage, they’re learning to make it on their own without the training wheels that are their parent’s involvement!
That being said, this stage is still tough nonetheless, and no parent wants to see their teens go through this time alone.
I can help.
Emotional outbursts, anger, frustration, behavioral patterns that aren’t always welcome — these are all things I work through with my clients.
Individual therapy is an amazing outlet that parents can provide for their teens who want to share but aren’t quite ready to open up to you yet. While parents aren’t in the therapy space in these scenarios, parents often begin to notice shifts in their teens mood and behavior over time.
Parents, if you and your teen are feeling brave and open to learning about how to be better in your dynamics with one another, family therapy can be a transformative opportunity for all parties involved.
$195/50-minute teen sessions
$255/50-minute family sessions
(Sessions can be prorated for longer meeting times if it feels supportive to do so.)
I’ve spent a majority of my career learning how to best work with teens.
As a former sex educator in juvenile hall and gender-based violence advocate for teens, I am well-versed in what it takes to create a space where teens feel comfortable and brave enough to share about all kinds of topics (even the topics adults find difficult to discuss).
Through the safe space I create for teens in therapy to be vulnerable, my young clients get the opportunity to share and work through emotions in a way that puts them in the driver’s seat.
Questions About
Family Therapy
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Any combination of family members is welcome! Parents, in-laws, stepkids, partners — whoever the family deems family and wants to be present to work through the issues together.
Can some members be reluctant? Sure! Even just showing up and being present can be a win.
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Yes! Here’s why.
This policy is meant to protect the family as a single unit. That way, it doesn’t feel like mom and therapist, or therapist and teen are ganging up on the other person. This rule also helps us steer away from repeating family patterns we may currently be stuck in, and helps us practice being bold and brave enough to try new ways of being with one another.
It’s daunting to be open with family! But not impossible. If something is shared in confidence with me as the therapist, I’ll work with you to figure out a way to best share with the rest of the family at your own pace where you feel in control, trusting, and courageous in the process.
You and your family may be ready for family therapy with me if:
You’re willing to be in the same room, even if it’s uncomfortable.
Family therapy is not about stopping conflict all together, it’s about learning to manage and ride through inevitable conflict better.
You all want to understand each other and your collective patterns better, not just “fix” one person.
Think of family therapy like examining cogs in a machine. We want to understand how one’s movement impacts another, and vice versa.
There’s a collective desire for change, even if it’s not fully clear yet.
You agree that you disagree, and want change but don’t quite know how yet. Family therapy is a place to learn to adjust.
You can handle some emotional discomfort without completely shutting down or blowing up.
Things won’t always feel totally ok in family therapy, and that is ok. You’re able to all stay in the room and be present when things get real.
At least one person is open to hearing how others experience them.
You or at least some members of your family are able to pause and hold onto their defensive long enough to hear each other out.
There’s a sense of care or longing to be close underneath the conflict.
Even when conflict arises and things get heated, you can each still step back, take a breath, and say, “This is hard, but I’m in this with you.”
